In the wake of the stress tests, one would think that banks are in good shape, from a capital point of view. But in the back of many peoples' minds was an unmentionable scenario: Banks buffeted by the economy find themselves undercapitalized all over again.

Reuters wonders of this could happen. If you look at the nine top banks, TCE ratios range from a high of 5.7 percent (Goldman Sachs) to a low of $2.3 percent (Citigroup). Now 5.7 percent looks good, but can one objectively say that it is enough to weather significant storms. For top banks, there is still the risk that the commercial real estate and credit card debt woes will eat away at their cushion. No one wants to think about it, but it's not inconceivable that some banks may end up requiring more taxpayer money. 

For more:
- here's the Reuters column

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