Between the financial crash of 2008 and the Eurozone debt crisis, big Western banks have turned into pretty dodgy investments.
I'm talking about the banks that were "too big to fail."
These days the profits of these fine institutions are largely dependent on not writing off too many bad loans or incurring huge fines and lawsuits from various past misdeeds.
But that's not the only reason not to like them. Western economies are barely alive, making new lending a highly competitive and marginally profitable business, even before the loan write-offs arrive.
What's more, the investment banking businesses just adds risk from overpaid, over-testosteroned traders, making matters worse.
However, all is not lost. There is one region where the banks are actually safe to buy.
It's in Asia where economic growth remains robust, interest rates remain reasonable, and banking remains a business to invest in. Unfortunately, many U.S. investors are not aware of the opportunities Asian banks provide.