Links: 2009-02-15

Burris Says Was Asked to Raise Funds for Blagojevich – Bloomberg.com

Just how big are the UK banks – UK Bubble (Alice Cook is all over this one — and it’s not just about RBS. Thanks for the link, Alice.)

Royal Bank of Scotland paid sports stars £200 million to entertain clients – Telegraph (I love writing about RBS, it’s like Citigroup in the U.S. only twice the size, in a country one fifth the size — so nearly ten times the impact)

ABN AMRO sponsorships – ABN AMRO site (in Dutch)

Murray Beats Nadal in 3 Sets to Win Rotterdam Title – Bloomberg.com (This story is actually related to the last one; even though its about tennis, you should notice who the sponsorof the tournament is: ABN AMRO, now largely part of RBS)

Israeli Tennis Player Peer Denied Visa for Dubai Tournament – Bloomberg.com (This one is about Tennis…and politics)

UK’s richest landowner hit by slump – Gaurdian

Failed Banks Pose Test for Regulators – NY Times (this is a story showing that the FDIC is struggling to dispose of assets. Hat tip Calcluated Risk)

Buffett’s Berkshire Agrees to Purchase Tiffany Bonds – Bloomberg.com (Buffett is bottom fishing. But, notice, he always buys bonds first, never equity. He likes to be much higher in the capital structure in case of bankruptcy)