As I read the stories coming out about MF Global’s bankruptcy filing yesterday, I am more scared than I ever have been before on Halloween.
Here’s what we know. MF Global, one of only 23 firms empowered to trade Treasury securities, placed $6.3 billion of its own money at play on a risky bet that the Euro crisis will be resolved happily for all parties by the end of 2012. This bet on Eurpoe is nearly 3 times that of bigger investment banks. This so far isn’t too scary so far, you do have to play big to win big. Or, in this case, lose big. You have to know as a customer that brokeraes take extreme bets.
Next, you’ll find out that MF Global was almost able to bail itself out by selling the company over the weekend, but the sale fell through. The reason: the buyer discovered that up to $900 million of customer funds were missing. Missing! Okay, now its getting scary. Why are customer funds being intermingled with company money. But, maybe there’s a simple solution.
Federal Regualtors are now investigating these missing funds. Some reports are saying the inital numbers are too high because the books weren’t up-to-date- real number of customer funds missing around $700 million. Now, I’m all out scared. Books aren’t right. Money’s gone. Feds invetigating. No comment from the company.
Finally, you may find out that the CEO of MF Global, Joe Corzine, former Govenor of New Jersey and former head honcho at Goldman Sachs, has been mentioned to be on the short list of people to replace Timothy Geitner as TreasurySecretary. Throughout the summer, he has been in secret meetings with President Obama and referred to by President Obama as “our man on Wall Street.” A former Sentor and Govenor, trusted at the highest levels of government, is running the company that looks like it has stolen customer funds. This is graveyard scary.
Putting all of this together. a picture is developing that a man whom the President and his administration trusts is the type of man that will do whatever is necessary for his own survival and to ensure he and his company look good. Customers be dmaned. If these facts hold up, what happened at MF Global is not much different than what Bernie Madoff did or what happened at Enron. When things go bad, do whatever you need to do- break the law; steal from your customers, whatever.
This just further demonstrates that three great forces rule the world: stupidity, fear and greed. –Albert Einstein.
I guess MF Global thought “Trick” when the customers knocked on the door this Halloween.
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