Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Is “Inside job” doing an inside job on us?

“Inside Job” the Oscar winning documentary on the financial crisis that has put the global financial stability in jeopardy touches upon most issues and actors involved, spending even several minutes of the role of cocaine and prostitutes. Yet, amazingly, it does not mention even once the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision, the global bank regulator and that in my opinion is the one most to blame for the crisis.

Should it? In one of the opening scenes of “Inside Job” refers to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s meeting on April 28, 2004 when the SEC authorized the investment banks to dramatically increase their leverage, among other when investing in securities backed by mortgages to the subprime sector. That SEC resolution explicitly made an explicit reference that it has all to be done “consistent with the Basel Standards”.

Is “Inside job” doing an inside job on us?