At another point, Buffett told us, "I would say that if--if we own US Bancorp, which we do, or Wells Fargo, their prospects three years out have been better than ever... And if they weren't quoted, you know, people would feel fine owning the business and I think they would say that, you know, they're going to lose more--way more money than usual that--maybe this year and the next year, but they've built the provisions and all that sort of thing. They're going to come out fine unless they have to issue a ton more shares."
Buffett also told Joe Kernen that because American Express is becoming a bank holding company, it would create regulatory problems for Berkshire to buy additional shares. "It's very clear that American Express' losses in 2009 on their receivables will be, you know, considerably higher than last year. And their earnings will suffer to some degree accordingly. But that doesn't mean that American Express isn't a hell of a buy at $10. American Express is going to be around forever."
While Buffett conceded that shareholders could be wiped out in a few cases, he says most banks will "do fine earning their way" out of their current problems.
"Citigroup may be a special case. I mean, and I'm afraid that in a sense, the American public has sort of taken its view of all banks from what they read about Citigroup all the time. But there are 7,400 banks or something like that in the United States and most of them are just fine."
Current stock prices:
Berkshire Class A:
Berkshire Class B:
American Express:
Bank of America:
M&T Bank Corp:
SunTrust Banks:
U.S. Bancorp:
Wells Fargo:
Financial Select Sector SPDR:
Citigroup:
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