Heroes of the Year: A Reader Project
A few days ago I nominated Chumps of the Year based on the reactions of politicians and financiers to the credit crisis. Now with a bailout deal at hand (unless this one falls apart, too), it's time to nominate Heroes of the Year. But I need your help.
My nominees for Heroes of the Year are any companies on the SEC's no-short list who are opting out — allowing their shares to be shorted and rejecting the government's offer of special favors.
But I've searched the Internets high and low and haven't found a comprehensive list. I've seen one account, nearly a week old, indicating there are four companies. I've seen two of them identified as JMP Group and Diamond Hill Investment Group. But who are the others? And have still more opted out since?
If you know, let us know in the comments. But please, submit a link to back it up.
I'm especially interested to know if the Southern regional bank BB&T has opted out. CEO John Allison, who's gained a bit of notoriety for usingAtlas Shrugged as a de facto corporate manual, got some ink last week slamming the bailout for all the right reasons. But if BB&T isn't opting out of the no-short list, his free-market credentials are, to say the very least, suspect.
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