Chapter 640 Kaminarimon Bankruptcy (3)

   "Thundermans screwed up, it's all over!"

Still in this conference room, still in the middle position, Paulson changed to a more comfortable sitting position, with his legs crossed, his back pressed against the pillow, his head raised at forty-five degrees, and he stared at the ceiling above. The expression on his face was stagnant, without any emotional fluctuations, as if what he was talking about was not a major event that caused a sensation in the world.

   "..."

  John Thain didn't answer, and he was even more anxious. He didn't understand Paulson's true intention, although everyone knew that once the Raymond brothers fell, the next one would most likely be Merrill Lynch. He knew what Paulson was trying to say, but he had no idea what help or influence the Fed or the Treasury Department might have on the deal.

   "The Fed is not going to open the discount window to Raymond again!"

Paulson still maintained the posture just now. In fact, he did not expect John Thain to say anything. Regarding the current CEO of Merrill Lynch, his feelings are a bit complicated: on the one hand, this guy once worked on the New York Stock Exchange CEO, successfully brought the exchange back to life; but on the other hand, even if he is well-known, he may not be able to save Merrill Lynch on his own.

  The sale of 9.9% of the shares is his stubborn resistance. The problem was that Bank of America didn't accept the offer. They wanted to take Merrill Lynch as their own. Although Paulson was very annoyed at Ken Lewis' repeated attitude, he had no choice but to act as a lobbyist for the entire deal at this time to prevent more financial institutions from being involved in the storm of bankruptcy.

"If you continue to open the discount window to Lehman Brothers, then their inferior assets will appear on the Fed's collateral list. In other words, the risk of the market will be transferred from Lehman Brothers to the Fed, which will cause huge losses for the Fed. Passive. Moral hazard is something we have to consider.”

Paulson patiently explained, "On this point, both Chairman Bernanke and Vice Chairman Geithner have fully communicated with me and reached an agreement with each other. Therefore, the final financing channel for Raymond Brothers It's also closed."

  John Thain nodded silently, but still didn't say anything.

"For the same reason, the discount window is also closed to Merrill Lynch. We can't favor one over another, right?" Paulson's next words made John Thain smile wryly, "Tomorrow the news of the bankruptcy of Raymond Brothers will be announced. The entire market will definitely be in an uproar, and Merrill Lynch's stock price will be under tremendous pressure. If I remember correctly, your stock price has lost at least half this year."

"75%." John Thain knew he had finally gotten to the point, "Mr. Minister, I understand what you mean. My colleagues and I have been working hard to save the company, and at least three groups have expressed interest in us. We are also actively negotiating with them."

   "Among these three groups, include my old employer, Goodman Company!"

Paulson's expression finally changed. He lowered his head and looked straight at John Thain, with a half-smile, "Someone told me that Goodman Company is in contact with you and offered a very generous offer. Conditions, is there such a thing?"

"I know I can't hide it from you!" John Thain muttered in a low voice, not daring Paulson to hear him, and then said solemnly, "The fact is true. Goodman is very important to our brokerage business and private equity. Interested, originally they wanted to buy the assets of these two parts separately, but I denied it. Now we are in contact with them, hoping that they can buy shares and provide liquidity.”

   "Exactly!"

Paulson slapped his head with a slightly weird expression, and then said something that surprised John Thain, "John, you know that when Raymond brothers were looking for buyers in the market, Goodman Has the company ever intervened in their rescue? Leimen once entrusted Goodman Company to find a buyer in the market, but the Goodman Brothers are interested in acquiring Leimen, and even offered a lot of money for this. The richness promised to you at present."

   "There is such a thing?"

  John Thain opened his mouth so wide that he could almost stuff a fist, "But why didn't Goodman Company appear on the acquisition list?"

   So far, only Bank of America and Barclays Bank have revealed their intention to acquire Lehman Brothers. However, Bank of America is negotiating with Merrill Lynch and soon withdrew from the list of candidates for the acquisition. However, Barclays Bank, as the only buyer, was rejected by the British Financial Services Authority when everything was agreed, and lost everything in one careless move.

  From the beginning to the end, John Thain was in this huge rescue team, and he had never heard of the Goodman Company's intention to acquire Rayman Brothers. It's no wonder why he was so surprised.

"This is why Dick Fude is better than you!" Paulson gave him a meaningful look, "Let's talk about the benefits that Goodman Company promises to you first. If they don't promise you favorable conditions that break the rules , Relying on your shrewdness, I believe you will not be blindfolded by this little trick, after all, you have also worked in Goodman Company for decades, and you should be familiar with their methods."

"Yes, greedy, cunning, scheming, unscrupulous..." John Thain shook his head with a wry smile, each word popped out of his mouth, but the next moment his words stopped abruptly, because he realized that the person in front of him It seems inappropriate to say that the Secretary of the Treasury was promoted from the position of the former CEO of Goodman Company. Thinking of this, he quickly changed the topic, "Yes, Henry, they did give me very good conditions: I will continue to be my CEO after the acquisition is successful, and be in charge of the operation of New Merrill Lynch."

   As he spoke, he carefully observed Paulson's face to see if the other party had any bad emotions because of his previous remarks. But Paulson's expression did not fluctuate at all, which made his heart a little more stable.

"So Ken Lewis..." Paulson closed his eyes and pondered in his heart for a while. He had already made a calculation in his mind, and when he opened his eyes again, he hit the nail on the head. "Is Bank of America planning to make a big change to the current management? You The chairman's position will be lost after the reorganization?"

"That's right!" Thain's expression was a little awkward, and his little selfish thoughts were shattered, but he quickly returned to normal. Goodman is more suitable to be our shareholder, after all, they are in the same industry."

  He spoke confidently, as if looking for another excuse for his selfish behavior. But obviously Paulson didn't accept this statement, "John, do you know why Dick Foud and his team don't accept Goodman Company? I believe that if Goodman buys Rayman Brothers, they will definitely take over the board of directors. The position of chairman is reserved for Dick Foud, but why doesn't he accept it?"

   "Because the so-called acquisition is fake, it is real to acquire their position in the capital market!"

Without waiting for John Thain to say anything, Paulson dropped a blockbuster following what he said just now, "Long-term capital management, Enron Energy, Flowerless Fund... Maybe you don't know it well, but I know it well, They are forming an alliance with some hedge funds to attack institutions with problems or exposed positions in the market. I don’t know about Bear Stearns, but they must have participated in the attack on Raymond Brothers. Now I’m throwing an olive branch to you, maybe it’s to attack you next step."

   "This... this..." John Thain was trembling with horror, his face was pale, and sweat was pouring down, "How is this possible? This is absolutely impossible!"

"Why is it impossible?" Paulson was also a little surprised by John Thain's reaction. It seemed that the other party might not know it, "Have you ever thought that what Raymond Brothers today is your tomorrow? Does the company still need a chairman of the board? If you really miss the real buyer, I believe that even if Goodman gives you a promise, you will not be able to support the day when it will be realized."

   "Goodman is taking advantage of the fire!"

   Paulson finally concluded, after thinking and thinking, and added, "More shameless than the British!"

   "But you are..." John Thain was silent for a long time, and finally said hesitatingly, "Mr. Minister, weren't you the former CEO of Goodman Company? Why did you reveal so many secrets to me today?"

"I am now the Secretary of the Treasury of the federal government of the United States of America!" Paulson said righteously and solemnly, but then changed the subject and persuaded tactfully, "John, the safety of the US market and financial system depends entirely on you." No matter who the buyer is, an agreement must be reached by tomorrow."

  Looking at the sincere Paulson, John Thain was so dazed that he couldn't say a word for a while.

  …

   At 6:00 am on the 15th Hong Kong time, Zhong Shi was running accompanied by three bodyguards. The early morning in Victoria Peak was full of singing birds and fragrant flowers, and the temperature was not too hot, making it suitable for exercise.

  In addition to the three bodyguards, a Mercedes-Benz SUV followed leisurely behind the group, which was a peripheral force that provided backup at any time. There were three men with live ammunition in the car, looking around nervously. Although the guns in their hands are only shotguns issued by the security company, this car is a top-level bulletproof car. With solid tires, it can accelerate from 100 mph in less than six seconds, and can escape at the fastest speed.

   After jogging for half an hour, Zhong Shi wiped the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, and sat down on a stone pier on the top of the mountain. Today's exercise is almost over. The bodyguards hurried forward, handing water to others, handing towels to towels, and serving them attentively.

   "Zhong Sheng, you have a phone!"

   Before he had a sip of water, a bodyguard in black came running from a distance, handed the phone to Zhong Shi, and said respectfully.

   During exercise time, Zhong Shi does not answer the phone, even if the chief executive calls. Zhong Shi took the phone and looked at the number, it was very strange. Then click on the voicemail, a voice immediately rang:

   "Mr. Zhong, I'm John Mark, the chairman of Stanley Corporation. There is a deal now. I wonder if you are interested? If you are interested, please reply me as soon as possible."

   It turned out to be him? Zhong Shi clasped the phone, and his brain began to spin rapidly, "Why did the Stanley company find me? If I remember correctly, there have been several frictions between the two parties, and there are a lot of historical grievances. The current chairman actually took the initiative to give himself Call, what is this for?"

  No matter what it is for, what Zhong Shi can conclude is that the deal that John Mark wants to make with himself is definitely not small, because a deal that is too small will never allow John Mark to stand out in person.

   So he decided to call.

   "Mr. Zhong, hello!" John Mark's tone was unusually polite, "Thank you very much for calling back. I have always admired you for a long time, but it's a pity that I haven't had the fate to meet you. It's really a pity!"

The oriental approach was similar, and Zhong Shi was suddenly suspicious, but since the other party refused to express his intentions, he was happy to chat with the other party, "Mr. Mark, I have a very deep impression on you and your company, especially some people, Like a former CFO or something."

   "It's all a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

  John Mark secretly complained.

   The author has come back to continue to update ~ the end of the month will continue to work hard ~ thanks to the book friend Yan Yantou for the past few days, and the monthly ticket voted by zjia and not very fat sheep! Thanks to the book friend Huowu Kuangsha 2 for the generous reward! Thank you all for supporting this book~!

  

  

  (end of this chapter)