"Josh, do you know what the Continental Illinois Bank means?" John Leibler looked at the young man in front of him with a hint of amusement.
In his eyes, Josh Kane was undoubtedly a very outstanding young man, even far more exceptional than his own eldest son, whom he had always been proud of.
But he had to admit, young people still tended to be overly ambitious.
He thought that just having some money meant he could buy a bank?
Of course, John was aware of the military order Josh had landed in Europe—two hundred million dollars' worth of Bright Light serum.
Aside from that order, he estimated Josh had probably made over a hundred million from other ventures in Europe.
To be honest, with two or three hundred million dollars, acquiring a top-tier bank in the United States wasn't completely impossible.
The problem was, the Continental Illinois Bank was not your average top-tier bank.
In later years, compared to well-known banks like Citibank, Bank of America, BNY Mellon, JPMorgan, and Wells Fargo, many people might be unfamiliar with Continental Illinois Bank.
That's understandable—this bank went bankrupt in the 1980s.
But don't think it was weak just because it went bankrupt.
In fact, before its collapse, the Continental Illinois Bank was the largest bank in the Midwest and ranked seventh nationwide, with a market value of $2.3 billion and over $42 billion in assets. It was one of the top ten financial institutions in the United States.
If that's not clear enough, compare it with another bank: Wells Fargo, the third-largest U.S. bank in 2022.
Back in 1986, Wells Fargo's market value was under $1 billion, and its assets were just over $20 billion.
But by 2022, Wells Fargo's market value had reached $180 billion, and assets had grown to nearly $2 trillion.
That comparison makes it clear how formidable Continental Illinois Bank once was.
Its collapse was precisely because it was too strong.
Its management grew overly confident and blindly expanded into high-leverage projects, eventually leading to a debt crisis and a run on deposits.
The bank's failure became a classic case in financial history and was the first to shatter the belief that "banks too big to fail" wouldn't fall.
Its demise was also one of the key reasons the Chicago consortium began to decline in Josh's original world.
Now, the Continental Illinois Bank wasn't as powerful as it had been in the '80s, but its market value still exceeded $1 billion, and it remained a core bank of the Chicago consortium.
No wonder John Leibler thought Josh's idea was delusional. What made Josh think he could acquire such an important bank? And what made him believe the tycoons of the Chicago consortium would sell?
"Of course I know what the Chicago bank means. It's the core bank of the Chicago consortium, with a market value exceeding one billion," Josh replied.
"You know? Then why do you think you can acquire it? What makes you think we shareholders would sell? Josh, I know you want to join the Chicago consortium—and you absolutely qualify—but acquiring the Continental Bank is too much!" John Leibler shook his head.
"Uncle John, don't be so quick to reject the idea. I know the importance of Continental Bank to the consortium. I also know that with my current assets, I can't afford to buy it outright. I never planned to fully acquire it—just obtain controlling interest. And I don't intend to pay in cash. I want to use equity swaps," Josh explained with a smile.
If he had to use cash, acquiring Continental Bank was simply unrealistic. Despite its seemingly modest market value of around a billion, due to its importance, unless he offered a premium of over 50% or more, the other side wouldn't even consider selling.
At such a steep price, even if Josh liquidated all his grey-area income and assets, it still wouldn't be enough.
But through a swap, things were different.
He wouldn't need to spend much money—he might even save a lot.
"Swap? What will you use for the swap?" John Leibler asked in confusion.
"Austrian National Bank, Austrian Central Bank, Bavarian Bank, BNP Paribas, and Lloyds Bank!" Josh listed five names in one breath.
Each one was a world-renowned bank.
Especially the Austrian National Bank—if John remembered correctly, that was Austria's central bank!!!
And the Bavarian Bank—that was a state-owned bank with extremely rare external shares.
War is war, but who the hell sells off stakes in banks at this level?
How did Josh have shares in these banks?
Actually, it was simple. For the French and British banks, he had exchanged materials. Because of the war, these banks were struggling—many shareholders were on the verge of bankruptcy. For them, Josh's hard commodities were more practical than cash.
As for the Austrian National Bank, Austrian Central Bank, and Bavarian Bank—those were HYDRA's assets...
Well, more precisely, assets that had belonged to Schmidt personally.
Even though Schmidt had been "eliminated" by Captain America and the Strategic Scientific Reserve...
This so-called "state-owned" asset wasn't up to the Americans to manage just yet.
After all, Austria was cooperating with the U.S., not occupied by it.
And since Josh had absorbed Schmidt's remaining forces, naturally, these assets had fallen into his hands.
Although Josh's share in each of these five banks wasn't large, and their total value was far from a billion dollars...
The significance they carried far exceeded a billion in the eyes of the Chicago consortium.
"You're serious?" John Leibler's face suddenly turned grave.
"Of course I'm serious. The shares aren't massive, but they're real and verified!" Josh nodded. He didn't feel bad at all about trading them—because a swap wasn't a sale.
By exchanging these shares for equity and voting rights in the Continental Bank, the shares would belong to the bank itself, not to any individual. That meant Josh would still effectively control them. What he was giving up was merely the potential profits they could yield.
Money is endless—but Josh valued influence far more than money.
"...Josh, let's set a date for the children's baptism. How about holding it at Holy Name Cathedral? I'm on good terms with Archbishop Cody. I'll persuade him to conduct the baptism personally. And I guarantee that every core member of the Chicago consortium will attend the ceremony!" John Leibler said after a long pause.
Compared to other financial groups, the Chicago consortium might be slightly slower in responding to capital opportunities—but that didn't mean they were fools.
With Josh offering up shares in those banks, it was like placing half of Europe's juicy financial pie right at their mouths. If they didn't take a bite, even John Leibler wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
Of course, the exact terms and quantities involved in the swap couldn't be decided by just the two of them—it would require negotiation.
But that didn't prevent the Chicago consortium from using the baptism ceremony to officially establish Josh's status within the group.
"Why don't you come over for dinner tonight, Uncle John? We can talk more about the baptism. You can also see the kids—Margot hasn't seen you in a while either!" Josh, hearing John Leibler's promise, knew the deal was as good as done and extended the invitation immediately.
"Of course, I'd be delighted to accept!" Josh's invitation filled John Leibler with joy, and he began thinking about what gifts to bring for the children and for Margot.
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