Vetting Uncle Sam Inc, Wall Street's new top dog in crisis

Now that American taxpayers have committed hundreds of billions of dollars to save the banking system, it's appropriate to assess what they're getting for their investment.

A prospectus for Uncle Sam Inc securities would list three areas of potential profit and loss.

Uncle Sam is acquiring a stake in the entire US banking industry. By the end of the year it will have invested $250 billion in preferred shares of banks around the country.