Write-Offs: 01.13.12
$$$Greece’s Creditors Break Off Debt Talks Amid Coupon Dispute [Bloomberg]
$$$Ratings Cut Deals Blow to Sarkozy [WSJ]
$$$S&P will probably downgrade EFSF bonds, what does this tell you about structuring an EFSF CDO? [MarketBeat via Felix Salmon]
$$$"We just might do a good thing for America, and along the way get a great return on investment," says the letter to prospective investors [from Phil Angelides, who ran the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission]. "If our hopes do not pan out, the amount wagered should be a deductible loss." In the letter, the mortgage company refers to its political connections as its "secret formula." [Reuters]
$$$ Bacon will probably kill you [CBS]
$$$ Things are going great for Jeff Gundlach, thanks for asking [BI]
$$$ Ken Griffin is also feeling pretty good [DealBook]
$$$When quants get bored [arXiv via Paul Kedrosky]
$$$Credit Score Zealots Pursue Fool’s Errand for Numbers Over 800 [Bloomberg]
$$$ More than you ever wanted to know about the bathrooms at Bloomberg, and even more [Gawker]