Not to be confused with Ben and Jerry, the dynamic duo has concocted yet another num-num: FT PD article: Fed opens door to bank stakes The Federal Reserve on Monday threw open the doors to investment in the US banking industry by private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds and corporate investors, saying it would raise the maximum stake a minority investor could take in a bank holding company from 25% to 33% in some cases and lift the ban on board representation for minority investors. The move came as investors signalled worries about prospects for the US governmentâs $700bn financial sector bail-out plan as stocks slid and oil prices jumped. The concerns were not only about the pace of negotiations for the planned fund, intended to buy toxic assets from banks, but also about the likelihood that the fund could resolve the credit crisis. The dollar had held up surprisingly well amid the recent financial turmoil. But it fell back Monday amid growing fears over the cost of the bail-out and the fragile state of the US banking system, sending the price of dollar-priced commodities soaring. Separately the FT reports on the escalating political fight over the plan and also the debate about what, precisely, is meant by âtoxicâ assets. A toxic asset link: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/665637f2-88d4-11dd-a179-0000779fd18c.html An open the door link: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ba48302-88d7-11dd-a179-0000779fd18c.html lj