Home ownership was the fig leaf for the rise in subprime lending. But that was really about cash-out refinancings, not buying homes.

- Bethany Mclean

So Merrill Lynch has launched its first campaign in years to advertise the accomplishments of its investment banking business. The ads feature things…

- Bethany Mclean

The last and most painful irony is that the two longtime rival armies in the securitization market - the investment banks and the GSEs - would end up…

- Bethany Mclean

Building a portfolio around index funds isn’t really settling for the average. It’s just refusing to believe in magic.

- Bethany Mclean

... skepticism about past returns is crucial. The truth is, much as you may wish you could know which funds will be hot, you can't - and neither can …

- Bethany Mclean

No city embraced privatization more eagerly than Chicago, where I live.

- Bethany Mclean

I think synergies are a lot like UFOs: Lots of people claim to have seen them, but few can actually prove they exist.

- Bethany Mclean