Bull by the Horns: Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself BY SHIELA BAIR

About the book

Sheila Bair is among the most respected figures in politics and economics. Working as Chairman of the FDIC in 2006, Bair was among the first to perceive the 2007-2008 US financial crisis before it even happened. 

The author takes her readers to an exploration through the 2007-2008 crisis, how it came about, and what measures were done to alleviate the damage. She played a key role in the economic recovery as chairman of the FDIC. Critical of Wall Street, she was a major figure in heated debates regarding the economic status of the US. As she said, the recovery from the infamous financial crisis, which affected the global economy, continues today. 

The book and the author aim to inform Americans of the 2007-2008 crisis to hopefully make it preventable in the future. 

Review

Bair wrote an interesting memoir about how politics and business work together in keeping the country going. She is critical of Wall Street and shows how businesses and regulators work in their power through connections. She also unravels the various strategies executed by the government in maintaining power and wealth. It is a witty and interesting book about how people in power act in the middle of a financial crisis. 

About the Author

Sheila Bair was named second-most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2008 and 2009. She is the former Chairman of FDIC and is widely respected in her field. She played a key role in the 2007-2008 US financial crisis. She previously worked at the US Department of the Treasury as assistant secretary for financial institutions and as senior vice president for government relations of the NYSE. 

Table of Contents

Prologue

1. The Golden Age of Banking
2. Turning the Titanic
3. The Fight Over Basel II
4. The Skunk at the Garden Party
5. Subprime is “Contained”
6. Stepping Over a Dollar to Pick Up a Nickel:

Helping Home Owners, Round One

1. The Audacity of That Woman
2. The Wachovia Blindside
3. Bailing Out the Boneheads
4. Doubling Down on Citi: Bailout Number Two
5. Helping Home Owners, Round Two
6. Obama’s Election: The More Things Change…
7. Helping Home Owners, Round Three
8. The $100 Billion Club
9. The Care and Feeding of Citigroup: Bailout Number Three
10. Finally Saying No
11. Never Again
12. It’s All About the Compensation
13. The Senate’s Orwellian Debate
14. Dodd-Frank Implementation: The Final Stretch

(or So I Thought)

1. Robo-Signing Erupts
2. The Return to Basel
3. Too Small to Save
4. Squinting in the Public Spotlight
5. Farewell to the FDIC
6. How Main Street Can Tame Wall Street
7. It Could Have Been Different

Epilogue

Notes

AcknowledgmentsIndex