Let me share a little story that I find analogous. In New York City, the Mafia runs the illegal gambling. I don't know if it still goes on, but some years ago

Let me share a little story that I find analogous. In New York City, the Mafia runs the illegal gambling. I don't know if it still goes on, but some years ago I know for a fact that the bookies used to stay friendly with the cops by cashing their paychecks for them. (You see, if you bring your paycheck to the bank, your wife will know how much you make.) One cop I was acquainted with became, when he retired, a small time bookie himself in a suburb of NYC. The small time bookies can't make it on their own, because you need someone to pass the big bets onto, when the action is a little too rich for your blood. Now, do you think the retired-cop-turned-bookie was a ballbuster to the mobsters in New York, or one of the "friendlier" cops? (I think I know what you think. My little story is really in support of your answer to the guy you're responding to. The way I see it, bankers and regulators aren't that much different from mobsters and cops.)