TARP for MBIA?
I'm sure there is someone less deserving of Treasury assistance than the likes of MBIA. There are, after all, still some felons out there that could use a couple extra million. Still, since everyone else is slurping at the bailout well, might as well throw in insurers. Right?
MBIA, the largest U.S. bond insurer, and its No. 2 rival, Ambac Financial Group, met with regulators earlier this week to push for a way to tap into the federal government's bailout plan.
New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo, the main regulator for MBIA, and Wisconsin insurance commissioner Sean Dilweg, Ambac's primary regulator, convened in New York to discuss the matter with the firms.
Both companies have seen business grind to a near halt after large losses on mortgage debt guarantees, and subsequent rating cuts.
Watch out MBIA shorts.
U.S. Treasury mulls insurer aid program-sources [Reuters]