All the Devils from 2008 Are Back at the Megabanks: Leverage, Off-Balance-Sheet Debt, Over $192 Trillion in Derivatives, Shaky Capital Levels

By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: August 20, 2024 ~ As indicated on the above graph, as of December 31, 2023, Goldman Sachs Bank USA, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., Citigroup’s Citibank and Bank of America held a staggering total of $168.26 trillion in derivatives out of a total of $192.46 trillion at all federally-insured U.S. banks, savings associations and trust companies. That’s just four banks holding 87 percent of all derivatives at all 4,587 federally-insured financial institutions in the U.S. that existed as of December 31, 2023. You might be asking yourself the very valid question as to why the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation of 2010, that followed the Wall Street financial quake of 2008, didn’t correct the derivatives gambling that played a central role in crashing the U.S. financial system. For why the threat of derivatives never actually went away, see our report: Meet the Two Congressmen Who Facilitated Today’s Derivatives … Continue reading All the Devils from 2008 Are Back at the Megabanks: Leverage, Off-Balance-Sheet Debt, Over $192 Trillion in Derivatives, Shaky Capital Levels