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A comment on Record-High 89% in U.S. Say Government Corruption Widespread. Parent comment

Re:Record-High 89% in U.S. Say Government Corruption Widespread by potamic on Saturday September 05, 2026 @05:56AM (#49574951)
Not directly, but indirectly by declining any punitive actions. Ideally the banks earnings should've been used up towards the bail out punishing shareholders in the spirit of the free market. But if I remember at that time, execs paid themselves large bonuses immediately following the bail out.
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Re:Record-High 89% in U.S. Say Government Corruption Widespread by pjc50 on Saturday September 05, 2026 @11:14AM (#49577353)
"Not directly" = no. Plenty of bank shareholders got zeroed out entirely! Like RBS.

Please name a bailed out bank which didn't hit shareholders.

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Re:Record-High 89% in U.S. Say Government Corruption Widespread by potamic on Saturday September 05, 2026 @12:42PM (#49578250)
Most of the big ones. The government in fact was issued equity in these banks that they later sold to recover the funds. So it was very much necessary to preserve shareholder value.

This arrangement probably wouldn't have upset people so much were the people responsible for the crisis held accountable. Worse still, they paid themselves huge bonuses as soon as they got bailed out from the bailout money itself! All this made people question the real intention behind the bailout. Corruption is often effected indirectly, so as to give the perpetrator plausible deniability.

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