Can feds sell IndyMac?

FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair says it could be a tough go because "there are a number of things about this institution that, to be honest with you, make it unattractive to a potential purchaser." Bair, interviewed on Bloomberg Television (to be broadcast this weekend), says there's not much of a "core deposit base" - that is, bread-and-butter retail accounts as opposed to large deposits arranged by brokers. And don't forget all the losses. "What we're trying to do now is do what we can to strengthen it, strengthen the asset quality, strengthen the servicing portfolio, so we can sell it off and get a better value, hopefully," Bair said. The game plan has been to find a buyer within 90 days of the takeover. The agency suspended foreclosures on $15 billion in IndyMac loans to see if they can be modified.