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Define Irony: Greek Banks Refuse To Buy ESM Bonds To Fund Greek Bailout

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Assuming there are no complete breakdowns or abrupt U-turns among Greek and/or German lawmakers, it appears as though formal discussions on the new Greek bailout package will commence and, in all likelihood, the country will enter a new €86 billion program. 

A large portion of the funding will come from the ESM - Europe’s rescue fund. On Tuesday, the ESM sold €2 billion worth of bonds via its dealer group. Nothing too notable about that. 

What is notable however, is that one of the 39 dealer banks refused to participate. That bank was none other than National Bank of Greece. Here’s Reuters:

National Bank of Greece declined to buy bonds from the euro zone's bailout fund in a sale on Tuesday because of Greece's capital controls, bankers said, a sign of the country's financial isolation.

 

NBG is one of 39 dealer banks the European Stability Mechanism routinely uses to help distribute its bonds.

 

The banks, called the Market Group, underwrite the bonds and sell them on to investors in a process known as syndication. Banks earn a flat fee plus any margin they make in the process.

 

Sources at two dealer banks said that NBG declined when it was asked in an online chat forum to take part in Tuesday's bond sale, citing the capital controls.

 

The bankers said it was very rare for dealer banks to decline an offer to participate.

Presumably what’s happened here is that because Greek depositors can’t buy bonds due to capital controls, National Bank of Greece would end up having to inventory its allotment of ESM paper, as there would be no one to sell it to.

We're not sure what is more hilariously ironic, the fact that Greek banks are refusing to help fund the bailout mechanism that will be used for their own recapitalization, or the possibility that the capital controls effectively imposed on Greece by creditors are making it harder to raise funds for the bailout.

 

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Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:28 | 6338051 PartysOver
PartysOver's picture

Clusterfuck.  Whodathunkit?

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:34 | 6338079 Henry Rearden
Henry Rearden's picture

The wheels fell off this ponzi scheme much faster than I anticipated.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:36 | 6338093 CounterPartyVice
CounterPartyVice's picture

They forgot to bundle it and sell it in tranches with 100x leverage. What kind of amateur misses that?

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:48 | 6338147 NoDebt
NoDebt's picture

Where's that video from 'Scanners' where the guy's head explodes?  I'm nearly at that point.  

So if we keep shuffling the debt around fast enough.... it goes away?  Busted banks are allowed to recapitalize themselves by borrowing more and then "washing" the money through the ESM so it turns debt into capital?  I'm not so surprised that the Greek banks refused to participate (though I can think of several reasons they might want to- including the fact that it's all going to get defaulted on anyway so why should they give a shit), but that Europe ever offered this option to them in the first place.

I might have been born at night, but not last night.  This is horseshit.  There is NO way you can build an argument that this has any explainable benefit to anybody, short of kicking the increasingly heavy debt can down the road another few feet.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:05 | 6338221 0b1knob
0b1knob's picture

Irony.  You keep using that word but I don't think it means what you think it means.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:15 | 6338265 PRO.223
PRO.223's picture

Unintended consequences are such a pain.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:23 | 6338300 rlouis
rlouis's picture

irony: they break a toe kicking the can

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:40 | 6338394 Joe A
Joe A's picture

Alanis Morrisette didn't get that either. Rain on your wedding day isn't irony. It is just that: rain on your wedding day. Nice song though.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 16:24 | 6338555 g speed
g speed's picture

I think he is refering to the "tin" can being kicked down the road----Iron-ically

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:37 | 6338376 Joe A
Joe A's picture

I saw that movie as a kid. It freaked me out. Pretty cool though.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:47 | 6338153 Ploutos74
Ploutos74's picture

The opposite may be in fact true; if the Greek banks offer to exchange what deeds they already hold for the new bonds then the Greek central bank will have to accept the deal since their deeds are formally accepted by the ECB as collateral; but their value is actually overvalued so that ECB can still offer ELA funding. The Greek NB is avoiding this deal on direct order of the ECB so that the Greek banks cannot escape impeding haircuts by "loading" the ECB with their worthless deeds through the Greek National Bank.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:53 | 6338181 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

No worries, CALPERS and TIAA-CREF will be all over these.

 

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:11 | 6338106 EmmittFitzhume
EmmittFitzhume's picture

"Banks earn a flat fee plus any margin they make in the process."   -  When has a bank ever EARNED a fucking thing?!?!

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:29 | 6338058 Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch's picture

Greek banks have seen Jesus?

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:36 | 6338102 Paveway IV
Paveway IV's picture

They just know better.

They're skipping the bonds themselves and loading up on the CDS - that's where the money is in Greek bonds.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:42 | 6338129 shovelhead
shovelhead's picture

I lol-ed.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:29 | 6338060 kaiserhoff
kaiserhoff's picture

Choosy Beggars.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:31 | 6338061 Rakshas
Rakshas's picture

....I cooked it..... ain't no way Ima gonna eat it........

 

 

edit; maybe I'm still stinging from the AM/EM takedown but Angela is giving me real wood here......

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:32 | 6338062 SillySalesmanQu...
SillySalesmanQuestion's picture

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

What a Greek Tragedy or is it a Comedy, or....never mind.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:30 | 6338072 The Delicate Genius
The Delicate Genius's picture

we're already dealing with arguments over loaning Greece enough money to be able to pay the interest on prior loans to Greece to allow them to pay the interest on prior loans which were created out of thin air by the act of loaning it...

we're through the Looking Glass, people.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:41 | 6338125 max2205
max2205's picture

It's been 8 Fucking years for &€£#! Sake!

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:30 | 6338074 semperfi
semperfi's picture

Greek banks are about to get an offer they can't refuse - like Tsipras did

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:31 | 6338076 youngman
youngman's picture

Maybe they thought it was a bad investment knowing that Greece will never pay them back...

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:04 | 6338216 disabledvet
disabledvet's picture

"Sorry no buyers! Bank is closed!"

This is pretty clever actually.

"Go offer your shit paper to the Americans...

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:37 | 6338081 WTFUD
WTFUD's picture

We don' wan no steenkin' Bonds!

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:32 | 6338082 LostAtSea
LostAtSea's picture

one giant circle jerk

 

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 16:52 | 6338673 silverserfer
silverserfer's picture

not really, no one wants to jerk Angela's schlong.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:32 | 6338084 semperfi
semperfi's picture

now if the ESM throws in some free spiderman towels....

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:41 | 6338124 shovelhead
shovelhead's picture

"We got tons of that worthless shit on our books as it is. How do you think we got so broke?"

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:42 | 6338130 Mike Honcho
Mike Honcho's picture

Looks like somebody just crapped her blouse.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 14:43 | 6338133 Joebloinvestor
Joebloinvestor's picture

They know they ain't gonna be worth spit.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:13 | 6338253 sagitarius
sagitarius's picture

...€86 billion program. ....

in My opinion double as much will be needed. And 100 years to repay.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 16:25 | 6338560 FreeMoney
FreeMoney's picture

In my opinion double as much will be needed.  And in 100 years it still wont be repaid.  fixed it for ya.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:26 | 6338318 falak pema
falak pema's picture

You mean they are not scared of Mutti??

Mein Gott! 

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:26 | 6338324 Cold-Pragmatism
Cold-Pragmatism's picture

If Greeks aren't prepared to invest in their own country, why should anyone else?

Is it still possible to throw the mugs out of the EU?

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 16:33 | 6338585 FreeMoney
FreeMoney's picture

The debt issuance was from the ESM ( European Stability Mechanism ) located in Luxembourg.  It is not part of the ECB, it is not part of the IMF, and it is not part of the EU.  This is an entirely separate organization created by treaty of EU members but outside of the EU.

So basically, its another fucking bank, backed by EU taxpayers that doesnt have to live by ECB or EU laws

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:28 | 6338338 kchrisc
kchrisc's picture

What color will the "revolution" be?

Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission..

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 15:51 | 6338433 Pumpkin
Pumpkin's picture

They probably read the newspaper.

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 16:06 | 6338497 starman
starman's picture

will bail you out so you can bail us out and so fort an so fort. The wheels on the buss go round and round! 

Tue, 07/21/2015 - 21:47 | 6339854 Angusdude
Angusdude's picture

Irony, the opposite of wrinkly

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