03:40 PM
Banking Dirt Dished in... New York?
Readers, how about we start a venture like that book-publishing series inspired in its simplicity, 'Overheard in _____' fill-the-blank capital city?In Starbucks on Saturday night, I overheard a Lehman employee tell her friend categorically that she was out of a job on three month's severance as of today, when Lehman would be "bought by Bank of America or someone else". (Presumably, London's Barclays Bank, which also backed out, but today is reportedly looking to pick up parts of the defunct firm and its "former employees".)
Sadly, the employee wasn't privy to what would have been really interesting news to leak: that Bank of America would, in fact, buy Merrill Lynch & Co, while Lehman, failing to find a buyer, would go broke. Now, that would have made waiting on line in the 42nd St. and 8th Ave. café worthwhile.