0:00Please sit down.
0:23Welcome, everyone.
0:25I must apologize for dragging you all here such an uncommon hour,
0:28but from what I've been told, this matter needs to be dealt with urgently.
0:32So urgently, in fact, probably should have been dressed weeks ago,
0:35but that is spilt milk under the bridge.
0:38So, why doesn't somebody tell me what they think is going on here?
0:43Mr. Tull, as I mentioned earlier,
0:46if you compare the figure at the top of page 13...
0:49Jared, it's a little early for all that. Just speak to me in plain English.
0:53Okay.
0:54In fact, I'd like to speak to the guy who put this together.
0:56Mr. Sullivan, is it?
0:58Does he speak English?
0:59Sir?
1:00I'd like to speak with the analyst who seems to stumble across this mess.
1:04Certainly. That would be Peter Sullivan, right here.
1:07Oh, Mr. Sullivan, you're here. Good morning.
1:09Maybe you could tell me what you think is going on here.
1:12And please, speak as you might to a young child or a golden retriever.
1:19It wasn't brains that got me here. I can show you of that.
1:21Well, um, sir, as you may or may not know, I work here for Mr. Rogers as an associate in the risk assessment and management office at MBS.
1:35Please, just relax, stand up, tell us in a clear voice what is the nature of the problem.
1:41Okay, uh...
1:46Well, as you probably know, over the last 36 to 40 months, the firm has begun packaging new MBS products
1:55that combine several different tranches of rating classification in one tradable security.
2:02This has been enormously profitable, as I imagine you noticed.
2:07I have.
2:08Well, the firm is currently doing a considerable amount of this business every day.
2:12Now, the problem, which is, I guess, why we are here tonight,
2:16is that it takes us the firm about a month to layer these products correctly thereby posing a challenge from a risk management standpoint And Mr Sullivan that challenge is Well we have to hold these assets on our books longer than we might ideally like to
2:33Yes.
2:34But the key factor here is these are essentially just mortgages,
2:37so that has allowed us to push the leverage considerably beyond what you might be willing or allowed to do
2:43in any other circumstance, thereby pushing the risk profile without raising any red flags.
2:49Now, thank you, Mr. Ellis. Sit down.
2:52What I'm guessing your report here says, and give me some rope here.
2:57What I'm guessing it says is that considering the, shall we say, bumpy road we've been on the last week or so,
3:05that the figures your brilliant co-workers up the line ahead of you have come up with don't make much sense anymore,
3:12considering what's taking place today.
3:15Actually, not what's taking place today, but what's already taken place over the last two weeks.
3:19So you are saying this has already happened?
3:23Sort of.
3:25Sort of.
3:28And, Mr. Sullivan, what does your model say that that means for us here?
3:34Well, that's where it becomes a projection.
3:39But...
3:39You're speaking with me, Mr. Sullivan.
3:42Well, sir, if those assets decrease by just 25% and remain on our books, that loss would be greater than the current market capitalization of this entire company.
3:57so
4:02what you're telling me
4:05is that
4:07the music is about to stop
4:10and we're going to be left
4:12holding the biggest bag of
4:14odorous excrement
4:15ever assembled in the history
4:18of
4:18capitalism
4:21sir i'm not sure that i would
4:27put it that way, but let me clarify
4:30using your analogy,
4:32what this model shows
4:34is the music, so to speak, just slowing.
4:40If the music were to stop, as you put it,
4:42then this model wouldn't be even close
4:44to that scenario.
4:46It would be considerably worse.
4:52Let me tell you something Mr Sullivan Do you care to know why I in this chair with you all
5:01I mean, why I earn the big bucks?
5:05Yes.
5:06I'm here for one reason and one reason alone.
5:09I'm here to guess what the music might do a week, a month, a year from now.
5:17That's it.
5:18Nothing more.
5:22I'm standing here tonight.
5:25I'm afraid that I don't hear a thing.
5:33Just silence.
5:48So, now that we know the music has stopped, what can we do about it?
6:00Mr. Cohen, Ms. Robertson, I'm afraid I think this is where you're supposed to step back in.
6:08Lord knows we've relied enough on Mr. Sullivan tonight.
6:13What do you have for us?
6:18What have I told you since the first day you stepped into my office?
6:28There are three ways to make a living in this business.
6:31Be first, be smarter, or cheat.
6:35No, I don't cheat.
6:37And although I like to think we have some pretty smart people in this building,
6:42it sure is a hell of a lot easier to just be first.
6:46sell it all today.
6:51Is that even possible, Sam?
6:54Yes, but at what cost?
6:58I'll have to pay.
7:01Really?
7:03I think so.
7:05Where is this going to come back to us?
7:09Everywhere.
7:10Sam, I don't think you seem to understand
7:13what your boy here has just said.
7:16If I made you how would you do this
7:29Well, you call the traders in for the normal 6.30 meeting and you be honest with them,
7:32because they're going to know it's the end either way.
7:35So you're going to have to throw them a bone and a pretty big one.
7:38And then you've got to come out of the gate storming.
7:40No swaps, no nothing.
7:4340% done by 10.15.
7:44By 11 o'clock, all your trades have to be gone
7:47because by lunchtime, word's going to be out.
7:50And by 2 o'clock, you're going to be selling at 65 cents on the dollar,
7:53if you're lucky.
7:54And then the Feds are going to be in here up your ass,
7:56trying to slow you down.
7:58Ramesh.
7:59They can slow you down.
8:00I can't stop you.
8:01It's yours to sell.
8:02But, John, even if we manage to pull that off,
8:08and that's saying something,
8:09The real question is, who are we selling this to?
8:14Same people we've been selling it to for the last two years, and whoever else will buy it.
8:18But John, if you do this, you will kill the market for years. It's over.
8:27And you're selling something that you know has no value.
8:30We are selling to willing buyers at the current fair market price, so that we may survive.
8:39You will never sell anything to any of those people ever again.
8:43I understand.
8:45Do you?
8:46Do you?
8:47This is it.
8:49I'm telling you, this is it.
9:00Now it's four o'clock.
9:05Jared, you got till five to break this down and draw me up a plan.
9:08Is there anybody else who knows what's in here at the moment, block by block?
9:13Eric Dale.
9:15And where is he?
9:17As of today, he's no longer with the firm.
9:20We have been trying to locate him.
9:26Carmelo.
9:27Yes.
9:27Get me Eric Dale here by 6.30.
9:29It's done.
9:31We meet back here in an hour.
9:36Sam, let's talk.