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Marketplace Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch gives a bubbly explanation of the intricacies of “collateralized debt obligations” – those financial instruments that got us into this financial mess. More coverage of the financial crisis at Marketplace.org
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  • H T 2 months ago
    Thanks! Great explanation for those of us who aren't finance majors!
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  • Rob Morrison 2 months ago
    This is really easy understand. How is it that the fund managers didn't figure this out?
    Thanks.
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  • Estelle Fischer 2 months ago
    I like this guy...may we have more of these "white board" explanations...please?

    Thank you.

    Estelle
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  • Steve Uhrich 2 months ago
    Well done.
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  • Andy Garnham 2 months ago
    Paddy communicates a complex issue very well to the inexperienced. Perhaps Paddy could do one on Short selling ?? that would be interesting.
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  • George Jenkins 2 months ago
    Thanks. A very clear explanation.

    After watching this video explanation, there seem to be three culprits:
    a) People who defaulted on their mortgages
    b) Investment bankers who repackaged worthless securities and sold them off as safe (e.g., AAA)
    c) the investment ratings companies who didn't do their jobs and let the executives in "B" sell poor investments as good

    In the above scenario, executives in B and C should go to jail, in my opinion. A fiduciary relationship was abused.
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  • Diane Simpson 2 months ago
    Why...that looks like a (gasp!) p-p-pyramid scheme!
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  • brittany b 2 months ago
    Love this video. So simple, using an easy to understand analogy. Here is another great, visual explanation of what happened and is happening. quickencommunity.com/quickenOnlineBlog/The-Financial-and-Credit-Crisis---How-Did-It-Happen?@1.L1e8bnhrPKq@
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  • damoski 2 months ago
    Goo job on explaining a complex problem. Please do another one derivatives
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  • Tyler Stevens 1 month ago
    I could not agree more with these comment's! Great explanation on something so complex. I too would like to see one on derivatives!
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  • Johnathan Daniel 1 month ago
    Thank you very much for your great explanation! Did insurers (e.g. AMBAC) play any role in boosting the ratings of the junk to AAA in the second securitization?
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  • Dennis Lim 1 month ago
    Excellent piece. I love that you didn't go for the usual pie chart everyone else uses to explain CDOs. Very refreshing explanation.
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  • Ge Ko 1 month ago
    Paddy, Marketplace: Excellent, excellent illustration. I believe a step may have been missed in explaining how a BB traunche could then be repackaged and re-sold with AAA, AA, etc traunches? Any clarification would be helpful here.

    Also, perhaps it would be helpful for the audience to know how this affects the banks that are involved - write-downs on these securitizations, etc.
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  • Marketplace 1 month ago
    HI Geko, Paddy here
    You put your finger on it. How did they get away with selling that second pyramid of securities (and believe it or not, some bright sparks actually sold a third pyramid!)?
    The answer is: bond insurance! Yes, they insured the bonds with companies like Ambac and MBIA.....and we all know what happened there. In the end, as the securities sputtered, the pressure ratcheted up on the insurance companies until they were unable to honor those contracts.
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  • codesarah 1 month ago
    Thanks! This is wonderful to watch! I now have a better understanding regarding the issue!! I wish my college teachers are as clear as Mr. Paddy. And fun too!
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