How they got too big to fail

Banking industry drags down stock prices around the world

September 12, 2011 at 6:54PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Banks, and the health of national banking systems, are in the news again today.

Bank of America said it would cut $5 billion in costs by 2013 and cut 30,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, European bank stocks are plunging because some government ministers are now openly talking about an "orderly default" by Greece on some of its public debt, which is held by many of that region's too big to fail banks..

U.S. banks seem to be somewhat insulated from European contagion, but given the news of the day it seemed a good time to pull out this year-old chart, which originally ran in Mother Jones magazine and was posted again today on Barry Ritholtz' The Big Picture.

It shows us how America's big banks became too big to fail. Is there a European equivalent?

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Eric Wieffering

Deputy Managing Editor | Enterprise and Investigations

Eric Wieffering, deputy managing editor for enterprise and investigations, works with reporters and editors across the newsroom on short- and longer-term enterprise stories.

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