Sunday, February 17, 2008

Bond Insurer Seeks to Split Itself, Roiling Some Banks - WSJ.com

[Source:WSJ.com]

On Friday, FGIC Corp., holding company for the nation's third-largest bond insurer, told the New York State Insurance Department that in effect it wants to split up the business. The idea would be to create a new company to insure safe municipal bonds and for the existing one to keep responsibility for riskier debt securities already insured, such as those tied to the housing market.

The move may help regulators protect investors who have municipal bonds insured by the firm. But it could also force banks who are large holders of the other securities to take significant losses. Some banks that have been talking with FGIC in recent weeks to bolster the firm were taken aback by the announcement and could yet try to block it, say Wall Street executives.

No comments: