“Good Bank-Bad Bank” in the Current Financial Crisis

In the early days of the financial crisis in late 2007 and early 2008, monoline financial guaranty insurers began to experience rating agency downgrades due, in part, to their wrapping of structured financial products such as collateralized debt obligations and asset-backed securities. Securities that are guaranteed by monolines are rated at the higher of the rating of the wrapping insurer or the published underlying rating of the security. Historically, this business required a “AAA” rating. In order to maintain the rating, monolines typically write to a “no-loss” or “remote loss” standard and limit their business to investment grade bonds.

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