are u under the impression that citadel loses their 2.5 bil commitment if etrade does indeed go bankrupt? read the details of the deal, then see how you feel about it. citadel has already taken on a gigantic mortgage portfolio for 27 cents on the dollar (this came out to about 800mil+ or so and is the only real money that citadel is risking), theyre working out the details of getting all of etrades order flow (a biz that is 0 risk and very lucrative for citadel; as is the set-up they have with ameritrade) they got 12.5% or 13.5% notes, can't remember which, and the cash they gave is secured! its a great deal having almost nothing to do with etrade itself and if you bother to read it you will realize how sick the deal is for citadel. oh, and i'm 27, is that old enough to make a point here?