This is a list of failed and failing banks, with plenty of numbers and links to the banks and a couple of finance specialists. So what? It needs a framework to give these events meaning. Although the tone is dire with reports of "25% decline in second quarter profit", "securities losses of $35 billion", and Treasury's Paulson "asked congress for authority to buy unlimited stakes and lend to the companies to halt a collapse of confidence", I don't know if I should withdraw my savings, buy gold and hoard food, or not to worry since it's only a few banks and FDIC and the Fed are handling it well.

The real crime is that all this could have been prevented with some responsible regulation. What the article shows is that the ultra conservative mantra about business can be trusted 'to do the right thing' is utter falsehood. As has been demonstrated over and over in industry after industry, when left on its own, business becomes grasping, greedy, corrupt--even criminal in its behavior. Not only cannot business be trusted, it cannot ever be trusted to 'do the right thing.'

Looks like "whoo-hoo" just turned to "boo-hoo"!

The story suggest the depth of losses certain select banks may experience. The issue of dividend cuts is broached, a subject that has not been mentioned much yet during this debacle. There's so much more to this subject than the story discusses.

The conservative Republicans have done great damage to our country in every aspect - banking, foods, outsourcing, etc. Our economy is in a disastrous state. Yet the Republican mantra about no taxing has proven to be a crock. So many of us predicted that our system of checks and balances was failing. Nixon and Reagan started the slide by removing so many of the watch dogs and allowed business to flourish with their greed and criminality. Then along came Bush! I worry if we will ever be able to get on steady ground since the big money dictates so much in our country. We are no longer a democracy only a capitalistic government.