20-20

New concepts in insurance:

The federal agency that insures bank deposits, which is asking for emergency powers to borrow up to $500 billion to take over failed banks, is facing a potential major shortfall in part because it collected no insurance premiums from most banks from 1996 to 2006.

If only my auto insurance company were so broadminded, they keep wanting me to pay even though I've never made a claim. Listen to a banker:

But James Chessen, chief economist of the American Bankers Association, said that it made sense at the time to stop collecting most premiums because "the fund became so large that interest income on the fund was covering the premiums for almost a decade." There were relatively few bank failures and no projection of the current economic collapse, he said.

"Obviously hindsight is 20-20," Chessen said.

With geniuses like chief economist Chessen around, it's no wonder we're about to end up in the sewer.
(h/t Atrios)