How Much Did Crisis Cost Economy? Begins with a T

The absence of criminal accountability for a crisis that cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars in GDP and wiped out billions more in personal wealth amplifies the risk of a similar financial meltdown in the future, according to securities experts and former regulators.

Trillions?? That is a large number even by today's standards where many in Washington throw the “t-word” around like it is no big deal. Can we get more specific? 

Let's continue navigating.

The U.S. government's “entire response to 2008 suggests this could happen again someday,” said John Coffee, a professor at Columbia Law School in New York and a prominent expert on securities law and white collar crime.

“It's clear that the Justice Department has not been able to find criminal charges it could prosecute, either because it is very hard to prove complex criminal cases in the financial world or because they were under pressure not to bring such cases, or simply because no one committed fraud,” Coffee said. “I think that last explanation is a little too simple.”

Too simple, you think? Can you say, firms deemed “too big to fail” are “too big to regulate”, and ultimately “too big to prosecute”. Is that capitalism?  No, that is crony capitalism and that is what we have in our country circa 2013. But how much has it cost?

The crisis, which began in 2007 and was accelerated by Lehman's filing for bankruptcy protection, has cost the U.S. economy at least $12.8-trillion, according to a report released by the independent financial reform watchdog Better Markets—which called its estimate conservative.

$12.8 trillion. . . at least.

But no fraud, right? How do you feel about our elected representatives? Looking out for your interests?

$12.8 TRILLION later. . . . navigate accordingly.

Larry Doyle

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I have no business interest with any entity referenced in this commentary. The opinions expressed are my own. I am a proponent of real transparency within our markets so that investor confidence and investor protection can be achieved.