Alekbaylee

Kind words. What a true gentleman!

Although I give Prem a 50-50 chance of winning the BB fight, I find almost funny that every time we think we've seen the worst or got out of the woods "something" comes and knocks FFH down again. Is there any insurance coverage against these "events" - LOL! Seriously, we've seen them all : from TIG to ABH to FBK to the hedges (although this one can still pan out) to BB. Prem, my friend, your faithful shareholders are tired of this bumpy ride. They want a smooth ride, at least for a while, whilst they mend their sore butt.

Looks like it is. Prem has repeated numerous times that he wanted to keep at least $1 B in cash. With his new "investment" in BB and the hedges not "cooperating", he would have found himself below his own threshold and the rating agencies could have downgraded FFH.

Would say it's B...

Hmm... not sure we'll get a dividend in January... ::)

Lol! Thanks Kumar, we very much need some humor! :)

I'm sure Prem at this point wishes he didn't have this entanglement either. But it is what it is, and either he salvages it or it goes to zero. He's not the type to give up, if that is one thing any shareholder should have learned by now. If things go wrong, he'll pay the price as one of the largest shareholders, then learn from the mistake and move forward. But he isn't going to give up, and this is scaring a lot of shareholders who can't stomach it. Cheers! Can't stomach it nor rationalize it. It's hard to understand why Prem takes such big bets/risks when there seem to be less risky or more predictable situations. It's easier to follow Buffet or BBerkowitz in their thesis than Prem/FFH. I think that explains the huge disappointement expressed today here.

Yup, plus the Can $ lost some ground vs the US$ lately. Today FFH gained 4%ish while FRFHF took only 2%ish. There, we talk like day traders now! ;D

Lol! I agree, even if I got my shares at a better price. All the hype around BBRY take-over was at least a good PR exercise for Prem/FFH. They've been in the headlines all around the world. Maybe that explains in part the recent runup of the SP. We shall see if it drops when earnings are released next week. Meanwhile, let's enjoy it!

In another thread somebody mentioned a gain of 1 billion the other day. Anybody knows the number of shares they have in BKIR?

Or the beginning of 7 fat years in the insurance business? AIG is also flying..

More details about the transaction : http://www.valuewalk.com/2013/10/watsa-makes-second-big-greek-investment/

Wow! Lucky man!!! Congrats!

Yeah, I have no opinion either. Only time will tell if he was right or wrong but there's a good change he knows what he's doing.

Wow, he really believes this thing is not dead... Here’s what he told The Associated Press: “We thought long and hard before we offered $9 a share and we’re not in the business of offering a number and at the last minute changing the figure … Rest assured when we do this it won’t be done to split the company.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/top-business-stories/fairfaxs-prem-watsa-fires-back-at-skeptics-as-doubts-over-blackberry-deal-mount/article14540650/

Have a wonderful (birth)day buddy!

Right. And I'd guess they'll likely take a hit from Alberta floodings and, to a lesser extent, the European ones.

Good luck, Sanj!

Can anyone recommend another insurer to put the cash in? - Fairfax maybe? ;D

Not sure about the US, but here in Canada, you can sponsor a live-in help for minimum salary. They usually come from Philippines, Morroco, South or Latin America, etc. Some people prefer an "au pair" (usually younger) that can teach their kids a second language while learning/improving their own English skills. Most of them come from European countries (i.e. France), are well educated, have a driving licence, etc. This might help : http://www.aupairinamerica.com/compare.asp

Try this for France : http://www.amf-france.org/inetbdif/sch_cpy.aspx?lang=en. comes from this http://www.amf-france.org/

The word "worry/worried/worrying" comes up more than 50 times in the text. For some reason (personal history/background, etc.), certain persons seem to always worry, whatever the situation is. This guy will probably continue to worry when he earns the 7 figures income. ???

Might lure some pet owners into other segments of insurance (personal lines) or the other way round. Would be interesting to know how many customers Hartville has. Usually people that buy insurance for their pets are well off too. Some interesting data : http://www.embracepetinsurance.com/pet-industry/pet-insurance/statistics

Interesting... Russia has always been in search of a southern, warm port for its navy. It was a main reason to invade Afghanistan. ???

Apparently the deal aborted... Greece's National Bank (NBG) (>> National Bank of Greece) said on Friday Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd's (>> Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd) interest in taking part in the bank's recapitalization had ebbed because the Canadian investment fund wanted changes to the terms that were beyond NBG's control. NBG, the country's biggest lender, said in a bourse filing that Fairfax had expressed an interest in up to 1.5 billion euros, which amounts to 10 percent of a capital raising to increase the bank's solvency to levels required by the central bank. "The expression of interest remained at an initial phase because Fairfax asked for changes in the framework of the recapitalization that are beyond National Bank's control," NBG said in the filing. NBG officials would not provide further details. http://www.4-traders.com/FAIRFAX-FINANCIAL-HOLDING-1409991/news/Greece-s-NBG-says-path-to-Fairfax-deal-hits-roadblock-16543627/