Bank buyouts: Unlikely bedfellows

Buyout bosses are at risk of being increasingly vilified as portfolio companies shed jobs or go bust. But if they begin to swoop in to save troubled banks, it could do wonders for their reputations. At the SuperReturn private equity confab in Berlin, some buyout bigwigs are touting their willingness to partner with governments on such deals. But governments shouldn’t give too much away. Government scrutiny of private equity firms will probably pick up soon. Portfolio companies are running into ...