Nothing's more difficult than stepping up and buying some Marshall & Ilsley (MI) or Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) or Fifth Third (FITB) or Regions (RF) when we read that it is precisely their kind of commercial real estate portfolios that are in the cross hairs of both the regulators and the defaulters.

This can be a nauseating market, but what happens if Huntington reports a really good number based on net interest margin? What if Fifth Third does a big deal in the hole and then says, "We are fully reserved"?

What if Fifth Third does a big deal in the hole and then says, "We are fully reserved"? It's a fact of life that bad can get better, and that is what drives stocks. Is it that simple? Kind of. Enough to do the job.

Nothing's more difficult than stepping up and buying some Marshall & Ilsley (MI) or Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) or Fifth Third (FITB) or Regions (RF) when we read that it is precisely their kind of commercial real estate portfolios that are in the cross hairs of both the regulators and the defaulters.

But these companies look to me like Hartford (HIG) at $12 or Principal Financial (PFG) at $10 or Genworth (GENW) at $4. The capital markets were open and receptive to those three annuity/insurers, and I don't even think they are as good as the banks I listed because they don't benefit from the yield curve, which is bountiful and apparently will stay bountiful for now. And yes, these can grow their way out of their holes.

But these companies look to me like Hartford (HIG) at $12 or Principal Financial (PFG) at $10 or Genworth (GENW) at $4. The capital markets were open and receptive to those three annuity/insurers, and I don't even think they are as good as the banks I listed because they don't benefit from the yield curve, which is bountiful and apparently will stay bountiful for now. And yes, these can grow their way out of their holes.

But these companies look to me like Hartford (HIG) at $12 or Principal Financial (PFG) at $10 or Genworth (GNW) at $4. The capital markets were open and receptive to those three annuity/insurers, and I don't even think they are as good as the banks I listed because they don't benefit from the yield curve, which is bountiful and apparently will stay bountiful for now. And yes, these can grow their way out of their holes.