Today we look at the banking system, the FDIC, and Freddie (FRE) and Fannie (FNM). It’s not pretty, but as realists we must know what we are facing.

But first, I just want to say I am glad that Richard Russell is doing fine. For those who do not know, he suffered a mild stroke last Friday. I talked to him yesterday, and he was a little tired but doing better. He has decided to cut back his writing schedule and relax a bit more, which is a good thing. At 84, he has written a daily (and sometimes lengthy) commentary and has been writing the monthly Dow Theory Letter since 1958. He is the dean of newsletter writers. He has forgotten more than most of us will ever know about the markets.

His doctor told him he needed to seek some balance in his life and cut down on the stress. I know how much it takes to write my one letter each week; I can’t imagine what it takes to write five. Basically, his plan is now to post his stats and only write about the markets when something important is happening, about every two weeks. I hope he sticks with that plan, as I want to be sharing dinner and drinks with him for many years to come. I am sure you join me in wishing him and his lovely wife Faye all the best and a healthy and quick recovery.

The US Banking System Is in TroubleA few weeks ago when I was in Maine, I met Chris Whalen. Chris is the managing director of a service called Institutional Risk Analytics, whose primary business is analyzing the health of banks and financial institutions. If you are one of their clients, you can go to their web site and drill quite deep into all aspects of every bank in America. And what they have done is come up with various metrics which compare how well-capitalized a bank is, how much risk it is taking, and what kind of losses (or profits) it can expect. It is a one of a kind firm, and the data gives Chris a very special perspective on the US banking system.

And what he sees is not pretty. There is a crisis brewing. He expects 100 banks to fail between now and July of 2009. Most of them will be small, but there will be a few large banks. The total assets of those banks he estimates to be $850 billion (not a typo!). Those are the assets the FDIC is going to have to cover when they take over the banks.

Take Washington Mutual as an example. There are problems there. Their debt now trades at 20%, which is worse than junk. There is no way they could issue preferred stock to recapitalize their business. And they are going to need more capital, as they have writedowns in their future due to the slowing of the economy. Any common issue would have to seriously dilute existing shareholders almost to the point of nothing. There are circumstances in which they can survive, but it would take a remarkable recovery for the US economy, which is not likely. Maybe management can pull a rabbit out of the hat, but it will need some strong magic to get the capital they need at a cost they can live with.

The FDIC has about $50 billion. These reserves have been built up over the years from deposit insurance paid by banks that are part of the program. They are going to need an estimated $20 billion just to cover the failure of Indy Mac. The FDIC will have to cover only a small percentage of the $850 billion, as some of those assets will surely be good. But if they have to cover 10%, then the FDIC would need another $50 billion. Does that sound like a lot? Chris thinks a more conservative number for planning purposes would be 20-25% potential losses, and you hope it does not get there.

Sometime in the next few quarters, Congress and the President, either the current group or early in the term of the next President, are going to have to address that potential shortfall, before we see bank runs as people fear that FDIC insurance reserves may not be enough. The very sad fact is that taxpayers are going to be on the hook for some time. What is likely to happen is that a loan facility will be made to the FDIC so they can borrow as much as they need, and pay it back from future bank insurance payments.

You can’t make up the shortfall just by raising fees. Chris points out that raising fees right now is not really a winning option, as that just makes the financial books of marginal banks even worse. You can raise rates as the banking system returns to health.

If Congress and the President wait too long, there could be a very serious problem, as depositors could start moving their funds under $100,000 (the insured amount) to what they perceive may be a safer bank than their current bank. Rumors could run rampant. This is something that needs to be addressed now. Frankly, this should be addressed right after the elections AT THE LATEST, in consultation with Congress and the new President.

If you are worried about your bank, you can go to Chris’s web site and pay $50 for a brief analysis of your bank and an update for the next four quarters. If you have less than $100,000 in your accounts, you should not worry. But for businesses with large deposits and cash flows, it might be worth checking on the health of your bank. The link is http://us1.institutionalriskanalytics.com/Cart/Request.asp?affiliate=bmg123.

You can click on the link that says “Click here for the free samples” in the lower right corner of the page to see if the format of what they offer is something you would find useful.

$500 Billion and CountingWe have seen some $505 billion in bank write-offs so far in this credit crisis. It is serious naiveté to assume that this will be the extent of it. Most of the write-offs have been mortgage-related. We have not yet seen the write-offs that will come as consumers start defaulting on credit cards, auto loans, and other consumer debt. Neither have we seen the losses that will come from commercial real estate or corporate loan as the recession progresses. You can’t write off something until it goes bad, although you can increase your loan loss provisions. This of course hits earnings and your stock price and thus your ability to raise new equity. It presents a very difficult dilemma for bank managers and investors deciding whether to invest or go away.

Sober-minded analysis from the IMF suggests that the total write-offs by all banks may be $1 trillion. Dr. Nouriel Roubini is much more alarmed and puts the potential losses at closer to $2 trillion. That means that banks over time are going to have to increase their loan loss provisions, hitting both earnings and capital. And that means they will have to raise more investment capital and equity at a time when their stock prices are low.

It is a vicious spiral. Banks have less capital, so they are able to lend less to the very businesses that need the money; and without said money the businesses will be less capable of paying their current loans, which means that banks have less capital. Rinse and repeat.

That only prolongs the recession and Muddle Through Economy, which hurts consumers and corporate profits, which in turn puts more pressure on banks. Ultimately it means that banks are going to have to raise a lot more capital than anyone who is buying financial stocks today imagines. And it is largely going to be expensive capital. Look at this note from Bennet Sedacca of Atlantic Advisors:

“Financial entities like banks, broker/dealers, regional banks, finance companies, and insurance companies need credit at reasonable rates in order to finance themselves. I have been concerned for many years that the door would finally shut on banks, brokers and others to raise new capital in the debt markets.

“For many regional banks like KeyCorp, Zions, Regions, and National City, the door has already shut on them–if they wanted to raise capital in the debt market at levels where their outstanding issues regularly trade, they would have to pay 12-15%, hardly economic levels. GM bonds trade near 27% yields. Washington Mutual trades north of 15%.

“Then there are the ‘good banks’, like J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo. J.P. Morgan recently sold $600 million of preferred stock at 8 3/4 % and Wells Fargo sold $1.3 billion at 8 5/8%, plus underwriting fees.

“Below I offer up a few guesses of what other issuers would have to pay to issue preferred stock.

• Lehman Brothers–11-13%.
• Merrill Lynch–11-12%.
• Morgan Stanley–9-10%.
• Citigroup–9 1/2-10 1/2%.
• CIT Group–12-15%.
• Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac—15%
• Keycorp–11-13%.
• National City–13-15%.
• Wachovia–10-12%.
• Zions Bancorp–13-15%.
• GM/GMAC–not possible.
• Washington Mutual–not possible.
• Ford–not possible.”

Bennet does note a good point. Banks that conserved capital and managed their risks well will be in good shape to take over weaker brethren. They will have access to the capital markets for the money they need for expansion. My own bank was acquired recently by another small regional bank. Deals are getting done.

This chart is more proof that, despite lowered interest rates, there are a record number of mortgages in the hands of subprime borrowers who can’t make their payments.

These delinquency rates show that the financial system has not emerged from the credit crisis, but rather, entered a new stage where bad loaning schemes are blowing up in the face of the bankers who created them.

Source: Bankers Headache Getting Worse

But that was the bottom. In fits and starts, it clawed its way back to close at around $868 according to the Kitco chart. The price is up about $4 in Sydney and Hong Kong trading as I write this. But don’t forget that New York has access to the Globex trading system for nearly 24 hours a day, and it could just as well be them trading in Hong Kong.

Silver action was slightly different. It declined virtually in a straight line until the Comex open, before it too was hit by the same not-for-profit sellers. The bottom tick was $16.22. Actually, some of the tech funds could have been shorting silver (and gold, too) at that point…at the same time as other tech funds were pitching their long positions. It’s hard to know without the COT report…and Wednesday’s and Thursday’s data won’t be in it until next Friday…June 20th.

On Wednesday, gold open interest fell 1,857 contracts, even though the gold price was up on the day. Silver o.i. went the other way…rising 2,174 contracts…which is a lot for a 30 cent move.

I see that Dennis Gartman is talking about gold again. Here are a few words from his early Thursday morning commentary….”If the governments of the world are now as concerned about inflation as we think they may be, and if they are even more concerned about the prospects for a generic, rising inflationary psychology amongst the public at large, then perhaps a collusive sale of gold to push it down through $865 would be possible…that is, if the (Gold) ‘Bugs’ great fear of collusion amongst the central banks is indeed a reality, and we truly have our doubts.”

Well, Dennis…gold did fall some more on Thursday, but that’s not the end of the world…nor has it been a surprise to the readers of my daily rant. As I’ve always said, the ultimate goal (if the bullion banks could achieve it) would be to take out the 200-day moving averages. They came within an eyelash in both gold and silver on Thursday. The 200-day m.a. has withstood every challenge going back for the last ten years. And when it has been broken, it’s wasn’t for long…and not by a lot. Dennis…if you want some investment advice…I’d seriously think about putting on a long position or two in the next month or so, and letting it ride…as we’re awfully close to the bottom. You can thank me later.

I see in an article dated 09 June/08 out of the bankingtimes.co.uk in Britain that “The Bank for International Settlements (BIS)…has warned that the credit crisis could lead world economies into a crash on a scale not seen since the 1930s.” Really??? Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

Remember Northern Rock…the British bank with the huge line-ups as depositors withdrew their money? Here’s a new bank over there to keep an eye on…as the industry regulators certainly are. The bank is the UK’s biggest mortgage lender…HBOS…Halifax Bank of Scotland.

Today, it’s a double header from Ambrose Evans-Pritchard at The Telegraph out of London. The first story is entitled “Iran’s switch good news for gold bulls?” The story is worth the read in and of itself, but the graph embedded in it is worth printing off and taping to your bathroom mirror so you can see it every day. The article is linked here.

The second AE-P article is entitled “Emerging markets face inflation meltdown”. This story is a must read. The link is here.

I see the Dow rolled over again yesterday and the Catch-a-Falling-Knife Corporation was there to save it just as it was about to turn negative. The beat goes on.

Since today is Friday…it will be an interesting one in the markets. And all of us at Casey’s Daily Resource Plus will be here on Saturday to talk about it.

Have a great weekend.