The story of what it really looks like when a bank fails and is taken over by the FDIC. Listen here for the NPR story and here for a longer This American Life version.
May 25, 2009
Anatomy of a Bank Takeover
Who’s Hiring These Days? The FDIC
With some banks closing and many others announcing massive layoffs, this is clearly not a good time to find a job in the financial industry. But business is booming for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The government agency insures bank deposits and takes over whenever a bank fails — an almost weekly occurrence these days. Listen here.
After A Pirate Negotiation, A Personal Connection
Our last story explored the business plan of Somali piracy. Per Gullestrup ransomed his ship, his crew was released and headed home. The pirates, in the Gulf of Aden, headed off. But the story didn’t end there. Listen here.
Behind The Business Plan Of Pirates Inc.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has become an international problem — and an international business. Navy SEALS rescued an American merchant captain earlier this month after Somali pirates raided the Maersk Alabama as it was making its way around the Horn of Africa to deliver aid.
But the issues of criminality and the potential for violence aside, a closer look at the “business model” of piracy reveals that the plan makes economic sense. Listen here.
Coats, Ships and Pita Bread
People talk about “the global economy,” but many connections are hard to see. What’s the connects clothes shopping in England to a shipping company in Copenhagen to a bakery in Egypt? Listen here.
What Exactly is a Trillion?
The International Monetary Fund this week estimated that it will eventually write down $2.7 trillion dollars in assets. Just what is a trillion. Some ways to think about it. Listen here.
February 18, 2009
Name this Economic Downturn
The subprime crisis, the credit crunch, the recession — all are clearly part of one enormous economic mess that, at the moment, is nameless. There’s no question that we’re living through a historic downturn. But what will we call it? Listen here.
December 1, 2008
How 6 Parts Nearly Delayed World’s Biggest Airliner
In a global economy, an airplane’s production can be threatened by events thousands of miles away. Here’s how six pieces of metal nearly cost engineer Ben Hempstead half a million dollars and held up the largest passenger plane in history. Listen here.
A Strange Shortage Illustrates The Global Economy
If anyone needs more proof that we’re all part of a global economy, picture this: A young woman in Philadelphia is trying to decide on a rug for her new home, a mother in Japan is buying groceries for her kids, and a grain farmer in North Dakota is facing a strange and serious shortage. They might be scattered around the globe, but they are all connected. Listen here.
Using Mail As An Economic Indicator
There are lots of ways to measure the health of the economy: the inflation rate, GDP and unemployment numbers. There’s another economic index — measured by someone you may have never considered an expert on economic matters — your mailman. Listen here.