My letter to the NY Times re: A tale of two banking models

Re:  Fed Closes a Loophole for Banks Overseas

Re: Lending Where Banks Can't: Blackstone Thrives in Ireland

Dear Sirs:
These two articles appeared on the front page of your Business Day section on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.  Nothing could more completely refute the claims of the Federal Reserve Bank that its new tougher capital rules and regulatory oversight for foreign banks operating in the US and US banks operating overseas will "help ensure that capital keeps flowing during times of stress" than these two articles.  The first article reports that the Fed brushes aside the banks' protests that their operating costs will rise, leading to loss of market share, while the companion article tells of the success of the Blackstone Group to fund those very businesses that the banks can no longer afford to serve.  The Fed and its sister regulators in Europe will find that in the future they will be regulating smaller and more irrelevant businesses.