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"Meaningful reform of our financial regulatory system is finally within reach. The opportunity to pass such a comprehensive overhaul may not come again in our lifetimes."

Source: Sheila Bair, Chair, FDIC

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Date	Title

Sep 04, 2010	Editorial: The Diviner of Systemic Risk - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "After two more days of hearings this week about the 2008 credit meltdown, the lid on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's black box remains shut and locked. Testifying Thursday before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Mr. Bernanke made clearer than ever that financial "systemic risk" is whatever he and his fellow regulators decide it is."
Sep 03, 2010	Editorial: Consumer Protector - Bangor Daily News Editorial Board Summary: "The financial meltdown and the recession that keeps dragging on have severely hurt investors in real estate, Wall Street and almost every other place they had put their money."
Sep 03, 2010	Ben Bernanke’s Labor Day Reading List - Michael Corkery, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Thinking about thumbing through that detective novel or thriller this Labor Day weekend? Not so fast."
Sep 03, 2010	Editorial: Derivatives reform - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "European regulators have sacrificed a principle in the name of transatlantic harmonisation. They have decided to drop proposals to force non-financial companies to use clearing houses to trade over-the-counter derivatives."
Sep 03, 2010	Bernanke Says He Failed to See Financial Flaws - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Ben S. Bernanke, who told Congress in 2007 that the subprime mortgage crisis was “likely to be contained,” said Thursday that he had failed to recognize flaws in the financial system that amplified the housing downturn and led to an economic disaster."
Sep 03, 2010	High-frequency trading: Up against a bandsaw - Jeremy Grant, Financial Times Summary: "At an industrial estate on the edge of Tseung Kwan O, a new town connected by road tunnel to Kowloon, work has started on a data centre where traders of stocks, futures, options and currencies will place their computers next to Hong Kong Exchanges’ own systems."
Sep 02, 2010	Bernanke, Bair Defend Markets Overhaul - Michael R. Crittenden and Martin Vaughn, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The need to eliminate firms that are effectively "too big to fail" was the top lesson from the recent financial crisis, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told an investigative panel Thursday."
Sep 02, 2010	Bernanke Says Federal Reserve, Regulators Could Have Tackled Risks Better - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the central bank and other regulators could have done a better job tackling mortgage and banking risks that helped precipitate the worst financial crisis in seven decades."
Sep 02, 2010	Bernanke Meets Buffett in Role Conceived to Protect Markets - Steve Matthews and Joshua Zumbrun, Bloomberg Summary: "In November 2009, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd advanced a radical proposal: to create a super-regulator that would take over most of the bank supervision that had been done by the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and other agencies."
Sep 01, 2010	Fuld Says Lehman Was Denied the Help Its Rivals Received - Reuters Summary: "Federal regulators did not give the investment firm Lehman Brothers the same assistance as its competitors, knocking out the possibility of an orderly unwinding of the firm and aggravating the global crisis, Lehman’s former chief executive, Richard S. Fuld Jr., said on Wednesday."
Sep 01, 2010	JPMorgan to close ‘prop’ trading division - Gregory Meyer and Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: "JPMorgan Chase is to close the commodity unit that trades with the bank’s own money as Wall Street moves to comply with new US financial services rules banning proprietary trading."
Sep 01, 2010	The Street girds for Warren as consumer czar - Mark DeCambre, New York Post Summary: "Wall Street is preparing for a hurricane starting with the letter E, but it's not Earl, it's Elizabeth, as in Warren."
Sep 01, 2010	Staff Losses and Dissent May Hurt Crisis Panel - Sewell Chan and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "With less than four months left to complete its work, the group appointed by Congress to examine the causes of the financial crisis has been hampered by an exodus of senior employees and by internal disagreements that could hinder its ability to produce a report the entire commission could support."
Aug 31, 2010	Column: Why Wall St. Is Deserting Obama - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund manager, was one of Barack Obama’s biggest backers in the 2008 presidential campaign."
Aug 31, 2010	Dodd-Frank act presents companies with a PR minefield - Jean Eaglesham, Financial Times Summary: "Is a chief executive’s job 19 times more valuable than that of the US president and hundreds of times more valuable than the average worker in his or her company?"
Aug 31, 2010	Banks Grow Wary of Environmental Risks - Tom Zeller Jr., New York Times Summary: "Blasting off mountaintops to reach coal in Appalachia or churning out millions of tons of carbon dioxide to extract oil from sand in Alberta are among environmentalists’ biggest industrial irritants. But they are also legal and lucrative."
Aug 30, 2010	Republicans eye Frank’s chair - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Republicans are eyeing the powerful chairmanship of the House financial services committee held by Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat, as one of the biggest spoils of victory in November’s midterm congressional elections."
Aug 30, 2010	Inching Toward World-Wide Accord on Bank Rules - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Global politics and complicated risk management formulas will collide in Switzerland next month as regulators from around the world try to reach an agreement on new banking rules aimed at preventing another financial crisis."
Aug 30, 2010	Let a Thousand Regulators Bloom - James Sterngold, Bloomberg Businessweek Summary: "Anyone who thought the battle over Wall Street reform ended with passage of the Dodd-Frank Act and President Barack Obama's July 21 signature hasn't seen Kayla Gillan's whiteboard."
Aug 29, 2010	Column: It’s Not Over Until It’s in the Rules - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "Having passed the Dodd-Frank Act earlier this summer, the bill that aspires to reorder our financial universe in the wake of the most serious economic crisis in generations, Congress has moved on to other matters."
Aug 29, 2010	Folksy Warren is symbol in debate over Wall Street - Caren Bohan, Reuters Summary: "Elizabeth Warren is folksy and plain-spoken and favors cardigans over Washington power suits. Many on Wall Street view her as their worst nightmare but she is a hero to liberal activists and consumer groups."
Aug 27, 2010	Big banks winners from new contingent capital move - Jane Merriman, Reuters Summary: "Plans to make hybrid bond investors share the pain when banks run into trouble could polarise the financial sector into big firms that can afford to pay up for capital and smaller players that cannot."
Aug 27, 2010	Opinion - To Overhaul the GSEs, Divide Them into Three Parts - Alex J. Pollock, American Enterprise Institute Summary: "Bond salesmen, peddling trillions of dollars of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fixed-income securities to investors all over the world, said something like this: 'You can't go wrong buying this, because it is really a U.S. government credit, but it pays you a higher yield! So you get more profit with no credit risk.'"
Aug 26, 2010	Investors Gain New Clout - Jessica Holzer and Dennis Berman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Shareholders won greater clout to place directors on corporate boards Wednesday, marking the latest victory for the 'shareholder rights' movement that has gradually chipped away power from top executives running U.S. corporations."
Aug 26, 2010	Despite Reform, Banks Have Room for Risky Deals - Eric Dash and Nelson D. Schwartz, New York Times Summary: "When Congress passed a new financial regulation bill last month, it sought to prevent federally insured banks from making speculative bets using their own money."
Aug 26, 2010	Opinion: No Need To Over-Regulate Banker Compensation - Jennifer Carpenter and Ingo Walter, Forbes Summary: "The revival of bank bonuses in the teeth of the unemployment crisis has provoked a fresh wave of public resentment about banker compensation."
Aug 26, 2010	Fiscal Austerity and America’s Future - Simon Johnson, The New York Times Summary: "There are three main views of the financial crisis and the most recent recession."
Aug 25, 2010	We must let bust banks collapse says RBS chief - Nathalie Thomas, The Scotsman Summary: "THE Royal Bank of Scotland should not be given a second chance of a taxpayer bailout if it is involved in another financial crisis, its chief executive Stephen Hester has said."
Aug 25, 2010	Column: Is Barney Frank After Elizabeth Warren’s Job Even Before She Has It? - Alan Sherter, BNET Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank supports Elizabeth Warren to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Yet he also may have another candidate in mind — himself."
Aug 25, 2010	Opinion - We Will All Have to Pay for Financial Reform - Tim Chen, Huffington Post Summary: "Banks have been in the "freemium" business since well before that became a Web 2.0 catch phrase. Similar to the way that companies like Skype offer their products for free to millions of users while only a fraction pay, banks have been offering services like free checking to their customers for decades, while imposing fees on a small minority."
Aug 25, 2010	Financial reform bill calls for diversity - Julia Love and Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "The recently enacted financial reform legislation tries in numerous ways to change how Wall Street companies and their federal regulators act, but a little-noticed provision aims for something potentially more difficult and controversial — altering how they look."
Aug 24, 2010	US manufacturers warn about CFTC swaps rules costs - Roberta Rampton, Reuters Summary: "U.S. manufacturers are concerned that new regulations aimed at curbing risky trading of swaps by banks and other financial companies could sap the resources of the manufacturing sector as it tries to recover from recession."
Aug 24, 2010	Frank to hold hearing on regulation of Wall Street pay practices - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said Tuesday that he will hold a hearing this fall to examine whether regulators are being tough enough in curbing pay practices at Wall Street firms that can lead to excessively risky practices."
Aug 24, 2010	Recounts War Stories Over Reg Reform - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "After a brutal 21-hour legislative session ending in the early morning hours of June 25, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd thought regulatory reform was finally finished."
Aug 24, 2010	New Fees Weighed for Mortgage Industry - Deborah Soloman and Nick Thimiraos, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Obama administration may propose that any federal backing of mortgages be paid for through fees on the lending industry, according to people familiar with the internal discussions."
Aug 24, 2010	Suit Says Countrywide CEO Allowed Lax Loans - John R. Emshwiller, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Countrywide Financial Corp.'s ex-chief executive Angelo Mozilo approved loans for favored borrowers that contradicted the company's lending policies."
Aug 24, 2010	Cooper quits as lead writer of FCIC report - Jia Lynn Yang, Washington Post Summary: "The lead writer for a report ordered by Congress on the causes of the financial crisis has quit just four months before the investigation is due."
Aug 24, 2010	‘Too Big to Fail’ View Hurts Small Banks, Fed Official Says - Reuters Summary: "Thomas M. Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, warned on Monday that landmark financial reforms may not end market perceptions that taxpayers will rescue the largest banks, and he cautioned against speculative investments in housing. "
Aug 24, 2010	Op-ed: Road to safer banks runs through Basel - Sheila Bair, Financial Times Summary: "Of all the lessons learnt in the recent financial crisis, the most fundamental is this: excessive leverage was a pervasive problem that had disastrous consequences for our economy."
Aug 24, 2010	Commentary - Woman Wall Street Hates Most Is Right for the Job: Tim Duncan - Tim Duncan, Bloomberg Summary: "Seventy-five years ago this month, a Lockheed Orion Explorer airplane crashed in Point Barrow, Alaska."
Aug 24, 2010	FDIC Says Basel Proposals Crucial for Safe Banks - Karolina Tagaris, ABC News Summary: "Excessive bank leverage has had a disastrous effect on the economy, a top U.S. bank regulator said on Tuesday, defending a proposal by the Basel Committee to reshape the financial system and avoid another credit crisis."
Aug 23, 2010	Column: How financial reform will really work - Donna Rosato, CNNMoney.com Summary: "Almost two years after the near collapse of the U.S. financial system, a sweeping reform package has finally been signed into law. Now the real work begins."
Aug 23, 2010	Column: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's future Summary: "The administration took its first step toward resolving the final status of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a big conference at the White House last week. In keeping with its housing policy to date, it seems intent on taking the worst possible course."
Aug 23, 2010	CFTC Chairman Gensler Says U.S. Regulators Won't Succumb to Bank Lobbying - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: "Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler said U.S. regulators won’t succumb to Wall Street efforts to weaken financial-market oversight as they implement the biggest rules overhaul since the Great Depression."
Aug 23, 2010	Letter to the Editor: Smart reform of Wall Street - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "Compensation for Wall Street executives has been the stuff of legend, especially when the financial meltdown occurred three years ago."
Aug 23, 2010	Editorial: Now, the Rules - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "The new financial regulatory reform is supposed to curb the predatory lending practices that led to the collapse of the mortgage market and have put millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes."
Aug 23, 2010	Opinion - Disincentivizing greed - Neal Gabler, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Financial reform is now the law of the land, and by reconfiguring the banking industry and siccing watchdogs on economic shenanigans, the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is intended to help avoid another meltdown."
Aug 21, 2010	U.S. examines private sector's role in ensuring affordable housing - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration is grappling over how much to force private lenders to pay for apartments and homes for the poor as it presses ahead with a major overhaul of the government's housing policy, officials said."
Aug 20, 2010	Op-ed: Needed: a new economic paradigm - Joseph Stiglitz, Financial Times Summary: "The blame game continues over who is responsible for the worst recession since the Great Depression – the financiers who did such a bad job of managing risk or the regulators who failed to stop them."
Aug 20, 2010	At Treasury, Geithner Struggles to Escape a Past He Never Had - Jackie Calmes, New York Times Summary: "Timothy F. Geithner has been misidentified as a former Wall Street insider from Goldman Sachs so many times since he became the Treasury secretary that he and his advisers had taken to joking about it. Then the joke backfired."
Aug 20, 2010	Housing Can Find a Home Without Fannie, Freddie: Caroline Baum - Caroline Baum, Bloomberg Summary: "You are President Barack Obama, and your Summer of Recovery is looking like most lawns in the Northeast."
Aug 20, 2010	Opinion: AFL-CIO: Stronger Financial Reform Would Have Saved Jobs - Simon Johnson, Roubini Summary: "The Brown-Kaufman SAFE Banking Amendment proposed a hard size cap on our largest banks, limiting their assets to a very small fraction of the size of our economy."
Aug 19, 2010	Regulators Who Look Like America - Devin Fergus, The American Prospect Summary: "Buried in the financial-reform bill President Barack Obama signed in July is an innocuous-sounding provision, Section 342."
Aug 19, 2010	Democratic Misgivings on a Size Cap for Banks - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "The Brown-Kaufman amendment to the recently enacted financial regulatory overhaul proposed a size cap on our largest banks, limiting their assets to a very small fraction of the size of our economy. The premise was simple — and could fit on a bumper sticker (or in a campaign flier for November) — 'too big to fail is too big to exist.'"
Aug 19, 2010	How Would You Simplify the Financial-Reform Bill? A Freakonomics Quorum - Stephen J. Dubner, New York Times Summary: "Last month, roughly two years into a global financial maelstrom, the U.S. Congress passed a financial-reform bill. It was more than 2,300 pages long, addressing everything from derivatives to consumer financial products to oversized banks."
Aug 19, 2010	Opinion - How Would You Simplify the Financial-Reform Bill? A Freakonomics Quorum - Stephen J. Dubner, New York Times Summary: "Last month, roughly two years into a global financial maelstrom, the U.S. Congress passed a financial-reform bill."
Aug 19, 2010	US banks receive Basel III boost - Megan Murphy and Norma Cohen, Financial Times Summary: "Big US banks should be able to meet tighter global capital requirements without having to raise substantial amounts of new equity, according to calculations by Barclays Capital."
Aug 19, 2010	Wall Street reform gives regulators power over executive pay - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "For the all the changes to the regulatory fabric contained in the landmark Dodd-Frank law, none might be more significant to the financial sector's health than Section 956(a)."
Aug 19, 2010	Op-ed: A price worth paying to make banks safer - Stephen Cecchetti, Financial Times Summary: "It is now three years since financial authorities began working feverishly to ward off a systemic collapse. They have been providing emergency assistance at the same time as they seek to prevent a relapse."
Aug 18, 2010	Bye-bye Fannie and Freddie, but hello to what? - Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board Summary: "In four months, President Obama must propose to Congress a new vision for federal support of housing. Sounds a bit boring, true, except that this will be a multitrillion-dollar decision. Even as the vision takes shape, it is seen as critical to the economic recovery."
Aug 18, 2010	'Economic Benefits' From Tighter Bank Regulation - Geoffrey T. Smith, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The global economy won't suffer if banks are forced to adopt tighter standards on capital and liquidity, the Financial Stability Board and Basel Committee for Banking Supervision said in a joint statement Wednesday."
Aug 18, 2010	After Wall Street reform, Dems face fight on mortgage-finance overhaul - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Democrats face a massive battle in 2011 to overhaul the $11 trillion mortgage-finance system that could make the fight over Wall Street reform look tame."
Aug 18, 2010	Businesses resist ‘conflict minerals’ law - Jean Eaglesham and Jeremy Lemer, Financial Times Summary: "US manufacturers are mounting a lobbying campaign over a provision slipped into the financial reform legislation requiring companies to declare products containing minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo."
Aug 18, 2010	Democrat says abolish Freddie, Fannie-FOX - Joanne Allen, Reuters Summary: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be abolished, Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services panel, said on Tuesday."
Aug 18, 2010	U.S. role at heart of housing debate - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Top Obama administration officials opened a conference on the future of housing by making clear Tuesday they are considering a limited range of options that would reduce but not eliminate the government's role as a provider of funding for home loans."
Aug 18, 2010	Warren sits down with big bank lobbyists - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Elizabeth Warren, a top candidate to lead the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, met quietly last week with some of her sharpest critics: big bank lobbyists."
Aug 18, 2010	Mortgage Role for U.S. Is Affirmed - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "The Obama administration has been barraged with ideas for reworking the government’s role in housing finance, spanning the spectrum from guaranteeing all mortgage loans to eliminating all federal subsidies for homeownership."
Aug 18, 2010	Curb Your Enthusiasm on Fan/Fred Reform - Elizabeth MacDonald, Fox Business Summary: "Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is now leading committees upon symposiums upon commissions to concoct some kind of reform by January 2011 of the Thelma and Louise of housing, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who are already driving the US taxpayer off the cliff, to paraphrase conservative pundit Pat Buchanan."
Aug 17, 2010	Op-ed: The Future of Housing Finance - Edward Pinto, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Today the Obama administration will begin a discussion on how to overhaul our nationalized housing finance system. Moderated by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the "Conference on the Future of Housing Finance" seeks answers to what went wrong in the U.S. housing market."
Aug 17, 2010	Managing Wall Street banker compensation - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "In the years before the crisis, bank executives made millions in short-term profits even when those profits turned out to be fleeting and the risky decisions the executives made turned out to be disastrous."
Aug 16, 2010	U.S. targets mortgage market reform - Kevin Carmichael, Globe and Mail Summary: "With the legislative overhaul of Wall Street finished, the Obama administration is preparing to take on an even greater challenge that it can no longer avoid: finding a new way to underwrite the American dream."
Aug 16, 2010	FHA Gets Tougher on Mortgages - Jennifer Waters, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Consumers looking for home loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration will face tougher hurdles and higher costs under new legislation and new rules that could take effect as soon as this month."
Aug 16, 2010	Buyback Window Opened by Dodd-Frank - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "A 90-day securities buyback window has been opened by the new financial reform bill."
Aug 15, 2010	Delays in financial reforms spur worries that next crash could come first - Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "The financial system experiences a crisis 'every five to seven years,' JPMorgan Chase & Co. chief executive Jamie Dimon told the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in January. By that measure, the next crash could come by 2015 — years before new banking reforms are in place."
Aug 14, 2010	'Good ol' boys' in Warren's way? - Carrie Budoff Brown and Jonathan Allen, Politico Summary: "As President Barack Obama closes in on picking a new federal consumer protection chief, critics’ arguments against liberal favorite Elizabeth Warren are getting louder."
Aug 14, 2010	Column: In This Play, One Role Is Enough - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "MEET Brad Miller, a Democratic representative from North Carolina who was elected to Congress in 2002, talks straight and understands how big banks can put consumers at peril."
Aug 14, 2010	New Rules on Finance to Be Done in the Open - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The meeting in the back room may not be over, but at least the public can peek inside."
Aug 13, 2010	Column: What happens if Fannie and Freddie disappear? - Amy Hoak, MarketWatch Summary: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be effectively insolvent, but they're backing over half of all U.S. mortgages. That has some people worried."
Aug 13, 2010	Financial Reform Bill Calls For Diversity - Los Angeles Times Summary: "Washington....Tucked into the Wall Street reform bill was a little-noticed provision pushing for more diversity in the disproportionately white and male world of finance, and its potentially far-reaching implications have set off alarm bells among conservatives and some in the financial sector."
Aug 13, 2010	Reforming Fannie and Freddie: Is Now the Right Time? - Diana Olick, CNBC Summary: "In response to criticism by many in Congress that it should have added GSE reform to the financial reform bill, the Obama administration has repeatedly said the housing and mortgage markets are simply too fragile right now to weather the inevitable storm that debate would entail."
Aug 13, 2010	FDIC opens its doors to carry out financial reform - Dave Clarke, Reuters Summary: "Bank regulators on Thursday pledged an "open door" policy for carrying out financial reform, also saying they will inform the public of meetings between senior officials and private sector individuals."
Aug 13, 2010	Op-ed: Fannie and Freddie’s bond market upheaval - James Rickards, Financial Times Summary: "A strange fog has enveloped the bond market. Once, the strength of a bond was based on the reputation of its issuer. But a change began in 2008, as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac verged on bankruptcy, and legislation was rushed through the US Congress to restructure them."
Aug 13, 2010	Obama's housing reform panel angers affordable-housing advocates - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Affordable-housing advocates raised concerns Thursday that the Obama administration is excluding consumer and community groups from playing prominent roles in a government-sponsored conference next week that will kick off efforts to overhaul national housing policy."
Aug 13, 2010	Op-ed: Web of shadow banking must be unravelled - Gillian Tett, Financial Times Summary: "A couple of years ago, it occurred to me that the 21st century financial system had come to resemble a huge ball of candy floss (or cotton candy, as Americans might say)."
Aug 13, 2010	Wall Street bonuses to rise this year: report - Jonathan Spicer, Reuters Summary: "Wall Street bonuses likely will rise this year, despite the regulatory cloud hanging over compensation, as the financial sector recovers from recession faster than the broader U.S. economy, according to a published report."
Aug 12, 2010	Financial markets: Derivative dilemmas - Aline van Duyn, Financial Times Summary: "Ari Bergmann is putting the finishing touches to a course he will begin teaching at New York University in a few weeks. Yet, in spite of his best efforts, much of the curriculum cannot yet be written. That is because of a big battle that is about to explode, on Wall Street and in the deepest bowels of Washington."
Aug 12, 2010	Watchdog panel cites global impact of US bailout - Marcy Gordon, Associated Press Summary: "The $700 billion U.S. bailout program launched in response to the global economic meltdown had a far greater impact overseas than other countries' financial rescue plans did on the U.S., according to a new report from a congressional watchdog."
Aug 12, 2010	Implementation of Financial Overhaul Gets Off to Rocky Start - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The implementation of the sweeping financial overhaul got off to a rocky start on Tuesday, when a series of top regulators suggested Congress might have to make changes less than three weeks after President Barack Obama signed the bill into law."
Aug 12, 2010	Goldman Sachs could be largely unaffected by financial overhaul - Nathaniel Popper, Los Angeles Times Summary: "As Wall Street scrambles to find the best and most profitable way to operate under the new financial reform law, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. — the firm that was expected to suffer the most under the legislation — could emerge practically unscathed."
Aug 11, 2010	How Wall Street Flipped To The GOP - Jonathan Chait, The New Republic Summary: "If you recall, I spent much of the month of June expressing exasperation with right-wing and libertarian critics who insisted financial regulation was a boon to Wall Street."
Aug 11, 2010	U.S. pushing for significant bank capital boost: Barr - Ann Saphir, Reuters Summary: "The United States is pushing hard in international negotiations for a "significant increase" in capital held by financial firms as a buffer against catastrophic failures that could threaten the global economy, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Tuesday."
Aug 11, 2010	Treasury's Barr: Must Move Quickly On Financial Reform - Jeff Bater and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A top Treasury Department official said Tuesday that the government must move quickly to implement Dodd-Frank financial legislation for the sake of the economy."
Aug 11, 2010	US regulators tighten control over Wall St - Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: "US regulators have increased their scrutiny of the country’s largest banks in recent months, digging deeper into riskier activities and pushing institutions to conduct more rigorous “stress tests” of their financial health."
Aug 10, 2010	Financial crisis commission's report to bring book advance, cut of profit - Jason Horowitz, Washington Post Summary: "The government commission tasked with writing a public report to expose the causes of the financial crisis is keeping the structure of its own publishing deal private."
Aug 10, 2010	Opinion - Improve banks’ survival with living wills - Charles Goodhart and Dirk Schoenmaker, Financial Times Summary: "In the aftermath of the financial crisis, there has been much concern about the massive bail-out costs."
Aug 10, 2010	Freddie Mac Seeks More Aid Amid Loss . - Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Freddie Mac reported a second-quarter net loss of $4.7 billion and asked the U.S. Treasury to provide a $1.8 billion infusion, raising the government's tab for its rescue of the mortgage-finance company to $63.1 billion."
Aug 10, 2010	US to pay big sums for Wall St tip-offs - Jean Eaglesham and Brooke Masters, Financial Times Summary: "New US whistleblowing incentives within the Dodd-Frank financial reform act – that could net informants multimillion dollar pay-outs – are likely to generate a surge in allegations against US-listed companies and Wall Street banks, lawyers say."
Aug 10, 2010	Big mo? Two more Senators call on Obama to appoint Elizabeth Warren - Greg Sargent, The Washington Post Summary: "Heads up: Add Dick Durbin and Carl Levin to the list of Senators backing Elizabeth Warren as Obama's key consumer cop on Wall Street."
Aug 09, 2010	Financial reform won't make commodity funds safer - Chuck Jaffe, MarketWatch Summary: "Jon in Tacoma, Wash. wrote to say he's been thinking about using commodity funds to diversify his portfolio in this tough investment climate, putting him into hard assets or real assets that are not a part of a standard mutual-fund lineup."
Aug 09, 2010	Crash of 2015 Won’t Wait for Regulators to Rein In Wall Street - Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "The financial system experiences a crisis 'every five to seven years,' JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon told the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in January."
Aug 06, 2010	Assessing reform impact on banks to take time -S&P - Karen Brettell, Reuters Summary: "Standard & Poor's on Thursday said it may take several months to evaluate the impact U.S. financial reform will have on the credit ratings of large banks, adding that a number of new rules could impede bank profitability and economic growth."
Aug 06, 2010	Treasury official: long way to go on recovery - Ros Krasny, Reuters Summary: "The process of repair is under way in the U.S. economy and financial markets but there is 'still a long way to go,' a senior U.S. Treasury Department official said on Thursday."
Aug 06, 2010	Official touts reforms for U.S. finance - Christopher K. Hepp, Philadelphia Inquirer Summary: "As the Obama administration begins implementing new rules for Wall Street, Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal S. Wolin Thursday told a Wharton School audience that the changes would ensure the nation of a 'competitive, globally leading' financial system for years to come."
Aug 05, 2010	How Wall Street Can Win - Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert, Huffington Post Summary: "As the battle over Wall Street reform shifts venues - from Capitol Hill to federal agencies - industry lobbyists who oppose some new regulations outnumber consumer advocates 50 to 1, an analysis of lobbying disclosure data shows."
Aug 05, 2010	The Innocents of 1933 - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Financial overhaul is the law of the land, but while it is true that the Dodd-Frank Act is a sweeping bill for the financial industry, it is hardly the most sweeping bill for Wall Street since the Great Depression as many argue."
Aug 05, 2010	Blog - Making a Mockery of Financial Reform - Jake Zamansky, Seeking Alpha Summary: "According to a recent New York Times report, the very same people that allowed investors to be exploited over the past decade at the SEC are being rehired by Wall Street to carve out loopholes in the Dodd-Frank financial industry reform bill."
Aug 04, 2010	Setback for SEC on secrecy - Colin Barr, Fortune Summary: "A ruling in a Securities and Exchange Commission subprime case could limit the agency's latitude to keep secrets."
Aug 04, 2010	Opinion: Geithner and Financial Innovation - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Speaking in New York Monday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner extolled 'the benefits of financial innovation' to the American economy, and promised that the Administration would implement the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill in a way that would preserve those benefits while protecting against 'financial excess.'
Aug 03, 2010	Treasury Sec. Geithner pledges quick action on financial reform law - Emily Fredrix and Martin Crutsinger, USA Today Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is pledging to move with speed to implement the biggest overhaul of the financial system since the Great Depression."
Aug 03, 2010	In New York, Geithner Kicks Off Financial-Reform Sales Tour - Nancy Cook, Newsweek Summary: "Treasury officials are fanning out across the country this week to cities known for their financial institutions, including Boston, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, N.C., to sell financial reform to Americans."
Aug 02, 2010	What do we know about the causes of the crisis? - Andrew K. Rose and Mark M. Spiegel, Vox Summary: "The global crisis has left many calling for early warning systems to prompt authorities into action before it’s too late."
Aug 02, 2010	News for Brokers, Wealth Managers and Their Clients - Suzanne Barlyn, Jilian Mincer, Annie Gasparro, and Charles Passy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Changes—some imminent and some that may be years away—await financial advisers and their clients now that the regulatory overhaul bill has been signed into law."
Aug 01, 2010	Opinion - Kilroy Was Here, Alas - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "If politicians were as accountable as CEOs, half of them would be fired for incompetence. Witness last week's land speed record for unintended consequences, as a liability provision in the Dodd-Frank financial reform brought new issues to a screeching halt in the $1.4 trillion asset-backed securities market."
Jul 30, 2010	SEC tells Congress new law doesn't block FOIA - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Responding to concerns that the new financial regulation law blocks the public from filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro has written a letter to Rep. Barney Frank and one to Sen. Chris Dodd, reassuring them that the SEC is still responsive to public records requests and explaining what the change in the law does."
Jul 30, 2010	Effects of financial reform law might not be felt for a while - Washington Post Summary: "The financial reform bill signed into law by President Obama might look like a cornucopia of helpful changes for homebuyers and loan applicants -- not the least of which will be the creation of a powerful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to ride herd on the mortgage lending industry."
Jul 29, 2010	How Financial Reform Produced an Army of New Lobbyists - Daniel Indiviglio, The Atlantic Summary: "This might come as a shock to anyone who isn't a Washington insider: the big, broad financial reform bill will actually increase the presence of lobbyists on Capital Hill going forward."
Jul 29, 2010	Opinion - Financial reform czar: Three skills she'll need to succeed - Paul Light, Washington Post Summary: "The first director of the newly created Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection will have one of the toughest jobs in government."
Jul 28, 2010	Ex-Financial Regulators Get Set to Lobby Agencies - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "As the battle over toughened financial restrictions moves to a new front, the regulatory agencies that will create hundreds of new rules for the nation’s banks will face a lobbying blitz from companies intent on softening the blow."
Jul 28, 2010	Fannie, Freddie jump as housing-reform push starts - Alistair Barr, MarketWatch Summary: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares jumped Tuesday as a push to reform the U.S. housing-finance system got underway."
Jul 27, 2010	The Eleven Pens of Barack Obama - Danny Schechter, Huffington Post Summary: "With eleven pens for souvenirs, President Obama signed the financial reform bill in a rare celebratory moment."
Jul 27, 2010	White House wants a housing fix - Colin Barr, Fortune Summary: "Efforts to find a fix for America's $5 trillion housing problem are creeping forward."
Jul 27, 2010	Treasury's international policy chief on Chinese currency and U.S. financial reform - Howard Schneider, Washington Post Summary: "The United States is carefully monitoring "how far and how fast" China's currency appreciates, Lael Brainard, undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, told a lunchtime crowd at the Peterson Institute for International Economics."
Jul 26, 2010	Opinion: Come Blow Your Horn to the S.E.C. - Peter J. Henning, The New York Times Summary: "The Dodd-Frank Act, which just became law, strengthens the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate complex securities, like credit default swaps, and broadens oversight of hedge funds that control billions of dollars of assets."
Jul 23, 2010	Key lieutenants behind scenes ensured passage of financial regulation overhaul - Renae Merle, Washington Post Summary: "Behind President Obama's victory, crowned with his signing of the bill Wednesday, were a few key, but little-known lieutenants who helped develop the strategy, waged a public relations campaign to fight off critics and negotiated last-minute deals to secure the bill's passage."
Jul 22, 2010	SEC proposes to tighten rules on 12b-1 mutual fund fees - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Are mutual funds overcharging investors?"
Jul 22, 2010	As financial reform becomes law, SEC emerges with new powers and duties - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "The financial regulation law signed by President Obama on Wednesday will arguably affect no federal agency more than it does the Securities and Exchange Commission."
Jul 22, 2010	President Obama signs Wall Street reform bill - Carrie Budoff Brown and Kendra Marr, Politico Summary: "Almost two years after the near collapse of the American economy, President Barack Obama signed into law on Wednesday a historic rewriting of the regulations governing the nation’s financial system and declared the end of an era of antiquated rules that left Americans vulnerable."
Jul 22, 2010	Opinion: With Banking, Question Everything - By Simon Johnson, The New York Times Summary: "President Obama’s signing of the financial reform bill on Wednesday does not end our intense debates over banking."
Jul 22, 2010	Blog: The Dodd-Frank Bill - What People Are Saying and Why Most Are Wrong - Seeking Alpha Summary: "The looming enactment of the misbegotten Dodd-Frank bill, all 2,300-plus pages of it, may count as a legislative victory for the White House and Democrats in Congress, but evidence that it’s a political victory is scant."
Jul 22, 2010	Anything Less Than Elizabeth Would Be Un-Warren-ted - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Do you hear music? Financial reform is the law of the land, but its success is hardly a matter of simply signing the document."
Jul 22, 2010	Opinion: Obama should nominate Elizabeth Warren to lead new consumer protection bureau - Michelle Singletary, Washington Post Summary: "Barack Obama promised enormous change in how our government was run when he was elected president."
Jul 22, 2010	Battle brews over director for new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "President Obama reversed decades of lax oversight of the financial industry Wednesday by signing a landmark overhaul of regulations, but he still faces a major task — appointing a director for the powerful new agency charged with protecting consumers from unscrupulous deals."
Jul 21, 2010	Obama Signs Financial-Regulation Bill - Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed into law the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. financial-market regulations since the Great Depression, marking the conclusion of an effort to craft a legislative response to the 2008 financial crisis."
Jul 21, 2010	German government opposes Neal's reinsurance bill - Jay Heflin, The Hill Summary: "The German government has come out opposing legislation by Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) that limits tax deductions for reinsurers that transfer large portions of premiums paid in the U.S. offshore."
Jul 21, 2010	European Stress Tests Said to Outline Three Scenarios - Meera Louis and Jann Bettinga, Bloomberg Summary: "European regulators plan to detail three scenarios when they publish the results of their stress tests on the region’s banks this week, according to a document by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors."
Jul 21, 2010	Opinion: The unlimited options of rule making - By Fred Barbash, Politico Summary: "Young people making career choices would be wise to consider the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act."
Jul 21, 2010	E.U. Test May Need to Fail Some Banks - Jack Ewing, The New York Times Summary: "Will Europe’s bank stress tests be a success if nobody fails?"
Jul 21, 2010	Wall Street reform will take years for government to fully implement - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Obama administration’s landmark rewrite of financial regulations will take years for the federal government to fully implement."
Jul 21, 2010	Pew's Charles Taylor Comments: The Fed's near-death and rebirth experience - Ronald D. Orol and Greg Robb, MarketWatch Summary: "November 10, 2009 was a dark day in annals of the Federal Reserve. Sen. Christopher Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, went before the microphones and minced no words: the central bank's role in the preventing the financial crisis had been an "abysmal failure" and the Fed should get out of the bank-regulating business entirely."
Jul 21, 2010	Obama Says Financial Overhaul Bill ‘Strongest’ Ever - Kate Andersen Brower, Bloomberg Summary: "President Barack Obama today signs into law the biggest overhaul of the U.S. financial-regulatory system since the Great Depression, calling it 'the strongest consumer financial protections in history.'”
Jul 21, 2010	Several Bank CEOs Not Invited to Bill Signing - Damian Paletta and Elizabeth Williamson, Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog Summary: "When President Barack Obama signs the financial overhaul bill into law on Wednesday, many of the most recognizable faces in the banking world won’t be among the hundreds of people in attendance."
Jul 21, 2010	FDIC chief warns over capital standards - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, has said some members of the committee setting international capital standards are 'succumbing' to 'disingenuous' lobbying from large banks."
Jul 21, 2010	S.E.C. Pursuing More Cases Tied to Financial Crisis - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "Days after the Securities and Exchange Commission secured a $550 million settlement from the banking giant Goldman Sachs, the agency’s chairwoman said Tuesday that the S.E.C. was pursuing several other investigations related to the 2008 financial crisis, Edward Wyatt of The New York Times reports from Washington."
Jul 21, 2010	U.S. financial reform bill also targets 'conflict minerals' from Congo - Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post Summary: "The financial regulation bill that President Obama will sign into law on Wednesday is supposed to clean up Wall Street."
Jul 20, 2010	Treasury's Brainard: vital banks hold more capital - Glenn Somerville, Reuters Summary: "Treasury Undersecretary Lael Brainard on Tuesday said the recent financial crisis underlines the necessity for banks worldwide to hold more capital to ensure they can weather downturns."
Jul 20, 2010	Fed's Tarullo says banks need bigger capital buffer - Reuters Summary: "Large financial institutions need to hold more capital in order to withstand major shocks to the financial system, Federal Reserve Board Governor Daniel Tarullo said on Tuesday."
Jul 20, 2010	Battle looms over new job heading financial watchdog - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "President Obama has yet to sign the bill that will overhaul financial regulations, and already a tug of war is unfolding over whom he will tap for the highest-profile position created by the landmark legislation."
Jul 20, 2010	Is Elizabeth Warren really the best pick to run the new consumer finance agency? - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "Liberals across the land are advocating vehemently for Elizabeth Warren to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by the soon-to-be-signed financial reform bill."
Jul 20, 2010	Treasury underestimated power of the auto dealers' lobby - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "IN EARLY 2009, as the American economy teetered on the brink of collapse, the Obama administration decided to rescue General Motors and Chrysler."
Jul 20, 2010	TARP Panel's Warren May Lack Senate Votes for Consumer Post, Dodd Says - Lorraine Woellert, Bloomberg Summary: "Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard University professor touted to head a new consumer protection bureau, may not have sufficient support to win confirmation to the post, Senator Christopher Dodd said in a radio interview."
Jul 20, 2010	Financial Reform's Modest Impact - Oxford Analytica, Forbes Summary: "The new framework will do relatively little to reduce systemic risk or cut industry profits."
Jul 20, 2010	Obama sizes up contenders for Wall St reform posts - Kevin Drawbaugh, David Lawder, Glenn Somerville and Steve Holland, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration must make some key appointments of regulators to implement the Wall Street reform bill approved last week by Congress."
Jul 20, 2010	Consumer Post Prospect Has Democrats in Knots - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats agonized Monday over whether President Barack Obama should pick Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren to be the nation's first consumer-finance regulator, an indication of the intense fight to come."
Jul 19, 2010	Dodd doubts Warren's confirmability for job of consumer guardian - Michael O'Brien, The Hill Summary: "Elizabeth Warren might not have the votes to win confirmation as head of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) suggested Monday."
Jul 19, 2010	Opinion: Why the financial reform bill won't prevent another crisis - William K. Black, CNN Summary: "Financial regulators, white-collar criminologists, and economists all agree that perverse incentive structures cause crises and they agree that the finance industry's incentive structures have long been perverse."
Jul 19, 2010	5 places to look for the next financial crisis - Ezra Klein, Washington Post Summary: "Financial reform has passed. The sprawling legislation is meant to be an air bag protecting us from the next major crash, which of course raises the question: Will it work?"
Jul 19, 2010	Commodity Manipulation May Be Easier to Prove After Overhaul - Asjylyn Loder, Bloomberg Summary: "Traders will face new rules aimed at making it easier for regulators to prove manipulation in markets for commodities such as oil, wheat and natural gas under the financial overhaul awaiting President Barack Obama’s signature."
Jul 19, 2010	Rep. Connolly, rival Fimian quarrel over financial overhaul - Ben Pershing, Washington Post Summary: "The recently passed financial overhaul bill has become a key point of debate in Virginia's 11th Congressional District race. But whether voters will be thinking about the legislation when they head to the polls this fall is another question."
Jul 19, 2010	Op-Ed: Altman - Obama’s Business Plan - Roger C. Altman, The New York Times Summary: "Just as Congress finally passed its sweeping financial reform bill last week, a chorus of high-profile chief executives and business lobbying groups were criticizing President Obama and what they see as a new era of big, stifling government and heavy regulation."
Jul 19, 2010	Editorial: Mindless partisanship mars passage of banking reform - USA Today Editorial Board Summary: "The most amazing thing about the financial overhaul that won final congressional approval on Thursday might be that it took so long and proved so contentious."
Jul 19, 2010	Editorial: Financial reform - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "The US financial regulation bill passed by Congress last week is comprehensive and far-reaching."
Jul 19, 2010	The Warren Drama: Another Missed Opportunity - Robert Kuttner, Huffington Post Summary: "For the past several days, people who care about whether financial reform is to be real or sham have been following the drama of whether President Obama will name Elizabeth Warren to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau."
Jul 18, 2010	Biden Says Financial Regulation Measure Removes Uncertainty for Markets - Holly Rosenkrantz, Bloomberg Summary: "Congress’s approval of new regulations on Wall Street has helped settle 'uncertainty' among business leaders that has been a drag on the U.S. economy, Vice President Joe Biden said."
Jul 18, 2010	Editorial: Meanwhile in Basel - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "The new financial reform will go a long way to limit the vast new risks created by modern finance. The banks, which fought the legislation tooth and nail, are not giving up. They are now working to weaken new international banking rules."
Jul 18, 2010	Analysis: Obama may not see big boost from Wall Street reform - Caren Bohan, Reuters Summary: President Barack Obama may struggle to reap political rewards from his big win on Wall Street reform -- at least in the near term."
Jul 17, 2010	Timothy Geithner's realm grows with passage of financial regulatory reform - David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "Half a year after some predicted he would be booted from the Obama administration, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner stands to inherit vast power to shape bank regulations, oversee financial markets and create a consumer protection agency."
Jul 17, 2010	Short List Emerges for Consumer Guardian - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Obama administration, savoring Congressional approval of a far-reaching financial regulation bill, now faces a crucial choice over who will lead the powerful new consumer guardian created by the legislation."
Jul 17, 2010	Congress Overhauls Your Portfolio - Eleanor Laise, Wall Street Journal Summary: "With all the talk of 'systemic risk' and 'too big to fail,' small investors might assume that the landmark Dodd-Frank financial overhaul bill has little bearing on their portfolios."
Jul 16, 2010	Congress Should Take Up $90 Billion Bank Tax, Frank Says - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. Representative Barney Frank, an architect of the financial-overhaul bill lawmakers sent to President Barack Obama yesterday, said he wants Congress this year to take up the White House plan for a $90 billion bank tax to recoup government bailout funds."
Jul 16, 2010	‘Supreme Court’ Battle Begins Over Consumer Chief - Lorraine Woellert and Joshua Zumbrun, Bloomberg Summary: "The imminent reshaping of U.S. banking regulation creates a new center of gravity in Washington, a consumer chief with thousands of employees, a $400 million budget and power to impose federal rules on mortgages, credit cards and layaway plans."
Jul 16, 2010	New Finance Rules Become Real With Emanuel Saying ‘Just Do It’ - Julianna Goldman and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Three days after U.S. lawmakers completed negotiations on the financial-overhaul bill last month, Rahm Emanuel called an emergency meeting of top administration officials in the White House’s Roosevelt Room."
Jul 16, 2010	Finding a Good Financial Bill in 2,300 Pages - Steven M. Davidoff, New York Times DealBook Summary: "What, exactly, is in the financial regulatory bill? What good will it do?"
Jul 16, 2010	Ethics Office Probes Wall Street Giving Before Vote - Jonathan D. Salant, Bloomberg Summary: "A congressional ethics office is investigating campaign donations made by the financial industry to some U.S. House members as they were preparing to vote on the Wall Street regulation overhaul in December."
Jul 16, 2010	Banks Seek to Keep Profits as New Oversight Rules Loom - Eric Dash and Nelson D. Schwartz, New York Times Summary: "The ink is not even dry on the new rules for Wall Street, and already, the bankers are a step ahead of everyone else."
Jul 16, 2010	Financial Overhaul Signals Shift on Deregulation - Binyamin Applebaum and David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Congress approved a sweeping expansion of federal financial regulation on Thursday, reflecting a renewed mistrust of financial markets after decades in which Washington stood back from Wall Street with wide-eyed admiration."
Jul 16, 2010	Editorial: Congress Passes Financial Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "There was more than enough in the financial reform bill — now on its way to President Obama — to merit broad support. Yet, for Thursday’s final Senate vote on the bill, 60 to 39, just three Republicans joined 57 Democrats to support reform."
Jul 16, 2010	Column: The financial reform bill - Clive Crook, Financial Times Summary: "Remarkably enough, bearing in mind the size of the bill (call it 2,300 pages) and the inordinate amount of time needed to pass it, the financial reform that the Senate sent to the president’s desk on Thursday is only one more marker on a long and winding road."
Jul 16, 2010	Economists Split Over Financial Overhaul - Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics blog Summary: "Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal this week were evenly split on whether they would have voted in favor of the financial-regulatory bill that passed in the Senate on Thursday."
Jul 16, 2010	Grading the Bill - The Wall Street Journal Summary: "Economists and other prominent members of the financial community gave the legislation mixed reviews, with some saying it would do nothing to stop another financial crisis from occurring and others saying it was a good first step toward a new financial system."
Jul 16, 2010	Law Remakes U.S. Financial Landscape - Damian Paletta and Aaron Luccheti, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congress approved a rewrite of rules touching every corner of finance, from ATM cards to Wall Street traders, in the biggest expansion of government power over banking and markets since the Depression."
Jul 16, 2010	Editorial: The Uncertainty Principle—II - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "The Dodd-Frank financial reform bill passed by the Senate yesterday promises to generate historic levels of red tape. But apparently the 2,300 pages are so complicated that a debate has broken out over precisely how many new regulatory rule-makings it will require."
Jul 16, 2010	Column: About That Financial Reform 'Victory' - Kimberley A. Strassel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "If President Obama is proof of anything, it's that governance isn't so much about the "whether" as the 'what.' There's no longer any question whether this White House can close a sale. Its problem is the country doesn't like what it's selling."
Jul 16, 2010	Fed Gets More Power, Responsibility - Luca Di Leo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "After fending off most challenges to its independence and winning new powers to oversee big financial firms, the Federal Reserve has emerged from a bruising debate on the overhaul of U.S. financial rules as perhaps the pre-eminent regulator in the sector. But that could only bring it added blame if things go wrong again."
Jul 16, 2010	Fed Nominees Support Expanded Duties - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "Hours before the Senate approved a far-reaching overhaul of Wall Street regulations on Thursday, President Obama’s three nominees to the board of the Federal Reserve said they were prepared to help the central bank handle its vastly expanded duties to ensure financial stability and oversee financial institutions, The New York Times’s Sewell Chan reported."
Jul 16, 2010	Senate passes sweeping financial overhaul legislation - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Nearly two years after a financial crisis triggered the worst recession since the Great Depression, the Senate approved bold and controversial legislation aimed at preventing a repeat — and set the stage for a showdown over the issue in this fall's midterm elections."
Jul 15, 2010	Why financial reform might not work as intended - Gail Russell Chaddock, Christian Science Monitor Summary: "Even before the Senate passed sweeping finance reform Thursday, House Republicans – now within range of taking back the majority in fall midterm elections – called for its repeal."
Jul 15, 2010	Senate Passes Sweeping Finance Overhaul - Victoria McGrane and Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Senate approved a wide-ranging overhaul of the nation's financial regulations Thursday, handing President Barack Obama his second major domestic-policy victory of the year."
Jul 15, 2010	Wall Street reform passes, goes to Obama for signing - Andy Sullivan and Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Congress on Thursday approved the broadest overhaul of financial rules since the Great Depression and sent it to President Barack Obama to sign into law."
Jul 15, 2010	Congress Passes Bill to Overhaul Financial Regulation - The New York Times Summary: "The Senate voted, 60 to 39, to approve an overhaul of the financial regulatory system on Thursday, heralding the end of more than a generation in which the prevailing posture of Washington toward the financial industry was largely one of hands-off admiration."
Jul 15, 2010	Richmond Fed chief opposes bail-outs - Robin Harding and James Politi, Financial Times Summary: "US regulators must let a large institution collapse without bailing out its creditors to convince markets that no bank is too big to fail, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said."
Jul 15, 2010	Finance Bill Includes New Fees for Banking - Deborah Soloman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The financial-overhaul legislation on the verge of passing Congress grants the government broad authority to levy several new fees on financial institutions."
Jul 15, 2010	The Future of Finance: International Edition - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "Bankers and hedge fund managers are fond of saying, 'f you place restrictions on our activities in New York, we’ll just move elsewhere — like London.' This makes attitudes toward the financial sector in other countries — particularly Britain — highly relevant to the American public policy debate on financial regulation."
Jul 15, 2010	Banks Gain in Rules Debate - Damian Paletta and David Enrich, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The world's banks appear to be winning a reprieve from tough new capital requirements and curbs on risk-taking, as regulators and central bankers are moving toward less stringent rules than initially proposed."
Jul 15, 2010	Fund-Raising Before House Vote Draws Scrutiny - Eric Lipton and Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Summary: "Lawmakers take contributions every day from corporate executives and lobbyists hoping for their votes. The question of whether that represents business as usual in Washington or an ethics breach is at the heart of a far-reaching Congressional ethics investigation that is stirring concerns throughout Washington and Wall Street."
Jul 15, 2010	GOP expects to benefit at polls from passage of finance bill - Jim Kuhnhenn and Ann Sanner, Associated Press Summary: "Cast this debate as big banks against big government. Despite lingering public anger at Wall Street, most congressional Republicans oppose the tougher financial regulations that Congress is expected to send to President Barack Obama this week."
Jul 15, 2010	Grassley drops support for financial reform - Vicki Needham, The Hill Summary: "Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) pulled his support Wednesday for the financial regulatory reform bill that could come up for a vote sometime Thursday."
Jul 15, 2010	US Treasury eyes finance reform implementation, GSEs - David Lawder, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Treasury is prepared to move swiftly to implement the financial reform bill after its enactment and is looking ahead towards revamping the U.S. housing finance system, the Treasury's number two official said on Thursday."
Jul 14, 2010	Warren Says Consumer Agency Will Have `Teeth' to Fix Credit - Lorraine Woellert and Betty Liu, Bloomberg Summary: "Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard University professor credited with conceiving the consumer financial-protection regulator, said the agency included in the Wall Street rules overhaul will have 'a lot of teeth.'"
Jul 14, 2010	Government gets a jump on preparing for regulatory overhaul - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Administration officials and federal regulators quietly began laying the groundwork to implement the far-reaching measures in the 2,300-page regulatory overhaul legislation weeks ago, even though the bill has not yet cleared Congress."
Jul 14, 2010	Financial Bill to Close Regulator of Fading Industry - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "Congress creates federal agencies, expands them, sometimes renames or overhauls them. But it almost never gets rid of them. So perhaps the most remarkable piece of the financial regulation bill that Democrats hope to send the president this week is the directive to dismember and close the Office of Thrift Supervision."
Jul 14, 2010	Taking Financial Reform into Our Own Hands - Stacy Mitchell, Huffington Post Summary: "With the now-expected passage of the financial reform bill, giant banks see a golden opportunity to finally put the financial crisis, along with their culpability for wrecking our economy, in the rearview mirror."
Jul 14, 2010	Finance Overhaul Casts Long Shadow on the Plains - Michael M. Phillips, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Farmer Jim Kreutz uses derivatives to soften the blow should the price of feed corn drop before harvest. His brother-in-law, feedlot owner Jon Reeson, turns to them to hedge the price of his steer."
Jul 14, 2010	Editorial: The Uncertainty Principle - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "So Republicans Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins now say they'll provide the last crucial votes to get the Dodd-Frank financial reform through the Senate. Hmmm. Could this be Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's secret plan to take back the Senate, guaranteeing another year or two of regulatory and lending uncertainty and thus slower economic growth?"
Jul 14, 2010	Overview: Provisions of the Negotiated Financial Reform Bill - The Associated Press Summary: "OVERSIGHT: A 10-member council of regulators led by the Treasury secretary would monitor threats to the financial system."
Jul 13, 2010	Opinion: Two Thumbs Down on the Financial-Reform Bill - Stephen J. Dubner, New York Times Summary: "For those of you still recovering from Gary Becker’s take on immigration, you might want to skip his assessment of the financial-reform bill that looks set for passage."
Jul 13, 2010	Obama Praises GOP Supporters Of Bill - Bill Swindell, George E. Condon Jr. and Dan Friedman Summary: "President Obama today lauded three GOP senators for breaking with their party leadership and supporting a financial regulatory overhaul that should be cleared on Thursday, providing his administration a major policy victory."
Jul 13, 2010	Editorial: As Senate takes up financial reform bill, a look inside the sausage - Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board Summary: "If one’s grasp of history can deter a repeat of it, then a nutshell review of the 2007-09 financial crisis is now needed as Congress nears passage of a massive Wall Street reform bill."
Jul 13, 2010	Paulson Likes What He Sees in Overhaul - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "'The one thing you’re not going to get me to do is speculate.'"
Jul 13, 2010	F.D.I.C. Gets More Power to Evaluate Banks’ Risk - Associated Press Summary: "Federal bank regulators have agreed to give the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation unlimited authority to investigate banks, clarifying the agency’s power, which was in question during the financial crisis."
Jul 13, 2010	Russ Feingold's defiance irks liberals - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "He’s been a hero to liberals for voting against big banks, the Iraq war and the Patriot Act."
Jul 13, 2010	Lobbying Groups Turn Toward The Rulemaking Process - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "As the legislative drama over the financial regulatory overhaul nears an end, lobbying groups are turning their attention toward the next step in the process: the numerous rules and studies to be conducted as outlined in the 2,307-page measure."
Jul 13, 2010	Finance Bill Close to Passage in Senate - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Two Senate Republicans said Monday they would support the Obama administration's financial-overhaul legislation, and Democrats now believe they have the 60 votes needed to push the sweeping bill into law by the end of the week."
Jul 13, 2010	Brown's a yes on Wall Street reform - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) will vote for the Wall Street reform bill, giving Senate Democrats enough votes to pass the measure."
Jul 13, 2010	Column: Scott Brown, Champion of the Democratic Agenda - Adam Sorensen, Time Summary: "For all the talk of being the "41st Senator" (thus denying the Democrats their supermajority), Scott Brown sure has a knack for delivering numero 60 for Harry Reid and Co. in a pinch."
Jul 13, 2010	Financial Reform: Now It's Up to the Regulators Summary: "The simpler half of financial reform will be completed shortly with the passage of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill."
Jul 13, 2010	RBC CEO Says Customers To Pay For Financial Reform - Patricia Kowsmann, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Gordon Nixon, Chief Executive Officer of Royal Bank of Canada (RY), Tuesday gave a sharp and sweeping criticism of the world's efforts at reforming the financial sector, warning that customers would ultimately pay the price of banks' higher costs of capital."
Jul 13, 2010	Financial regulation bill nears finish line with support from Snowe, Brown - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Two key Republicans said Monday that they plan to support a far-reaching bill to overhaul financial regulations, all but ensuring that the landmark legislation will sail through the Senate in coming days."
Jul 12, 2010	Column: Banks Say No. Too Bad Taxpayers Can’t. - Sen. Mike Johanns, The Hill Summary: "Since the economic meltdown, momentum has been building in Washington to implement a reform bill that, above all else, would prevent our financial system from ever again failing us in the way it did in 2008."
Jul 12, 2010	Snowe to Back Financial Regulation Bill - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, said Monday that she was prepared to support the final version of legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system, putting the Senate in a position to complete the bill by week’s end."
Jul 12, 2010	Republican senator sees Wall St bill passing - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A Republican senator said on Monday that he expects Democrats to win enough support to pass a broad financial regulation bill."
Jul 12, 2010	Sen. Scott Brown to Vote Yes on Financial Regulation - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Senator Scott Brown, Republican of Massachusetts, says he is ready to support legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system, meaning Democrats may be able to finish the bill this week."
Jul 12, 2010	SEC Enters Overdrive to Prepare for Overhaul - Kara Scannell, Wall Street Journal Summary: "On your mark, get set…The Securities and Exchange Commission is already bracing for a sharp increase to its workload, even before the president signs the financial-regulatory bill into law."
Jul 12, 2010	"Innovation" and the Social Purposes of Financial Services - Naked Capitalism Summary: "We’ve pointed out from time to time that the financial services industry has lost sight of its role."
Jul 12, 2010	Democrats Corral Votes on Bank Bill - David M. Herszenhorn, The New York Times Summary: "Final passage of sweeping legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system is now a question of when — not if — according to Senate Democrats."
Jul 12, 2010	Volcker Pushes for Reform, Regretting Past Silence - Louis Uchitelle, New York Times Summary: "JUST before the Fourth of July weekend, Paul A. Volcker packed his fishing gear and set off for his annual outing to the Canadian wilds to cast for Atlantic salmon."
Jul 11, 2010	No margin for error in Wall St bill's final test - Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "Democrats will have little margin for error this week as they push for final U.S. congressional approval of the most comprehensive rewrite of financial rules since the Great Depression."
Jul 11, 2010	Editorial: Step-by-step financial reform - Los Angeles Times Editorial Board Summary: "The Senate is poised to give final approval to a bill that would impose tough new regulations on banks and Wall Street. Passage of HR 4173, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, would mark the second major expansion of Washington's regulatory power during the Obama administration — the first being the comprehensive healthcare reform law enacted in March."
Jul 10, 2010	Snowe: No decision on U.S. financial reg reform vote - Sarah Mahoney, Reuters Summary: "Maine Senator Olympia Snowe said on Saturday she has not decided which way to vote on crucial financial reform legislation, with the most important thing being 'to get it right.'"
Jul 10, 2010	Just about all to feel financial reform changes - Russell Grantham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Summary: "Hovaness Kabbenjian dreads when a customer whips out a credit or debit card just to buy a soda at his cafe in Perimeter Mall. "
Jul 09, 2010	Tremble, Banks, Tremble - James K. Galbraith, The New Republic Summary: "The financial crisis in America isn't over. It's ongoing, it remains unresolved, and it stands in the way of full economic recovery."
Jul 09, 2010	Grassley Airs Concerns As Vote Nears on Financial Bill - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley is 'very concerned' about a provision in the financial overhaul bill designed to pay for the legislation, an aide said Thursday, potentially complicating White House efforts to build a filibuster-proof majority to back the measure."
Jul 09, 2010	Joining Forces on Financial Reform Loopholes - Robert Schmidt and Phil Mattingly, Business Week Summary: "Party, age, political experience, and personal style separate Republican Senator Scott Brown and Democratic Representative Barney Frank."
Jul 09, 2010	Interview: A contrarian's view of financial reform - Why bother? - Duff McDonald, CNN Money Summary: "Putting aside Republicans who are now programmed to object to anything the Democratic Congress tries to pass, it's pretty hard to find a critic of financial reform these days -- at least one with the guts to voice their criticisms out loud and in public."
Jul 08, 2010	Column: Flawed Financial Bill Contains Huge Surprise: Simon Johnson - Simon Johnson, Bloomberg Summary: "On the face of it, financial reform appears to have failed. To be sure, there will be a new consumer agency charged with protecting people against financial products. Given the way financial companies treated people during past decades, even those who aren’t generally enthusiastic about regulation think this is a good idea."
Jul 08, 2010	First Study, Then Crack Down - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "What to do about the size of too-big-to-fail banks? Order a study. How to hold stockbrokers accountable for their dealings with clients? Another study."
Jul 08, 2010	Column: Financial Reform and the Bad Republican - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Gary M. Brown is a self-described dyed-in-the-wool Republican."
Jul 08, 2010	EU parliament backs tough bonus rules - Nikki Tait and Brooke Masters, Financial Times Summary: "Tough new rules restricting bankers’ bonuses were approved by European Union lawmakers on Wednesday and could take effect in much of the 27-country bloc in time for this winter’s pay season."
Jul 08, 2010	New snag for US Senate financial regulations bill - Deborah Charles and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin on Wednesday put off naming a successor to the late Senator Robert Byrd, which could further complicate passage of financial reform legislation in the U.S. Senate."
Jul 07, 2010	Op-ed: We have yet to address the cause of the crisis - Conrad Voldstad, Financial Times Summary: "With the debate about US financial reform finally, it appears, about to end, should we all feel safer and more confident that a crisis will not recur?"
Jul 07, 2010	Lobbyist Urges Community Banks Not to Fight Regulatory Overhaul - Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "A lobbyist for community banks privately urged his industry not to oppose the U.S. regulatory overhaul, warning that smaller lenders are being used by Wall Street to derail the legislation."
Jul 07, 2010	Column: Let Goldman Be Goldman - Willam D. Cohan Summary: "Poised as we are for the most comprehensive financial reform in this country since the Great Depression, it is time to fess up to the fact that it likely would not have occurred without a concerted effort by the Obama administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress to demonize Goldman Sachs."
Jul 07, 2010	Volcker's Treasury Exception - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Memo to Masters of the Universe: The Dodd-Frank bill doesn't stop you from making bets in some very big markets."
Jul 07, 2010	Opinion: Johnson - Wall Street reform bill has protections - Wayne Ortman, Associated Press Summary: "The financial reform bill awaiting a Senate vote offers protection from the "anything goes" environment that produced the nation's two-year financial crisis, Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson said Tuesday in urging the measure be adopted."
Jul 06, 2010	Congress fixes Wall Street - and orders up 68 studies - Jennifer Liberto, CNNMoney.com Summary: "In Washington, there's a code phrase for the middle ground that lawmakers find after a torrent of industry lobbying or partisan debate: 'Let's do a study.'"
Jul 06, 2010	Democratic campaign committees losing big Wall Street donors - T.W. Farnam and Paul Kane, Washington Post Summary: "A revolt among big donors on Wall Street is hurting fundraising for the Democrats' two congressional campaign committees, with contributions from the world's financial capital down 65 percent from two years ago."
Jul 06, 2010	Banks Redefine Jobs of 'Prop' Traders - Aaron Lucchetti and Jenny Strasburg, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Some Wall Street firms aren't waiting until the Volcker rule kicks in to shake up the trading desks that wager the banks' own money."
Jul 06, 2010	At SEC enforcement unit, storied chief's son makes a name for himself - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "It was New Year's Eve when Robert Khuzami, the enforcement director of the Securities and Exchange Commission, called an agency lawyer named Thomas Sporkin into his office to tell him he won a high-profile new job overseeing how the SEC screens tips and other information that could lead to legal action."
Jul 06, 2010	Editorial: A Trillion Unintended Consequences - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "The Dodd-Frank bill remaking American finance hasn't yet become law, but corporate treasurers are already bracing for its impact. In the days surrounding this fall's election—after the close of the September 30 quarter—expect a series of warnings on liquidity from companies that had nothing to do with the credit panic and are not even in the finance business."
Jul 06, 2010	Consumer Agency's Path Will Be Set by First Chief - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "More than 400 pages of legislation detail the duties and powers of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that Congress is set to create. But the first director of the powerful new agency will play a critical role in determining how it works."
Jul 06, 2010	Wall St. plans payback for reg reform - Ben White, Politico Summary: "With the financial reform bill likely to hit President Barack Obama’s desk in coming weeks, Wall Street’s top political players are warning Democrats to brace themselves for the next phase of the fight: the fundraising blowback."
Jul 06, 2010	Editorial: Financial Reform: What Must Be Done - Jose Vinals, Huffington Post Summary: "Financial system reform has reached a critical point around the world."
Jul 06, 2010	Editorial: Financial reform's unfinished agenda - Washington Post Summary: "A KEY CAUSE of the financial crisis was that financial institutions took on far too much leverage -- they risked vast multiples of capital, rendering them vulnerable to the slightest downturn in asset prices.
Jul 05, 2010	5 Ways Lobbyists Influenced the Dodd-Frank Bill - Daniel Indiviglio, The Atlantic Summary: "Anyone who follows politics in Washington knows that lobbyists play a huge role in the political process. Despite what politicians say about bills not being swayed by big business when drafting legislation, they almost always are."
Jul 05, 2010	Op-Ed: Financial 'reform' or revenge? - Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post Summary: "It is a myth to think that the new financial "reform" legislation, assuming it passes the Senate, will insulate us for all time against financial panic and crisis."
Jul 05, 2010	Politics gives birth to uncommon partnership - Matt Viser, Boston Globe Summary: "It can all be traced to a Fish Pier luncheon in South Boston."
Jul 04, 2010	Politics gives birth to uncommon partnership - Matt Viser, Boston Globe Summary: "It can all be traced to a Fish Pier luncheon in South Boston."
Jul 04, 2010	Masters of Main Street - James Surowiecki, The New Yorker Summary: "The financial-reform bill that Congress appears ready to pass is not the panacea for financial crises that some wanted."
Jul 02, 2010	Late Change Sparks Outcry Over Finance-Overhaul Bill - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats are trying to quell an outcry over a last-minute change to their financial-regulation overhaul that has sparked confusion over regulation of the giant derivatives market."
Jul 02, 2010	Goldman Defends Valuations That Helped Put AIG In Bind - Serena Ng and Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc., already under scrutiny from regulators, faced new questions from a congressional commission about whether it aggressively marked down the value of its mortgage-securities positions to benefit a bet Goldman made against the mortgage market."
Jul 02, 2010	Holdout senator says she will vote for reform - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The Wall Street reform bill appears destined for final passage after Maria Cantwell, one of two Democratic senators to have opposed the legislation, said she would now back it."
Jul 02, 2010	Sen. Cantwell to Support Financial Overhaul Bill - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) said in an interview Thursday she would vote for the financial-overhaul bill when lawmakers return from the July 4th recess, bringing the White House to the verge of the 60 Senate votes it needs to ensure passage."
Jul 02, 2010	Sens. Dodd, Lincoln issue letter easing worries on Buffett Wall Street provision - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Democrats have taken steps to ease concerns raised by Warren Buffett about Wall Street reform’s impact on trillions of dollars in existing derivatives as legislation nears the finish line."
Jul 01, 2010	House approves financial overhaul - Matt Viser, Boston Globe Summary: "The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a massive restructuring to the nation’s financial laws last night, but the Senate canceled plans to vote on the legislation this week after Senator Scott Brown said he was not ready to pledge support for the measure."
Jul 01, 2010	Editorial: Brown forces new finance bill, now he must support it - Boston Globe Editorial Board Summary: "TOUGHER OVERSIGHT of Wall Street will mean more stability for financial firms and consumers alike, but it will cost money up front. This week, US Senator Scott Brown came out against the most reasonable way to pay for implementing new regulations."
Jul 01, 2010	Not all on the same page - The Economist Summary: "America’s Congress nears agreement on a financial-reform bill, but the final shape of the new regime is unclear. The international picture is murkier still."
Jul 01, 2010	Big Win for Small Banks in Overhaul - Robin Sidel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Some of the smallest U.S. banks are heading toward a big boost from financial-overhaul legislation."
Jul 01, 2010	Fed Made Taxpayers Unwitting Junk-Bond Buyers - Caroline Salas, Craig Torres and Shannon D. Harrington, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and then-New York Fed President Timothy Geithner told senators on April 3, 2008, that the tens of billions of dollars in “assets” the government agreed to purchase in the rescue of Bear Stearns Cos. were 'investment-grade.' They didn’t share everything the Fed knew about the money."
Jul 01, 2010	Column: We must ratchet back bankers' pay - Matt Miller, Washington Post Summary: "If Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) can manage to get last-minute tweaks into the financial reform bill, can't we still get something in that fixes banker compensation?"
Jul 01, 2010	TARP Could Make Its Exit Early - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "While testifying on Capitol Hill last week about the government’s bank bailout program, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner likened the hearing to a eulogy for the initiative."
Jul 01, 2010	Op-ed: The Dodd-Frank Financial Fiasco - John B. Taylor, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The sheer complexity of the 2,319-page Dodd-Frank financial reform bill is certainly a threat to future economic growth. But if you sift through the many sections and subsections, you find much more than complexity to worry about."
Jul 01, 2010	Op-ed: Wall Street’s new double act comes up short - Howard Davies, Financial Times Summary: "Messrs Dodd and Frank now seem set to join Glass and Steagall, Gramm, Leach and Bliley, and Sarbanes and Oxley in the pantheon of Congressional greats who have influenced the Wall Street ecosystem. Unless the death of Senator Robert Byrd disrupts the arithmetic, their legislation should reach the statute book within days."
Jul 01, 2010	Documents Show Goldman Pressure on A.I.G. - Gretchen Morgenson and Louise Story, New York Times Summary: "Executives of Goldman Sachs and the American International Group, the Wall Street titans whose long alliance dissolved into a battle that shook the financial world, defended their actions on Wednesday before the federal commission investigating the financial crisis."
Jul 01, 2010	We Were 'Prudent': AIG Man at Center Of Crisis - Serena Ng and Thomas Catan, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Joseph Cassano, who led the division of American International Group Inc. responsible for the mortgage trades that proved the insurer's downfall, on Wednesday staunchly defended his actions, maintaining he made 'prudent' decisions and that American taxpayers would have been better off had he stayed on."
Jul 01, 2010	Financial Overhaul Wins Final Approval in House - David Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The House on Wednesday adopted legislation to revamp the nation’s financial regulatory system, voting mostly along party lines as partisan acrimony impeded cooperation even on the shared goals of averting future economic crises."
Jul 01, 2010	Bank bill clears House - Chris Frates and Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "The House approved sweeping Wall Street reforms Wednesday, setting the stage for a final showdown in the Senate."
Jul 01, 2010	House passes financial overhaul; Senate leaders postpone vote - Brady Dennis and Jia Lynn Yang, Washington Post Summary: "The House approved new financial regulations Wednesday, but Senate leaders postponed a vote on the bill, preventing the landmark legislation from reaching President Obama's desk until at least mid-July."
Jul 01, 2010	House Vote Sends Finance Overhaul to Senate - Damian Paletta and Greg Hitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The House agreed Wednesday to a sweeping rewrite of the nation's financial regulations, moving the initiative one step closer to becoming law."
Jul 01, 2010	Monsters in the Market - Timothy Lavin, The Atlantic Summary: "On the third floor of Citigroup’s Manhattan headquarters, at the far end of a trading floor overlooking the Hudson River, Young Kang, Citi’s global head of algorithmic products, leans over a terminal and monitors the progress of a canny and powerful beast named Dagger."
Jul 01, 2010	Wall Street sees little gain in levy win - Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: "US banks do not usually grumble when presented with the chance to save $19bn (€15.5bn) but Wednesday’s last-minute decision by Congress to scrap a levy to pay for the financial reform bill left Wall Street nonplussed."
Jul 01, 2010	EU agrees tough new bonus guidelines - Nikki Tait and Brooke Masters, Financial Times Summary: "European Union lawmakers and member states backed the toughest restrictions on bankers bonuses seen so far on Wednesday, sowing confusion across an already jittery financial services sector."
Jun 30, 2010	Dodd-Frank's Derivatives Rules Could Cost Main Street $1 Trillion - Daniel Indiviglio, The Atlantic Summary: "The new financial regulation bill is advertised as a crack down on Wall Street excess, but if one provision is left as is, it could cost Main Street companies as much as $1 trillion."
Jun 30, 2010	Democrats appease Scott Brown - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "U.S. Sen. Scott Brown scored a major victory yesterday by forcing Democrats to drop a controversial $19 billion bank tax after the freshman Republican threatened to withhold his support for a giant financial overhaul bill."
Jun 30, 2010	Editorial: The Bailout Tax - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "A new tax on financial companies seemed like a good idea to Chris Dodd and Barney Frank at 3 a.m. last Friday, but now their $19 billion levy is threatening to blow up their 2,319-page financial bill."
Jun 30, 2010	Volcker Said to Be Disappointed With Final Version of His Rule - Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul Volcker is disappointed with the final version of the rule that bears his name."
Jun 30, 2010	Editorial: The financial reform bill's hidden blunder - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "IN MANY RESPECTS, the financial regulation bill approved by a House-Senate conference committee lives up to its "reform" billing. But one little-noticed provision represents a step in the wrong direction."
Jun 30, 2010	Column: Financial Reform Legislation Does Not Eliminate Too Big To Fail - Mark Thoma, CBS Moneywatch.com Summary: "The attempt to reconcile the House and Senate versions of financial reform legislation ran into trouble today when Scott Brown objected to a fee that was to be imposed on financial institutions to help pay for the cost of the legislation:"
Jun 30, 2010	Democrats kill bank tax - Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner and Jonathan Allen, Politico Summary: "In an extraordinary move aimed at appeasing a handful of Republicans, top Democratic negotiators on the Wall Street reform bill reconvened the conference committee Tuesday to unravel what they had done only a few days earlier."
Jun 30, 2010	Bank Fee Is Eliminated in Financial Bill - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Congressional negotiators briefly reopened the conference proceedings on a sweeping financial regulatory bill on Tuesday after Senate Republicans who had supported an earlier version of the measure threatened to block final approval unless Democrats removed a proposed tax on big banks and hedge funds."
Jun 29, 2010	S.&P. Warns of Risks for Moody’s — and Itself - New York Times DealBook Summary: "Pot, meet kettle.Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday afternoon that it was likely to cut its credit ratings for Moody’s, its biggest competitor, warning that the sweeping financial regulatory bill in Congress would increase the risk that Moody’s — and itself — could be sued."
Jun 29, 2010	Democrats Consider New Funding For Bill - Bill Swindell, with Andy Leonatti, Peter Cohn, and Billy House, Natonal Journal Summary: "Democrats considered going back into conference negotiations today to revise their financial regulatory revamp to win over Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., who announced his opposition to the measure because of a $19 billion levy on large banks and hedge funds, Democratic aides said."
Jun 29, 2010	Strong Enough for Tough Stains? - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "Our nation’s Congressional machinery was humming last week as legislators reconciled the differences between the labyrinthine financial reforms proposed by the Senate and the House and emerged early Friday morning with a voluminous new law in hand."
Jun 29, 2010	How N.Y. joined forces on reform - Maggie Haberman, Politico Summary: "The New York delegation’s role in changing the Wall Street reform bill to alter the provision regulating derivatives was a rare political moment — much of the heavily Democratic group was actually on the same page."
Jun 29, 2010	Byrd’s Death, Republican Fee Concerns Complicate - Patrick O’Connor and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: " Republicans who had supported new rules for Wall Street expressed concern yesterday about a fee on banks and hedge funds that has been added to the bill, complicating the measure’s prospects for passage."
Jun 29, 2010	Finance Bill's Fate Uncertain in Senate - Victoria McGrane and Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The most sweeping overhaul of financial regulations since the 1930s is on a knife's edge as Democrats scramble to secure the Senate votes needed to pass the legislation."
Jun 28, 2010	The temptations of Scott Brown - Manu Raju and Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "When Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown addressed supporters after his upset victory in January, he declared there would be 'no more closed-door meetings or back-room deals by an out-of-touch party leadership.'”
Jun 28, 2010	Op-ed: Morton: Real Reform Bill Will Restore Americans’ Confidence - John Morton, Roll Call Summary: "Two years after the start of the crash, Americans are still coping with the fallout from the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression."
Jun 27, 2010	Column: Strong Enough for Tough Stains? - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "OUR nation’s Congressional machinery was humming last week as legislators reconciled the differences between the labyrinthine financial reforms proposed by the Senate and the House and emerged early Friday morning with a voluminous new law in hand."
Jun 25, 2010	Bair Says Bill Will End 'Too Big to Fail' - Jessica Holzer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said bank regulators would have the tools they need to banish 'too big to fail' institutions from the financial landscape once a Wall Street overhaul bill becomes law."
Jun 25, 2010	House and Senate in Deal on Financial Overhaul - Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "Nearly two years after the American financial system teetered on the verge of collapse, Congressional negotiators reached agreement early Friday morning to reconcile competing versions of the biggest overhaul of financial regulations since the Great Depression."
Jun 25, 2010	U.S. Lawmakers Reach Accord on New Finance Rules - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "After more than 20 hours of continuous wrangling, Congressional Democrats and White House officials reached agreement on the final shape of legislation that would transform financial regulation, avoiding last-minute defections among New York lawmakers that had threatened to upend the bill."
Jun 25, 2010	Lawmakers Agree on Sweeping Wall Street Overhaul - Alison Vekshin and Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "Congressional negotiators today approved the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. financial regulation since the Great Depression, reshaping oversight of Wall Street."
Jun 25, 2010	House-Senate conference approves Wall Street reform - Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "An all-night House-Senate conference committee delivered President Barack Obama and Democrats a far-reaching and historic achievement Friday – a realignment of the rules that govern Wall Street and a second victory toward Obama’s legislative triple crown."
Jun 25, 2010	House, Senate leaders finalize details of sweeping financial overhaul - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Key House and Senate lawmakers agreed on far-reaching new financial rules early Friday after weeks of division, delay and frantic last-minute deal making."
Jun 25, 2010	Senate urges tougher Volcker rule, with exemption - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "Banks would face stricter limits on risky trading and investing, but could make small investments in private equity and hedge funds under a modified 'Volcker rule' backed by U.S. senators on Thursday."
Jun 25, 2010	Frank: $19 Billion Fee on Large Financial Firms - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics blog Summary: "U.S. lawmakers plan to collect roughly $19 billion from the nation’s largest financial institutions to pay for the cost of financial overhaul legislation, a top House Democrat said Thursday evening."
Jun 24, 2010	Senators Reject Proposal For Banks to Bail Out Fannie, Freddie - Lorraine Woellert, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate negotiators working on the financial-regulatory bill today rejected a proposal from House Republicans that would make big banks liable for the costs of winding down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Jun 24, 2010	Op-ed: A Missed Opportunity on Financial Reform - Arthur Levitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "As a lifelong Democrat and public servant to four presidents, I had hoped the financial reform bill would be the best example of my party's long-standing reputation for standing on the side of individual investors."
Jun 24, 2010	Blanche Lincoln holds ground as Democrats seek deal - Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "With a controversial derivatives ban threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s vote count on Wall Street reform, top congressional Democrats rushed Wednesday to mend divisions within their ranks as negotiators moved toward a crucial decision on the issue."
Jun 24, 2010	Editorial: The Derivatives Endgame - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Financial reform enters a crucial phase on Thursday as House and Senate negotiators begin public debate on the regulation of derivatives, the complex instruments at the heart of the financial crisis."
Jun 24, 2010	Editorial: Volcker and Derivatives - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Financial reform in the hands of a Democratic Congress is looking eerily similar to health-care reform: Public skepticism is proving to be no brake on the liberal ambitions, and substance is increasingly divorced from the problems Washington claims to be solving."
Jun 24, 2010	House drops proposal for fund to aid in winding down failing firms - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "House negotiators, seeking to reach agreement with their Senate counterparts over new far-reaching financial rules, dropped their proposal Wednesday for a $150 billion fund, paid for by industry, that would have been used to cover the costs of winding down large, failing firms."
Jun 24, 2010	Lawmakers at Impasse on Trading - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "Derivatives trading, a business long prized by Wall Street but little noticed by anyone else, is rapidly gaining prominence as the rare part of the nation’s vast financial infrastructure that Democrats cannot agree how to regulate."
Jun 24, 2010	Negotiators Ease Finance Rules - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congressional negotiators are poised to ease some proposed new financial regulations, notably those aimed at banks and auto dealers, as they race to secure political support for a final deal."
Jun 23, 2010	Oversight exemption for auto dealers gaining traction - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Lawmakers were on the brink Tuesday of exempting the nation's 18,000 auto dealers from oversight by a new consumer financial watchdog aimed at protecting borrowers from abusive lenders."
Jun 23, 2010	Scramble to Finish Bank Rules This Week - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "House and Senate Democrats are under pressure to complete their overhaul of financial regulations before President Barack Obama meets with world leaders this weekend, setting up a scramble to iron out differences on a range of complicated provisions."
Jun 23, 2010	Keys to US House-Senate panel on Wall St reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Andy Sullivan and others, Reuters Summary: "A joint conference committee is merging Wall Street regulatory bills from the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to reach a final version of potentially historic legislation."
Jun 23, 2010	Insurance Industry Poised to Tear Loophole in Wall Street Reform - Ryan Grim, Huffington Post Summary: "The insurance industry is poised to rip a gaping loophole in financial reform's investor protections, working to insert a provision in the conference committee report that was passed by neither the House nor the Senate."
Jun 23, 2010	The Volcker Dilemma - Duncan Currie, National Review Summary: "Of all the financial-reform ideas that have been entertained over the past year, few have aroused as much vigorous opposition on Wall Street as the proposal to outlaw or restrict 'proprietary trading' (trading for profit) by commercial banks and bank holding companies (BHCs)."
Jun 23, 2010	Auto Dealers Stand to Benefit in Financial Bill - Michael R. Crittenden and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. auto dealers looked increasingly likely to secure a carve-out from a proposed consumer financial agency on Tuesday as House and Senate lawmakers continued to craft financial-regulation legislation."
Jun 23, 2010	Bank Tax Gains Ahead of G-20 - Sara Shaefer and Alistair MacDonald, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Europe on Tuesday moved to back a new tax on banks, with the U.K. including the levy in its new emergency budget and Germany and France pledging similar action in coming months."
Jun 23, 2010	Scott Brown's key vote gives Massachusetts firms clout in financial overhaul - Jia Lynn Yang, Washington Post Summary: "State Street isn't one of the iconic firms of Wall Street. It doesn't even make the top 10 largest bank holding companies in the country."
Jun 23, 2010	On eve of key vote, Wal-Mart donates $20 million to Durbin's home state - Jonathan Strong, The Daily Caller Summary: "On the eve of a key vote in the Senate on an issue in which Wal-Mart is deeply invested, the company announced it is donating $20 million to charities and opening scores of new stores in the Chicago area, in the home state of Sen. Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat, the retail giant’s top ally in its push to cap credit card fees."
Jun 23, 2010	Obama won't veto bill over car dealers - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "President Barack Obama opposes a House-Senate deal exempting auto dealers from new consumer protection rules, but a White House spokeswoman signaled Tuesday night that he won’t veto the Wall Street reform bill over it."
Jun 23, 2010	Lincoln Intervenes for Arkansas Bank - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Sen. Blanche Lincoln, one of the chief architects of the financial-regulation overhaul nearing completion in Congress, is pushing for a change that would benefit a bank in her home state of Arkansas."
Jun 23, 2010	JPMorgan Sets Sights Overseas - Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "JPMorgan Chase emerged from the financial crisis as one of the strongest banks on American soil. Now it wants to make up lost ground overseas."
Jun 23, 2010	Op-ed: Our Agenda for the G-20 - Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers, Wall Street Journal Summary: "This week, President Obama will travel to Toronto for the G-20 Summit. Engagement with the G-20 has been a key component of the administration's strategy to defuse the global financial crisis and ensure economic recovery."
Jun 22, 2010	Financial Reform for the Retail Investor? - Rob Silverblatt, US News & World Report Summary: "In politics, questions are rarely as simple as they appear. As such, it should hardly come as a surprise that one of the more contentious issues in the financial reform debate has assumed the disguise of a seemingly unassuming query: Should broker-dealers be required to act in the best interests of their clients?"
Jun 22, 2010	Federal Reserve presses banks to curb risky pay practices - Neil Orwin, Washington Post Summary: "Bank regulators have told the nation's largest financial firms to move faster in changing pay practices that could encourage dangerous risk-taking, officials said Monday."
Jun 22, 2010	Lawmakers reach deal to limit card 'swipe fees' - Sonja Ryst, Washington Post Summary: "House leaders have reached an agreement with their Senate counterparts on an amendment to financial overhaul legislation that would limit the fees credit and debit card issuers can charge retailers, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said Monday."
Jun 22, 2010	Column: Wall Street Gets Close to Stiffing Overhaul - Roger Lowenstein, Bloomberg Summary: "Backroom trading in Congress has put meaningful financial overhaul in jeopardy at the 11th hour."
Jun 22, 2010	Wall Street bill tests Scott Brown’s clout - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) may learn by week’s end how much clout he has as the junior-most senator."
Jun 22, 2010	Thorny issues remain as Congress negotiates financial regulatory overhaul - Brady Dennis and Dina ElBoghdady, Washington Post Summary: "One evening late last week, as House and Senate negotiators wound down another marathon session hammering out details of a massive financial regulatory overhaul, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) uttered what almost everyone else in the room was thinking."
Jun 22, 2010	House defies President Obama on financial regulation reform - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "House negotiators on a Wall Street reform bill will push to shield auto dealers from new consumer protection lending rules — a move that bucks President Barack Obama, who has called on lawmakers to reject any carve-outs for special interests."
Jun 22, 2010	Tentative Deal Reached to Limit Debit Card Fees - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "House and Senate Democrats announced a tentative agreement Monday to impose new limits on debit card fees, which would resolve a main difference between the two chambers as they race to complete financial legislation before the Fourth of July."
Jun 22, 2010	Financial Overhaul Bill: What’s on the Agenda? - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats are aiming to reconcile all of the differences between separate financial overhaul bills that passed the House and Senate by the end of the this week, giving President Barack Obama a comprehensive package of financial regulations to present to the G-20 in Canada over the weekend."
Jun 21, 2010	Congress on the verge of passing major new interchange fee reform - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Congress is a step away from passing major new regulations on fees retailers pay to banks and credit unions that issue debit cards."
Jun 21, 2010	U.S. House agrees to put consumer watchdog in Fed - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The Federal Reserve, criticized for failing to protect consumers in the run-up to the credit crisis, would be the home of a new financial consumer watchdog under an agreement announced on Monday."
Jun 21, 2010	Dodd negotiates Wall Street regulation bill with both eyes on crucial 60 votes - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "It was near the end of a long day and Sen. Christopher Dodd, in his shirt sleeves with 1,900 pages of proposed financial regulations stacked in front of him, had been scanning the hearing room of the House Financial Services Committee."
Jun 21, 2010	Bair Says GSE Overhaul Should Top Agenda After Financial Bill - Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "An overhaul of the U.S. mortgage- finance system 'should rise to the top of the agenda' as soon as Congress finishes its rewrite of financial-industry rules, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said today."
Jun 21, 2010	Consumer watchdog fight leads Wall Street reform talks - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A dispute over how much power to give a new financial consumer watchdog will be the first issue dealt with by lawmakers on Tuesday as they enter the home stretch on historic Wall Street reforms."
Jun 21, 2010	Op-ed: ALL BUSINESS: Unexpected costs of financial reform - RACHEL BECK, AP Summary: "Here's the thing about financial reform: It sounds good, until you try to get a car loan or pay your dentist."
Jun 21, 2010	Wall Street reform singes, not burns - Ben White, Politico Summary: "If you listen to Wall Street, the next several days will decide whether Washington destroys its business model and unleashes fresh chaos on a financial system already struggling against a recent global meltdown and punishing recession."
Jun 21, 2010	Business Rallies to Shape Finance Endgame - Damian Paletta and David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Caterpillar Inc., Cargill Inc. and the municipal utility of Sacramento, Calif., were largely bystanders in the financial crisis."
Jun 21, 2010	Banking Lobbyists Make a Run at Reform Measures - Eric Dash and Nelson D. Schwartz, New York Times Summary: "As Congress rushes this week to complete the most far-reaching financial reform plan in decades, the banking industry is mounting an 11th-hour end run."
Jun 21, 2010	Banks Have Billions at Stake as Rulemaking Heads to Agencies - Robert Schmidt and Ian Katz, Bloomberg Summary: "While Congress puts finishing touches on its financial-regulatory overhaul, Wall Street lobbyists are preparing for a new battle out of the public spotlight and inside almost a dozen federal agencies."
Jun 21, 2010	A Testy Slog as Finance Bill Nears Completion - Damian Paletta and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Several hours into another debate on financial regulation, House Democrats and Republicans locked horns Wednesday for the umpteenth time over who was to blame for the near-collapse of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Jun 20, 2010	Column: Sleight of hand is not the best reform - Clive Crook, Financial Times Summary: "A US House-Senate conference has started work on merging the chambers’ respective financial reform bills.This tortuous process still has some way to go. The good news is that the plans are similar, and not that different from the blueprint suggested by the administration last year."
Jun 20, 2010	Column: Help Prevent a Sequel. Delay Some Pay. - Robert J. Shiller, New York Times Summary: "CONGRESS’S approach to financial reform has been a bit like my own household’s response to a moth infestation in our kitchen a couple of years ago. After we got over the initial shock, my wife and I responded rapidly, disposing of food in which moths were breeding."
Jun 18, 2010	Lawmakers Negotiating Bank Bill Hold Industry Stocks - Jonathan D. Salant, Bloomberg Summary: "Lawmakers writing the biggest overhaul of financial regulations since the Great Depression may have a stake in the outcome."
Jun 18, 2010	White House, Top Lawmakers Hold Late-Night Meeting on Financial Bill - Victoria McGrane and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Top Obama administration officials held a closed-door strategy meeting Thursday night with key Democrats to plot the final stages of the year-long effort to rework financial rules."
Jun 18, 2010	Op-ed: Let the hedge funds run the risks - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "Beginning in the late 1980s, traditional banks began complaining that they were losing market share and profits and all their best people to investment banks, which had cleverly constructed an alternative, or 'shadow,' banking system that was less regulated and backed by less capital."
Jun 18, 2010	House-Senate Panel Broadens Audits of Fed - Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "House and Senate negotiators agreed Thursday to broaden the scope of a new set of audits of the Federal Reserve by the Government Accountability Office to include transactions involving the Fed’s discount window and open market operations."
Jun 18, 2010	White House lobbies against financial bill - Ben White, Politico Summary: "A flurry of opposition from New York City-area politicians and House moderates is aimed at blunting tough new financial regulations — an 11th-hour lobbying blitz that could shift momentum once again in the Wall Street reform fight."
Jun 18, 2010	Fed's No. 2 Man Says Rules 'Didn't Keep Up' - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Donald Kohn has seen it all in 40 years as a central banker, from the roaring inflation of the 1970s, to a long period of prosperity in the 1990s, to an economy on the brink of collapse just two years ago."
Jun 18, 2010	Reg reform marks a triumph for Barney Frank - Mike Allen, Politico Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.), having shepherded a twice-in-a-century Wall Street reform bill to the cusp of final passage, says the toothy legislation proves that many reporters and lefties are wrong to 'believe that big money dominates everything.'"
Jun 18, 2010	Fed Emerging Intact From Challenge to Its Power - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "As the House and Senate move to finalize regulatory-overhaul legislation, the Federal Reserve has emerged as likely to retain most of the power and independence Fed officials have feared they might lose."
Jun 18, 2010	"Volcker rule" seen freezing M&A by U.S. mega-banks - Kevin Drawbaugh and Dan Wilchins, Reuters Summary: "The "Volcker rule" provision of Wall Street reform legislation being finalized by Congress would put a lid on domestic mergers and acquisitions by the largest U.S. banks, analysts said on Thursday."
Jun 18, 2010	The Breakup - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "Much has been made of the way Barack Obama has changed the sociology of the capital. There’s the shifting locus of social activity from Georgetown to Logan Circle, and the intrusion of two basketball hoops on the White House tennis court."
Jun 18, 2010	House-Senate panel disagree over solution to 'too big to fail' - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "House and Senate lawmakers on a committee to work out differences in sweeping financial-regulatory bills on Thursday agreed to disagree on their approaches to managing banks that are 'too big to fail,' and on how to ensure such failures don't wreak havoc on the markets."
Jun 18, 2010	New York lobbies against financial bill - Ben White, Politico Summary: "A flurry of opposition from New York City-area politicians and House moderates is aimed at blunting tough new financial regulations — an 11th-hour lobbying blitz that could shift momentum once again in the Wall Street reform fight."
Jun 18, 2010	Swaps plan seen staying in Wall Street reform bill - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "With final negotiations on the reform bill bogged down amid partisan bickering, Democrats who control the process neared consensus on an element that has drawn furious opposition from the Wall Street banks that could lose billions in profits."
Jun 17, 2010	Cheques and imbalances - The Economist Summary: "THE recession may have hurt, but re-regulation could hurt almost as much. So in the first quarter of this year the financial services, insurance and property industries spent nearly $125m on lobbying, up more than 11% from last year."
Jun 17, 2010	Durbin fights to keep card provision from being swiped out of Wall Street bill - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is going on offense to ensure his crackdown on debit card fees remains in Wall Street overhaul legislation."
Jun 17, 2010	Wall Street bill likely to preserve Fed independence - Andy Sullivan and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "In a big victory for the central bank, lawmakers hammering out a final version of a Wall Street reform bill agreed to drop two provisions the Fed had warned would subject its economic decision-making to outside political influence."
Jun 17, 2010	2 New York Lawmakers Back Wall St. on Derivatives - Cyrus sanati, New York Times Summary: "Two Democratic representatives from New York City, Gary L. Ackerman and Michael E. McMahon, are coming to the defense of Wall Street, urging members of the House-Senate conference committee on the financial regulatory bill to reject provisions that would force banks to spin off their lucrative derivatives trading units."
Jun 17, 2010	Fifteen Economists Issue Crisis-Prevention Manual - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Rather than setting pay levels, the government should require banks and other critical financial institutions to withhold a share of each senior manager’s total pay for several years, a group of leading economists is urging in a new book."
Jun 17, 2010	Lawmakers Near Deal on Fed Governance - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. House and Senate negotiators finalizing financial-overhaul legislation Wednesday were close to agreement on a proposal to reduce the influence of commercial bankers in the governance of the Federal Reserve."
Jun 17, 2010	Fannie, Freddie Delisting Signals Firms Have No Value - Jessica Holzer and Jacob Bunge, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The regulator for Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac ( FRE) ordered them to voluntarily delist their shares from U.S. stock exchanges Wednesday, underscoring that the once-mighty mortgage behemoths no longer have value as private firms."
Jun 17, 2010	Lawmakers agree to expand audit of Federal Reserve - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Lawmakers on Wednesday reached a compromise to allow expanded audits of the Federal Reserve, part of an effort to shine light on the central bank's emergency lending during the financial crisis while safeguarding its independence in setting monetary policy."
Jun 17, 2010	Goolsbee touts banking oversight - Mike Allen, Politico Summary: "Austan Goolsbee, a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said the Wall Street reform bill heading for President Barack Obama’s desk “is not just fighting the last war” but creates a more stable financial system that can fend off future problems."
Jun 17, 2010	Osborne abolishes FSA and boosts Bank - George Parker and Brooke Masters, Financial Times Summary: "George Osborne moved to redress what he described as the spectacular regulatory failure of the City, announcing the abolition of the Financial Services Authority and a sweeping increase in the Bank of England’s powers."
Jun 17, 2010	Editorial: At Last, Financial Reform - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Washington's pending reform of the financial laws will trigger billions in unnecessary costs even as it fails to end bank bailouts. But this week, Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) ensured that at least one part of the bill will help prevent the next credit crisis."
Jun 16, 2010	Op-ed: Government to the Economic Rescue - Alan Blinder, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Those of us who don't live in caves are constantly bombarded with poll results—on just about every subject. But a recent Pew/National Journal poll cut through the cacophony and caught my eye nonetheless."
Jun 16, 2010	Op-ed: We should all have a say in how banks are reformed - John Kay, Financial Times Summary: "The banking industry has many stakeholders and few of them are happy. Taxpayers have paid for capital injections and are still on the hook for bank liabilities. In many countries, including Britain, these liabilities are several times annual national income. Shareholders have lost most of the value of their equity."
Jun 16, 2010	Fifteen Economists Issue Crisis-Prevention Manual - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Rather than setting pay levels, the government should require banks and other critical financial institutions to withhold a share of each senior manager’s total pay for several years, a group of leading economists is urging in a new book. The money would be forfeited if the company went bankrupt or had to be bailed out."
Jun 16, 2010	Lincoln stands by derivatives language - Mike Allen, Politico Summary: "Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) says she’ll 'fight hard' to preserve a passage she authored in the Wall Street reform bill to crack down on derivatives, the loosely regulated securities that traders use to manage risk."
Jun 16, 2010	US could scrap NY Fed appointment plan - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The US Congress could on Wednesday drop a plan to let the White House and Senate decide the next president of the New York Federal Reserve, which central bank officials have warned amounts to 'politicisation'."
Jun 16, 2010	Panel Gives Wins to Savers, Raters - Damian Paletta and Aaron Luccheti, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A panel of lawmakers agreed to permanently increase deposit insurance for bank customers and jettison a proposed watchdog for credit-rating firms, giving two big triumphs to the finance industry in the final shaping of a financial regulation overhaul."
Jun 16, 2010	Lawmakers Approve Changes to Reduce Credit-Rating Conflicts - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "House and Senate negotiators resolving differences between two versions of the financial- regulation bill today approved a compromise aimed at reducing conflicts in the assignment of credit ratings."
Jun 16, 2010	House-Senate conference seeks to resolve differences in financial regulations - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "With the C-SPAN cameras rolling, lawmakers involved in a rare House-Senate conference waded deep into the legislative weeds Tuesday, beginning to work in earnest on reconciling the two chambers' differences over financial regulations."
Jun 16, 2010	Fed could emerge intact from Wall St reform debate - Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "After suffering more than a year of abuse over its role in the financial crisis, the U.S. Federal Reserve is poised to emerge with its powers relatively intact as lawmakers finalize a sweeping overhaul of financial regulations."
Jun 16, 2010	Centrist House Dems oppose Lincoln derivatives measure - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Centrist House Democrats are pressing lawmakers to remove a controversial Wall Street overhaul provision requiring banks to wall off derivatives trading."
Jun 15, 2010	Lobbyists Can't Get in Door - Aaron Lucchetti and Damien Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Wall Street's lobbying army is marching around Washington in a push to shape the final financial-overhaul bill. But it has gotten harder to get through the door with some lawmakers."
Jun 15, 2010	Senator Pitches a Tamer Bank Bill - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A key senator who has championed strict rules on derivative trading for banks has offered a retooled version of her plan that would allow banks to keep derivatives-trading businesses but could force them to raise billions in capital to do so."
Jun 15, 2010	Sen. Blanche Lincoln's derivatives-spinoff plan gains support in Congress - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "An effort to force some of the nation's biggest banks to spin off their lucrative derivatives-dealing operations appears to be gaining traction, as members of a House-Senate conference begin finalizing details of far-reaching new financial regulations."
Jun 15, 2010	Obama's Treasury Dept Working To Defeat Derivatives Proposal 'Of Utmost Importance' To Reforming Wall Street - Shahien Nasiripour and Ryan Grim, Huffington Post Summary: "A Senate proposal to force banks to shed their lucrative yet risk-laden derivatives units -- which is vehemently opposed by Wall Street -- is gaining steam, picking up the support of some regional Federal Reserve chiefs with more on the way."
Jun 15, 2010	House wants Senate to accept stronger protections for insurance regulations - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "House Democrats want the Senate to accept stronger protections for state insurance regulations under the Wall Street overhaul bill."
Jun 15, 2010	Credit raters could catch a break in Wall St bill - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "The legislation as it stands would effectively upend the entire industry's business model, but lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives could strip that provision as they begin resolving differences between their two Wall Street reform bills."
Jun 15, 2010	Giving In on Trading, Bankers Turn to Other Losses - Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "Bankers have all but given up on defeating one of the most contentious provisions in the financial regulation bill — one that would effectively bar federally insured banks from trading for their own accounts — and are now focusing on battles like heading off a prohibition on derivatives trading."
Jun 15, 2010	Derivatives language picks up steam - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Derivatives language in the Wall Street reform bill — once widely expected to become a casualty of the formal conference process — picked up significant momentum Monday, securing the endorsement of two regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents."
Jun 14, 2010	Fannie-Freddie Fix at $160 Billion With $1 Trillion Worst Case - Lorraine Woellert and John Gittelsohn, Bloomberg Summary: "The cost of fixing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that last year bought or guaranteed three-quarters of all U.S. home loans, will be at least $160 billion and could grow to as much as $1 trillion after the biggest bailout in American history."
Jun 14, 2010	Congress nears deal on bank trading crackdown - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The end result would toughen a restriction on trading by banks for their own accounts, and add parts of another plan that would force them to spin off their swap-trading desks, said industry lobbyists and Democratic congressional aides."
Jun 14, 2010	Regional Fed Chiefs Lining up to Support Tough Derivatives Provision, Obama Admin. Still Opposed - Shahien Nasiripour, Huffington Post Summary: "Another top Federal Reserve official offered his support this week to a Senate provision that would force megabanks to spin off their lucrative and risk-laden swaps desks."
Jun 14, 2010	ANOTHER Fed Official Says Senate Bill Doesn't End 'To Big To Fail' - Shahien Nasiripour, Huffington Post Summary: "The Senate financial reform bill serving as the base text for Congressional negotiations doesn't end the perception that the nation's largest financial firms are Too Big To Fail, another top Federal Reserve official said Friday."
Jun 14, 2010	Key issues in play as Congress struggles with financial rules - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "From big banks' exotic trades to the credit cards in people's wallets, it only takes a few of the most contentious issues to upend a careful political equilibrium as lawmakers try to blend House and Senate bills into a single rewrite of U.S. banking regulations."
Jun 14, 2010	Politicizing the Fed - Op-ed, Wall Street Journal Summary: "For 97 years the 12 regional banks of the Federal Reserve system have operated relatively free of political interference from Washington. The looming financial reform bill threatens that independence, not least through an effort to impose new presidential appointees at the regional banks."
Jun 14, 2010	Financial-reform fight draws quirky crowd of lobbyists - Jayne O'Donnell and Jillian Berman, USA TODAY Summary: "Wall Street banks and financial services companies are hardly the only ones fretting provisions of the financial-reform legislation now awaiting House and Senate negotiators."
Jun 14, 2010	Maine congressional delegation watching finance reform talks - Mal Leary, Capitol News Service Summary: "The Senate and House have passed different versions of financial reform and now a 40-member conference committee is working out a compromise measure."
Jun 14, 2010	Small banks are big problem in government bailout program - David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "The Treasury Department's financial bailout has a growing problem on its hands, and this time, it has nothing to do with Wall Street."
Jun 14, 2010	US banks set to lose swaps desks - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Banks are likely to lose a key lobbying battle in the US over whether they will be forced to spin off their lucrative swaps desks, according to people familiar with financial reform negotiations in Congress."
Jun 11, 2010	Editorial: Battle Over Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Lawmakers from the House and Senate began meeting last week to meld their respective financial reform bills. The lobbying on Capitol Hill is fast and furious and it is disturbingly unclear whether Congress will come up with the strong changes needed to avert another meltdown — or do the bidding of the banks and opt for weak reforms and pretend they are strong."
Jun 11, 2010	Richard Shelby: Wall St. bill 'off to rocky start' - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) opened the Wall Street reform conference committee Thursday vowing to block attempts to weaken the measure, as Republicans accused Democrats of falling short of promises to make the proceeding the most open of its kind in years."
Jun 11, 2010	Tough Wall Street bill seen as lawmakers convene - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "U.S. lawmakers proposed no new limits on banks on Thursday as they met to hammer out a final overhaul of Wall Street regulations, but they voiced strong support for measures that directly threaten industry profits."
Jun 11, 2010	Wall Street reform conference begins with Dem-GOP bickering - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Democrats and Republicans launched into sharp attacks Thursday only minutes into conference negotiations to finalize sweeping new Wall Street regulations."
Jun 11, 2010	Top Fed Official Supports Restricting Banks' Derivatives Bets, Goes FURTHER than Obama - Shahien Nasiripour, Huffington Post Summary: "The top fiscal hawk and longest-serving policy maker in the Federal Reserve supports limiting banks' derivatives activities, a potential blow to Wall Street megabanks that use their taxpayer support to trade the kind of risky financial products that nearly brought down the global financial system."
Jun 11, 2010	Fed's Bullard: Senate bill politicizes Fed - Reuters Summary: "A senior Federal Reserve official warned on Thursday that a Senate proposal to make the New York Federal Reserve Bank president a White House appointee risks injecting a dangerous dose of politics into the deliberations of the central bank."
Jun 11, 2010	Democrats Spar Over Derivatives Rules - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democratic efforts to swiftly steer a financial-overhaul bill into law stumbled as House and Senate leaders clashed over how best to regulate the $600 trillion derivatives market."
Jun 10, 2010	Soros Says ‘We Have Just Entered Act II’ of Crisis - Zoe Schneeweiss and Andrew MacAskill, Bloomberg Summary: "Billionaire investor George Soros said 'we have just entered Act II' of the crisis as Europe’s fiscal woes worsen and governments are pressured to curb budget deficits that may push the global economy back into recession."
Jun 10, 2010	Column: Finance reform goes to unusual open conference: John Kemp - John Kemp, Reuters Summary: "Following months of hard-fought maneuvering, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (HR 4173) is entering its last stages as negotiators from the House of Representatives and Senate try to iron out differences between the two versions of the bill."
Jun 10, 2010	Democrats in quandary over derivatives - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "When negotiators meet for the first time Thursday to finalize the Wall Street reform bill, House members will hear an annoyingly familiar refrain from their Senate colleagues: The legislation needs to stay largely as is."
Jun 10, 2010	Lobbyists get exclusive W.H. invite - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "President Barack Obama has publicly railed against Wall Street lobbyists for months, even going to Manhattan to ask their corporate masters to call off the attack dogs."
Jun 10, 2010	Lincoln's Win Juices Overhaul Effort - Michael R. Crittenden and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Sen. Blanche Lincoln's surprising victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary in Arkansas appears to have hardened an anti-Wall Street bent in Congress's financial-overhaul bill."
Jun 10, 2010	Column: The 'Too Big' Divide on Banks - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Among the final questions hovering over the Congress as it rewrites the rules of finance is this: If banks that are too big to fail are a big part of the problem, will anything short of busting them up suffice?"
Jun 10, 2010	Pelosi nabs bevy of chairmen for conference on Wall Street reform - Michael O' Brien, The Hill's On the Money blog Summary: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) named 10 members of the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday to the conference committee on Wall Street reform."
Jun 10, 2010	Op-ed: Beware the biggest moral hazard of them all - Marc Lackritz, Financial Times Summary: "Moral hazard has become the swine flu of 2010. Bankers, some politicians and a few vocal pundits warn us incessantly of the impending epidemic in our financial markets if Wall Street reform is enacted."
Jun 10, 2010	Column: Will Obama Push for Financial Stability? - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "The official reconciliation process between Senate and House financial-regulation bills will begin next week, but the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and intense lobbying is already well under way."
Jun 10, 2010	Credit union executives swarm Capitol Hill to protest limits on card 'swipe fees' - Ylan Q. Mui and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "John Blum knows there's more money at stake for the big banks in the heated debate over the financial overhaul bill than for his relatively tiny 200,000-member credit union in Virginia Beach."
Jun 10, 2010	House Blocks Effort To End Fannie, Freddie Taxpayer Support - Jessica Holzer, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday blocked an effort by Republicans to end the taxpayer support of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Jun 10, 2010	Dodd calls swap desk spin-off "a strong provision" - Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Wednesday that a proposal to require banks to spin off swaps desks, put forth by Senator Blanche Lincoln, is 'a strong provision in the bill.'"
Jun 10, 2010	Some financial reforms missing from U.S. legislation - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Congress is in the final stages of finishing a major financial regulation reform bill, which has slowly narrowed over more than a year of debate, with some ambitious proposals slipping from view."
Jun 10, 2010	Financial Bill Would Create World Model, Volcker Says - Ian Austen, New York Times Summary: " Paul A. Volcker, the former Fed chairman and an economic adviser to President Obama, said on Wednesday that sweeping financial reform legislation now before Congress would make the United States a model for the world."
Jun 09, 2010	Fed Finding Status Quo in Bank Pay - Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "Federal regulators reviewing the compensation policies of major banks are finding that the industry has not adequately adjusted its pay practices to reduce risk-taking."
Jun 09, 2010	Lawmakers set reg reform talks - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "The top negotiators on Wall Street reform laid out a timeline Tuesday to complete their conference report, indicating that a final bill could be considered by both chambers in the last week of June."
Jun 09, 2010	Financial regulation conference will start Thursday - Vicki Needham, The Hill Summary: "The House-Senate conference on financial regulatory reform legislation will begin Thursday and could conclude by the time President Barack Obama leaves for the Group of 20 meeting later this month."
Jun 09, 2010	Lincoln’s Win: Support for Derivatives Plan May Firm Up - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "It’s unclear what Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s victory in the Arkansas Democratic primary will mean for the details of the financial overhaul bill, but it certainly means she will remain a powerful lawmaker in the coming weeks."
Jun 09, 2010	"Volcker rule" at issue as reform bill nears finale - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "White House economic adviser Paul Volcker, in a letter obtained by Reuters, said he firmly opposes exemptions to his rule being sought by banks that say they make only small investments in private equity and hedge funds."
Jun 09, 2010	Interchange Battle Brings In Def Jam Founder, Chukchansi - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The battle over interchange fees assessed on debit and credit card purchases has been a knock-down, drag-out lobbying war for years between banks and retailers."
Jun 09, 2010	Geithner seeks unity on bank capital standards - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner convened senior bank regulators Tuesday, warning them that their differences could undercut the U.S. government as it negotiates new international bank standards with other countries, according to sources who have been briefed on the gathering or were present."
Jun 09, 2010	Op-ed: Wall Street Still Doesn't Get It - Steven Rattner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A few days ago, I ventured into the belly of the beast—a mostly male, mostly young, sweaty gathering of more than a thousand turbocharged, chest-thumping hedge fund investors."
Jun 09, 2010	EU urged to speed up financial regulation - Ben Hall and Nikki Tait, Financial Times Summary: "France and Germany on Wednesday urged the European Union to speed up its efforts to tighten financial regulation and called for EU-wide powers to ban naked short-selling."
Jun 09, 2010	Investors Back Obama Bill Without Ban on Proprietary Trading - Alison Fitzgerald, Bloomberg Summary: "Global investors support U.S. legislation that would raise capital requirements for banks and strengthen consumer financial protection, even as they oppose the so-called Volcker Rule to ban proprietary trading by financial institutions, a Bloomberg News survey shows."
Jun 08, 2010	Opinion: Reach equals grasp on banking bill - Joseph E. Stiglitz, Politico Summary: "The future of improved financial regulations depends largely on how the differences between the House and Senate bills are resolved."
Jun 08, 2010	Collins Pulls Back on Proposal to Ban TruPS Capital - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "In the face of opposition from bankers, U.S. Senator Susan Collins has agreed to ratchet back a proposal that would prevent banks from using so-called trust- preferred securities to appear better capitalized."
Jun 08, 2010	Final act begins in Congress on Wall Street reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Some congressional Democrats want to fashion a bill that forces a basic banking industry restructuring, but leaders will have to balance that agenda against the need to forge compromise legislation that retains some Republican support."
Jun 08, 2010	Scenarios: Pivotal vote for key senator in Wall Street reform - Charles abbott, Reuters Summary: "Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter held a small lead over Lincoln in polls of likely voters ahead of the vote."
Jun 08, 2010	Candidates Go After Their Rivals' Ties to Wall Street - Naftali Bendavid, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In a year of anger over big bank bailouts and hefty banker bonuses, candidates are aiming the 'Wall Street insider' epithet at their rivals with a new aggressiveness and intensity."
Jun 08, 2010	The Leading Men of Regulation - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Three men burnished and tarnished by the financial crisis are expected to wield disproportionate influence over Congress's final push to write a new law for financial regulations."
Jun 08, 2010	Collins' Push On Capital Standards Sparks Lobby Battle - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "A push to require bank-holding companies to hold better capital has sparked a lobbying drive because it would force the industry to raise as much as $1.3 trillion from its balance sheet if the changes were to be enacted, according to one estimate."
Jun 07, 2010	Finance lobbyists keep a low profile - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "Big banks and other financial interests will launch a final push to influence the Wall Street reform bill when Congress returns this week, but it won’t be the kind of scorched-earth lobbying blitz that traditionally accompanies final negotiations."
Jun 07, 2010	Financial Panel Issues a Subpoena to Goldman Sachs - Sewell Chan and Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "The commission investigating the causes of the financial crisis said on Monday that it had subpoenaed Goldman Sachs and harshly accused the investment bank of trying to delay and disrupt its inquiry."
Jun 07, 2010	Lawmakers May Sacrifice Swaps Plan for Volcker Rule in Talks - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Congressional negotiators meeting to resolve differences over bank-regulation legislation are likely to retain a proprietary-trading ban and higher capital standards while stripping a measure that would bar commercial lenders from running swaps desks, said lawmakers and analysts."
Jun 07, 2010	Column: Banks Say No. Too Bad Taxpayers Can’t. - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "FROM the earliest days of the credit crisis, the nation’s big financial institutions have been less than forthcoming about ballooning loan losses buried inside their books."
Jun 07, 2010	The Fates and Faces of the Affected - Peter A. McKay, Wall Street Journal Summary: "It's not just bankers. Auto dealers, attorneys general and derivatives traders are among those sitting anxiously as Congress enters the final stretch of its financial-regulation revamp."
Jun 07, 2010	Editorial: A steady Freddie? - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "BY NOW IT'S CLEAR that whatever Congress does about financial reform this year almost certainly will not include a permanent fix for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two mortgage giants currently hemorrhaging taxpayer cash. But new ideas are percolating in the private sector, academia and think tanks."
Jun 07, 2010	Congress Pressed for Reform Bill Deal - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "As Congressional negotiators begin this week to merge two bills overhauling the financial system, the White House wants them to reach an agreement before President Obama leaves for a Group of 20 meeting this month in Toronto."
Jun 07, 2010	G-20 Is Nearing Accord on New Capital Rules - Michael M. Phillips and Alex Frangos, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The world's leading economic powers edged toward agreement on new rules to ensure that major banks keep enough money in reserve to insulate them against future crises."
Jun 06, 2010	Op-ed: Downgrade the Ratings Agencies - Kathleen Casey and Frank Partnoy, New York Times Summary: "WARREN BUFFETT may be the Oracle of Omaha, but even he is hamstrung by credit ratings agencies. Appearing on Wednesday before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, he said that as the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, he has 'no negotiating power' with Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, the two major agencies, because ratings were 'required in many cases by the rules.'"
Jun 06, 2010	G-20 Fails on Bank Tax, Calls for Joint ‘Principles’ - Gonzalo Vina and Theophilos Argitis, Bloomberg Summary: "Group of 20 nations failed to agree on a proposal to impose a global tax on banks that was aimed at making the financial industry shoulder the cost of bailouts, settling instead for a common set of guidelines."
Jun 05, 2010	Consumer advocates call for tough protections in final regulation law - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "As lawmakers in the House and the Senate iron out differences between their far-reaching new financial regulations, consumer advocates are waging a final, fervent push to safeguard the legislation and bolster key provisions."
Jun 05, 2010	Pew Financial Reform Project's Gordon McDonald Speaks on Consumer Protection - Gerald Helguero, International Business Times Summary: "The consumer protection financial agency in the U.S. Senate version of the financial reform bill would be 'less independent than the House version' being considered, according to Gordon McDonald, financial reform project manager at the Pew Economic Policy Group."
Jun 04, 2010	Opinion: A Dubious Way to Prevent Fiscal Crisis - Joe Nocera, New York Times Summary: "So where were we? Last November, when I took a temporary powder, the subject du jour — at least in this little corner — was financial regulatory reform."
Jun 04, 2010	Fed Power Over Debit-Card Fees Unites Banks Against Retailers - Jonathan D. Salant, Bloomberg Summary: "Large banks and small lenders, which have differed over issues ranging from a new consumer protection agency to a proposed bailout fund for failed firms, are allied on one front: They want debit-card fees left alone."
Jun 04, 2010	Column: Lessons to be learnt from Kazakhstan's rescue model - Gillian Tett, Financial Times Summary: "Ever since the film Borat was released, the word 'Kazakh' has tended to provoke sneers on western bank trading floors. Right now, however, it merits more respect - at least as far as the issue of financial restructuring is concerned."
Jun 04, 2010	Group forwards 1.7 million additional names to lawmakers on swipe fee reform - Jay Heflin, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "Speedway Convenience Stores sent an additional 1.7 million signatures to lawmakers on Thursday as part of a petition to reform credit and debit card swipe fees."
Jun 04, 2010	Global Bank Pact Advances - David Enrich and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "International regulators are moving closer to an agreement that would require large multinational banks to raise vast sums to cushion any future losses. But in a concession to the banking industry and some governments, the rules are likely to take effect later than expected, according to people familiar with the matter."
Jun 04, 2010	Daniel K. Tarullo, a Star Regulator at the Fed - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "As finishing touches are put on the most comprehensive rewriting of financial rules since the Depression, a 57-year-old former law professor is emerging as one of the most influential financial regulators in the United States."
Jun 04, 2010	FDIC Mulls New 'Safe Financial Services Product' Program - Peter Barnes, FoxBusiness Summary: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is studying a new 'safe financial services product' system that could include ratings or seals of approval for mortgages, credit cards and other consumer financial products."
Jun 04, 2010	Wall St. ramps up lobbying on Hill - Erika Lovley, Politico Summary: "Wall Street has dramatically expanded its influence on Capitol Hill over the past year, using a lobbying army that includes nearly 1,500 former federal employees and 73 former members of Congress who have been deployed during debate on financial reform legislation."
Jun 04, 2010	Report: More than 1,400 former lawmakers, Hill staffers are financial lobbyists - Dan Eggen, Washington Post Summary: "Even for Washington, the revolving door between government and Wall Street spins at a dizzying pace."
Jun 03, 2010	Senate Financial Reform Bill DOESN'T End Too Big To Fail, Major Credit Rating Agency Says - Shahien Nasiripour, Huffington Post Summary: "So much for ending Too Big To Fail. The financial reform bill championed by the Obama administration and Senate Democrats as permanently ending the idea that large, interconnected financial institutions are too big to fail does no such thing, analysts at Moody's Investors Service cautioned today in a new report."
Jun 03, 2010	G20 aims to reduce red ink and keep recovery on track - Alan Wheatley, Reuters Summary: "Disagreements over how quickly to reduce billowing budget deficits and restore balance to the global economy risk straining high-level Group of 20 talks that started on Thursday."
Jun 03, 2010	Op-ed: The Core Dilemma Of Financial Regulation - Jennifer Kapila, Parul Walia and Arnab Das, Forbes Summary: "Financial regulation is one of the bogeymen that have spooked asset markets over the past month. The SEC's case against Goldman Sachs has revitalized the regulatory reform dialogue and renewed concerns of earnings volatility and valuations."
Jun 03, 2010	Column: Regulating a Moving Target - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Beneath disputes over details of the financial regulatory bill now moving through Congress, each worth billions to someone, lurks a fundamental tension: How much should Congress write strict rules to reduce risks of another global financial crisis?"
Jun 03, 2010	U.S. to Push for Bank Rules in Other Large Economies - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, said Wednesday that the United States would urge the world’s largest economies to pursue a financial overhaul agenda that would 'restore fiscal sustainability over the medium term.'”
Jun 03, 2010	Questions for Moody’s and Buffett - David Segal, New York Times Summary: "When it comes to investing, stick with what you know. It’s the kind of plainspoken advice that Warren E. Buffett, the legendary financier, has been dispensing to ordinary investors for decades, along with perennials like 'make money' (duh) and 'stick to the basics' (no fancy derivatives, please)."
Jun 03, 2010	Lawmakers move to toughen 'Volcker rule' in Wall Street bill - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Congressional negotiators are moving to toughen financial reform legislation, raising the chances that banks will face a strict ban on proprietary trading and a new conflict of interest rule, people involved in the deliberations say."
Jun 03, 2010	Buffett Defends Moody's Managers - Aaron Lucchetti, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Billionaire Warren Buffett defended his firm's investment in battered Moody's Corp., saying that mortgage-bond ratings issued by the firm were overwhelmed by the 'greatest bubble I've seen in my life.'"
Jun 02, 2010	Dems pressure Pelosi on consumer protection in Wall Street reform bill - Michael O'Brien, The Hill Summary: "A group of House Democrats wrote their top two leaders Wednesday to insist they keep intact a strong consumer financial protection agency in Wall Street reform legislation."
Jun 02, 2010	FHLB Pushes to Avoid Loan Caps - James R. Hagerty, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Home Loan Banks are asking Congress to exempt them from a provision of the financial-overhaul legislation that would severely restrict their lending."
Jun 02, 2010	Franken, Sherman Push Ratings Provision - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Two Democrats pledged today to push for a measure creating a board that would assign agencies to rate a new issue of an asset-backed security, in the same way courts assign cases to judges."
Jun 02, 2010	Op-ed: Prepare for change on Wall Street - Henry Kaufman, Financial Times Summary: "America’s most important set of financial reforms in decades is coming to fruition. To be sure, lawmakers are still working out the details. But the broad outlines of the new US regulatory regime are coming into sharper focus every day."
Jun 02, 2010	Editorial: Buffett and the Ratings Cartel - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Warren Buffett testifies today before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, and the big question is where he'll come down on the future role of the credit-rating cartel."
Jun 02, 2010	Rep. Barney Frank’s call from gym helps bring Scott Brown on board - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "The truth can now be told: U.S. Rep. Barney Frank helped orchestrate Sen. Scott Brown’s support for financial reform while wearing a workout tank top, shorts and speaking from the confines of an aide’s office to avoid attracting attention."
Jun 02, 2010	Another View: Punting Financial Reform Summary: "Congressional proponents of a necessary reregulation of our financial services industries received a break as the European credit crisis sent the markets on another retreat from risk; the zeitgeist is taking a break from the V-shaped recovery crowd as well."
Jun 02, 2010	Crunch time for auto dealer lobbying - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Auto dealers are facing the toughest fight yet in their effort to win an exemption from new financial regulations."
Jun 02, 2010	Wall Street Sees Derivatives Sales Flaws After SEC Goldman Suit - Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "Wall Street’s biggest firms are considering the suitability of selling opaque financial products to governments, endowments and not-for-profit institutions after the contracts magnified credit-market losses that plunged the U.S. into a recession."
Jun 02, 2010	Barney Frank pitches reform - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "U.S. Rep. Barney Frank yesterday predicted Massachusetts companies won’t be sideswiped by a new financial reform bill that he vowed will be debated and approved via public hearings demanded by reform advocates."
Jun 02, 2010	Wall Street's War - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone Summary: "It's early May in Washington, and something very weird is in the air."
Jun 01, 2010	War Over Bank Capital Heating Up - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "The global war over new bank capital requirements for banks is intensifying, with a clash between powerful U.S. regulators drawing widespread international attention."
Jun 01, 2010	Foreign banks find fortune in crisis - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "Foreign banks are flexing newfound muscle in Washington, spreading their money and influence while winning government business that’s off-limits to their politically toxic American cousins."
Jun 01, 2010	'The Big Short' a hot read on Hill - Marin Cogan, Politico Summary: "In the midst of a floor speech on regulatory reform, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) interrupted himself for a sort of commercial announcement."
Jun 01, 2010	Not all banks spanked by reform - Ben White, Politico Summary: "Democrats are planning to stake a big part of their midterm election pitch on 'cracking down on Wall Street.'”
Jun 01, 2010	States join the fight against proposed limits to credit card fees - Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post Summary: "State governments have become an unlikely ally of the banking industry in a fight against putting limits on the fees that credit and debit card issuers can charge to retailers."
Jun 01, 2010	Answers on Credit Ratings Long Overdue - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "Raise your hand if you can explain why anyone still believes in credit ratings."
Jun 01, 2010	Bankers’ ‘doomsday scenarios’ under fire - Chris Giles, Financial Times Summary: "Banks are exaggerating the economic effects of the regulations they are likely to face in the coming years, the economist running an international impact study has told the Financial Times."
May 29, 2010	Obama Is From Mars, Wall Street Is From Venus - John Heilemann, New York Magazine Summary: "Thirty-eight hours after Scott Brown’s smack-upside-the-head victory in the race for Ted Kennedy’s former Senate seat, Barack Obama took the podium in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House."
May 28, 2010	Op-ed: Shorting Reform - Michael Lewis, New York Times Summary: "Our earnings are robust, our compensation has returned to its naturally high levels and, as a result, we have very nearly regained our grip on the imaginations of the most ambitious students at the finest universities — and from that single fact many desirable outcomes follow."
May 28, 2010	3,000 Pages of Financial Reform, but Still Not Enough - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "For decades, until Congress did away with it 11 years ago, a Depression-era law known as Glass-Steagall ably protected bank customers, individual investors and the financial system as a whole from the kind of outright destruction we’ve witnessed over the last few years."
May 28, 2010	Durbin, Schumer Traveled Different Paths On Finance Bill - Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "As Democrats pushed to pass a financial regulatory reform bill in recent weeks, Senate Majority Whip Durbin and Senate Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Charles Schumer of New York took contrasting approaches in their quiet contest for support among Democrats."
May 28, 2010	GOP role unclear on Wall Street reform panel: Gregg - Roberta Rampton and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Republican lawmakers may not have much sway over a final financial regulation bill that could cut into banks' profitability and give shareholders more say on how their companies are run, Republican Senator Judd Gregg said on Thursday."
May 28, 2010	Op-ed: Will Wall Street Go Free? - William D. Cohan, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Let me try to get this straight."
May 28, 2010	Op-ed: Am I Too Hard on Financial Reform? - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "The morning after the Senate approved its financial reform package last week, I wrote a piece suggesting that while the legislation should mitigate the too-big-to-fail (TBTF) problem, it isn’t likely to solve it."
May 28, 2010	Op-ed: Taxing debt like equity would make our banks safer - David Walker, Financial Times Summary: "Life for banks and financial markets is about to enter a new phase. The global crisis has spawned, not surprisingly, a plethora of legislative and regulatory proposals, many requiring international agreement and co-ordination."
May 28, 2010	United States and Germany remain divided over financial regulation issues - Howard Schneider, Washington Post Summary: Top U.S. and German officials on Thursday acknowledged differences over key financial regulation issues, and they said a 'broad agreement' on basic concepts may not produce uniform rules in all the world's capital markets."
May 28, 2010	Geithner Sees Consensus on Finance Reform - Judy Dempsey, New York Times Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said in Berlin on Thursday that the United States and Europe were in 'broad agreement' on the need for stricter market regulation but stressed that they would take different paths when necessary."
May 28, 2010	Financial Reform Bill Concerns Some Small Businesses - Reuters Summary: "After the Senate passed a major financial reform bill, some small businesses are concerned that the new oversight will hurt business and create unnecessary red tape."
May 28, 2010	Durbin upbraids credit card giants - J. Taylor Rushing and Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Thursday sent a terse letter to Visa and MasterCard, asking them to stop 'threatening' small banks and credit unions by 'distorting' his legislation cracking down on swipe fees."
May 27, 2010	Treasury’s Five-Point Wish List for Financial Overhaul - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin, in remarks for delivery to a group in Baltimore today, listed five things the administration is pressing for in the House-Senate conference on the sprawling financial-regulatory reform bill — beyond those on which there is substantial agreement."
May 27, 2010	Column: Under Siege by the Lobbyists - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "The financial reform legislation heading into a Senate-House conference in June will, at best, do little to affect the incentives and beliefs at the heart of the largest banks on Wall Street."
May 27, 2010	Key US senator says will push swaps desk spin-off - Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "The author of a U.S. Senate proposal to force banks to spin off their swaps desks said on Thursday she will fight to see the idea is part of a House-Senate compromise on financial regulatory reform."
May 27, 2010	Republican senators want 'fair' process for Wall St. bill - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: " Senate Republicans sent a letter Thursday to the top Democratic Wall Street reform negotiators, Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), laying out the key principles they believe will lead to a successful merger of the House and Senate bills."
May 27, 2010	UK and France reject EU bank plan - George Parker and Nikki Tait, Financial Times Summary: "Britain and France were at odds with other European Union countries on Wednesday over plans to insure against future bank failures, in another sign of the problems in trying to forge a common response to the bloc’s economic woes."
May 27, 2010	Geithner Sees Consensus on Finance Reform - Judy Dempsey, New York Times Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said in Berlin on Thursday that the United States and Europe were in “broad agreement” on the need for stricter market regulation but stressed that they would take different paths when necessary."
May 27, 2010	Buffett to Testify to Crisis Panel on Moody's - Aaron Lucchetti, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission released a witness list focused on bond-rating firm Moody's Corp. for its June 2 panel on the role of rating firms in the financial crisis."
May 26, 2010	S&P May Not Cut Citigroup, BofA Ratings on Finance Revamp Bill - Dawn Kopecki and Michael J. Moore, Bloomberg Summary: "Standard & Poor’s said it may not need to downgrade four banks including Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. should Congress pass legislation that removes the 'extraordinary government support' that has propped up their credit ratings."
May 26, 2010	S&P May Not Cut Citigroup, BofA Ratings on Finance Revamp Bill - Dawn Kopecki and Michael J. Moore, Bloomberg Summary: "Standard & Poor’s said it may not need to downgrade four banks including Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp. should Congress pass legislation that removes the 'extraordinary government support' that has propped up their credit ratings."
May 26, 2010	Obama fights reform effort to have Congress OK guarantees - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "The White House on Wednesday took issue with a provision in sweeping bank-reform legislation that would require bank regulators to get congressional approval before they could provide debt guarantees to solvent firms in the event of a financial crisis."
May 26, 2010	Merkley, Levin Push Reid on Volcker Rule - Lucia Graves, Huffington Post Summary: "An amendment to prohibit major banks from participating in proprietary trading with taxpayer-backed money has failed in name but its authors hope it will survive in spirit."
May 26, 2010	White House Signals It Won't Fight to Keep Rule on Derivatives - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A senior Treasury Department official on Wednesday said a controversial provision that could force banks to spin off their derivatives portfolio was not part of the 'core' changes White House officials wanted in the financial overhaul, offering the second signal in two days that the provision could be stripped out."
May 26, 2010	Regulators Seek Global Capital Rule - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "Capital is the body fat of banking: too much is debilitating, too little is fatal. During the financial crisis, as large banks burned through their capital reserves, governments were forced to add padding at public expense."
May 26, 2010	Rep. Frank taps 8 conferees on Wall St reform bill - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Representative Barney Frank is recommending the appointment of eight Democratic House members, including himself, to a House-Senate conference committee on landmark Wall Street reform legislation, according to a memorandum obtained by Reuters on Tuesday."
May 26, 2010	Op-ed: Time for industry to end its war on regulation - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "The biggest oil spill ever. The biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. The deadliest mine disaster in 25 years. One recall after another of toys from China, of vehicles from Toyota, of hamburgers from roach-infested processing plants."
May 26, 2010	Matthew Richardson Explains the Bank Tax - David Leonhardt, New York Times Economix blog Summary: "My column this week — on how the House and Senate can improve in financial-regulation bill in coming weeks — returns to the idea of a bank tax. Matthew Richardson, a finance professor at New York University, has done some of the best writing on this issue."
May 26, 2010	Column: Four Ways to a Better Finance Bill - David Leonhardt, New York Times Summary: "Democrats say their financial regulation plan will vastly reduce the odds of a future crisis and ensure that taxpayers won’t ever again have to pay for banks’ sins."
May 26, 2010	Op-ed: The Race To Finish Financial Reform - Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes Summary: "We are on the threshold of the most ambitious overhaul of financial regulation since the 1930s. Last week the Senate passed the Restoring American Financial Stability Act (RAFSA), which must now be reconciled with the House version of financial reform, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009."
May 26, 2010	A wider divide - Tom Braithwaite, Francesco Guerrera and Edward Luce, Financial Times Summary: "A devastating financial crisis triggers public anger, congressional hearings and a sweeping overhaul of regulation - all directed at Wall Street titans, who respond by warning the new rules will cause credit to contract and harm businesses across America."
May 26, 2010	Frank Targets Requirement to Spin Off Operations - Damian Paletta and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A key House Democrat signaled Tuesday that a controversial derivatives provision in the Senate's financial-regulation bill could be stripped out during negotiations when the two chambers hammer out compromise legislation that could be signed into law by July 4."
May 26, 2010	U.S., Europe fall out of step on global financial reform - Anthony Faiola and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The global campaign to harmonize rules for financial firms is swerving off course, threatening efforts to curb the risky bets that rocked the world economy two years ago."
May 26, 2010	Bernanke Continues Fight Against More Fed Scrutiny - Luca Di Leo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "With Congress getting close to finalizing an overhaul of the nation's financial-regulatory system, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke weighed in against provisions in the proposed legislation that would subject the central bank to more political scrutiny."
May 25, 2010	Barney Frank names Democrats to merge bank bills - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) recommended that eight House Democrats sit on the Wall Street conference committee, saying in a memo Tuesday that the group will be 'more the agents of collective decision-makers than autonomous deciders.'"
May 25, 2010	Financial Group Urges Early Intervention in Crises - Matthew Saltmarsh, New York Times Summary: "National regulators should have the power to intervene early in a banking crisis, including the right to replace senior management at troubled companies, a group representing the world’s largest financial firms recommended on Monday."
May 25, 2010	Dodd Prepares to Depart in Triumph - Mark Leibovich, New York Times Summary: "As Senator Christopher J. Dodd completed what might be the capstone of his legislative career last week by shepherding a major banking overhaul through the Senate, the guest book in his office offered a glimpse of why he is not seeking re-election."
May 25, 2010	Op-ed: Finance could benefit from people’s trust - Michael Skapinker, Financial Times Summary: "Within six years, final salary pensions will have disappeared from the UK private sector, according to a study by JPMorgan Cazenove and Pension Capital Strategies. Corporate defined benefit schemes are vanishing in the US too."
May 25, 2010	Senate pushes to exempt auto dealers from regulatory overhaul - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "As the two houses of Congress prepare to merge their financial overhaul bills, the Senate on Monday voted 60 to 30 to recommend that thousands of the nation's auto dealers be exempted from oversight by a new regulator for consumer financial protection."
May 25, 2010	Senate bill brings new powers, new pressures for Fed - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "The Federal Reserve, a target of bipartisan bashing during the past two years, has emerged a big winner in the financial overhaul passed by the Senate, but the broader powers granted by the legislation expose the central bank to new risks."
May 25, 2010	Dissenting Democrat criticises Geithner - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Maria Cantwell, one of two Democrats to vote against the US Senate financial reform bill last week, has accused the Treasury secretary of neglecting 'main street' America, and called on Congress to force the White House to refocus on small business."
May 24, 2010	GOP taps critics to meld bank bills - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Republicans are expected to choose five senators who voted against the Wall Street reform legislation to work with "Democrats on reconciling the House and Senate bills – a move that suggests the conference committee will break down along partisan lines."
May 24, 2010	Our view on financial reform: Bank bill doesn't guarantee safety, but it's a good start - Editorial, USA Today Summary: "Ever since the financial horror show of 2008, the challenge facing policymakers has been to make America safe from a repeat performance."
May 24, 2010	Wall Street critic Frank to shepherd final reform bill - Rachelle Younglai and Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. representative Barney Frank, a fierce critic of Wall Street and close ally of the Obama administration, will head a House-Senate committee to hammer out a final bill on financial regulation reform."
May 24, 2010	Senators Pick Financial Conferees - Victoria McGrane and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congressional leaders began putting together the team of U.S. lawmakers Monday that will finalize sweeping changes to U.S. financial markets, and the expected lineup suggests banks could face an uphill battle eliminating the more onerous curbs on their business."
May 24, 2010	Financial reform could turn on Blanche Lincoln's re-election bid in Arkansas -- derivatives anyone? - Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Blanche Lincoln is running for her political life in Arkansas. And if she falls, the sweeping reform of Wall Street that Democrats hope will bolster their case for reelection could be one of the casualties."
May 24, 2010	EU plans upfront levy on lenders - Nikki Tait, Financial Times Summary: "European Union countries will be required to impose an upfront levy on banks, with the proceeds to be paid into national funds to insure against future financial failures, under proposals to be unveiled on Wednesday."
May 24, 2010	As Reform Takes Shape, Some Relief on Wall St. - Eric Dash and Nelson D. Schwartz, New York Times Summary: "The financial reform legislation making its way through Congress has Wall Street executives privately relieved that the bill does not do more to fundamentally change how the industry does business."
May 24, 2010	Frank to chair financial reform committee - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Democratic lawmaker Barney Frank will get the influential position of chairing the committee that will merge the House and Senate's versions of financial reform legislation, a spokesman for Frank said on Monday."
May 24, 2010	Rules Grow, Banks Stay Same Size - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "Broadly speaking, there were two ways for the federal government to respond to the financial crisis: supersize regulation or downsize the financial industry."
May 24, 2010	'Ratings Shopping' Lives as Congress Debates a Fix - Aaron Lucchetti and Serena Ng, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Real-estate investment firm Redwood Trust Inc. approached two credit-rating firms early this year to rate a new mortgage-bond offering. It was an important deal, the first of its kind in two years."
May 24, 2010	Op-ed: The Senate finance bill merits two cheers - Robert Reich, Financial Times Summary: "Two cheers for Senator Christopher Dodd and Senate Democrats who, along with four Republicans, have passed the most sweeping reform of financial markets in 80 years - 1,500 pages of financial and regulatory detail guaranteed to make your eyes glaze over."
May 24, 2010	Editorial: The New Lords of Finance - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "If you think the lobbying is intense while Congress considers financial reform legislation, wait until the President signs it. That is when the real battle will begin to shape the new rules of Wall Street."
May 23, 2010	Months of intense negotiations led to passage of financial overhaul bill - David Cho, Brady Dennis and Michael D. Shear, Washington Post Summary: "When Christopher J. Dodd arrived at the White House that Wednesday morning in March, he was wrestling with a fateful choice."
May 22, 2010	Reconciliation for 2 Financial Overhaul Bills - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Fresh off Senate approval of the overhaul of the nation’s financial regulations, the Obama administration quickly moved on Friday to shape the final version of the bill."
May 22, 2010	Who might win big or lose big in financial overhaul? Financial reform to mete out penalties, prizes - Zachary A. Goldfarb and Jia Lynn Yang, Washington Post Summary: "Even as the landmark financial bill passed by the Senate this week punishes some of the most famous companies in American finance, it may reward little-known firms that operate behind the scenes, below the radar or overseas."
May 22, 2010	A Day After, the Jockeying Continues - Damian Paletta, Greg Hitt and Robin Sidel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Top Democrats met with President Obama on Friday to plan strategy for pushing a final financial-overhaul package through Congress, while critics and supporters of the legislation geared up for a ferocious lobbying showdown."
May 22, 2010	Derivatives sour Wall St. on Obama - Ben White, Politico Summary: "Wall Street executives say language in the Senate financial reform bill dealing with derivatives is like a horror movie slasher repeatedly left for dead, only to rise again and again."
May 22, 2010	Financial-Bill Playbook: Don't Mess Around - Damian Paletta and Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Mindful of their mistakes in advancing the health-care overhaul, White House officials approached the effort to regulate the financial industry in a different way—with detailed legislative language, teams of experts lobbying lawmakers in war rooms, and negotiations that started as far back as last summer."
May 21, 2010	Holy Cow! We're going to have financial reform - Edmund L. Andrews, Capital Gains and Games blog Summary: "A few hours ago, the Senate did something truly amazing: it clobbered Wall Street and the banking industry, defying armies of overpaid lobbyists and passing genuine reforms for our run-amok financial system."
May 21, 2010	Financial reform flashpoints - Carrie Budoff Brown and Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "The financial reform bill isn’t done yet, but that isn’t stopping the parties from testing their pitches to midterm voters."
May 21, 2010	A Mixed Bag in Store for Consumers - Robin Sidel and Ruth Simon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The financial overhaul will be a mixed blessing for consumers. Based on the current legislation, homeowners will get additional protections from abusive loans. Free credit reports will include numerical credit scores, and fees could decline for using some automated-teller machines."
May 21, 2010	Senate Passes Finance Bill - Greg Hitt and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Senate on Thursday approved the most extensive overhaul of financial-sector regulation since the 1930s, hoping to avoid a repeat of the financial crisis that hit the U.S. economy starting in 2007."
May 21, 2010	Dodd, Frank See Speedy Conference - Bill Swindell, with George E. Condon Jr. contributing, National Journal Summary: "After an Oval Office meeting with President Obama, top Democrats pledged today to reach a conference agreement before the Fourth of July recess on legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system."
May 21, 2010	Finance-Overhaul Bill Would Reshape Wall Street, Washington - Bloomberg Summary: "The legislation passed by the Senate yesterday would reshape the U.S. financial industry and its regulators with a sweep unseen since the aftermath of the Great Depression."
May 21, 2010	‘Nervous’ Wall Street Waits for Congress to Kill Swaps Limit - Christine Harper and Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "Wall Street Banks, surprised that the Senate’s financial overhaul passed with language that could curtail their derivatives trading, are now hoping the rule can be killed in Congressional negotiations."
May 21, 2010	Geithner to Confer With Germany, U.K. on Debt Crisis - Christopher Wellisz, Bloomberg Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner will visit Germany and the U.K. next week to discuss the European debt crisis after a slide in stocks worldwide posed dangers to the global economic recovery."
May 21, 2010	Senate passes financial regulation bill - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The Senate approved far-reaching new financial rules on Thursday aimed at preventing the risky behavior and regulatory failures that brought the economy to the brink of collapse two years ago and cost millions of Americans their jobs and savings."
May 20, 2010	Bill Passed in Senate Broadly Expands Oversight of Wall St. - David Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The Senate on Thursday approved a far-reaching financial regulatory bill, putting Congress on the brink of approving a broad expansion of government oversight of the increasingly complex banking system and financial markets."
May 20, 2010	Poll: Utahns want reform, but not Congress' plan - Di Lewis, Utah Standard-Examiner Summary: "Utahns are looking for financial reform, although many say they oppose the reforms being considered by Congress."
May 20, 2010	Senate Clears Way for Final Vote on Financial Bill - Greg Hitt and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Senate cleared the way Thursday for a final vote on legislation that would constitute the biggest overhaul of U.S. financial regulations since the 1930s, voting 60-40 to end more than three weeks of debate on the sweeping measure."
May 20, 2010	How the Financial Overhaul Vote Went Down - Damian Paletta, Greg Hitt, Michael R. Crittenden and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "More than 50 Senate Democrats walked out of a closed-door meeting in a room near the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon, and their puzzled looks conveyed the divisions growing within the caucus."
May 20, 2010	Bank Stocks Hit As Senate Stalls On Reform Bill - Kerry Grace Benn, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Bank stocks remained under pressure Thursday amid continuing uncertainty after the U.S. Senate failed to put an end to the long-running debate on the financial reform bill."
May 20, 2010	Merkel Pushes G-20 for Financial Reform - Patrick McGroaty and Andrea Thomas, Wall Street Journal Summary: "German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday she will push her Group of 20 counterparts to accelerate steps to tighten political control over financial markets and add new taxes on banks."
May 20, 2010	Ban on Pet Provisions Proves Too Much for Lawmakers - Elizabeth Williamson and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "They said they wouldn't. They tried to stop themselves. But they're doing it anyway."
May 20, 2010	Column: Senate should keep debating financial regulation - Ezra Klein, Washington Post Summary: "As Senate majority leader, Harry Reid has to juggle a lot of bills, and he has to carefully, jealously, guard the Senate's limited floor time. Republicans use the filibuster process to stretch the votes on non-controversial legislation -- like, say, next week's extension of jobless benefits -- so they take many days rather than a couple of hours, and they use objections to unanimous consent as a way to slow the Senate's general work."
May 20, 2010	Senate amendment to financial regulation bill addresses five federal watchdogs - Ed O'Keefe, Washington Post Summary: "Senators approved an amendment to the financial regulation bill Tuesday night that keeps federal watchdogs at five financial regulatory agencies from becoming presidential appointments."
May 20, 2010	Democratic Rift Stalls Financial Overhaul - Greg Hitt and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A handful of Democrats joined with Republicans to block a bid by the Senate Democratic leadership to end more than three weeks of debate on sweeping legislation overhauling regulation of U.S. financial markets."
May 20, 2010	Senate Fails to Advance Financial Reform Bill - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The Senate on Wednesday rejected an effort by Democratic leaders to complete work on a sweeping financial regulatory bill as two key Democratic holdouts said it still did not tighten rules on Wall Street enough."
May 20, 2010	Op-ed: Return of the Bond Market Vigilantes - Alan Blinder, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Remember the bond market vigilantes, that frightening band of financial marauders who once roamed the earth like a fearsome herd of Tyrannosaurus rex?"
May 20, 2010	Dodd abandons derivatives amendment in financial regulation bill - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) has decided to abandon a proposal aimed at fostering compromise over a controversial provision in the far-reaching financial regulatory overhaul bill before the Senate."
May 19, 2010	Payday Loan Companies Get Lift As Reform Looks Less Likely - David Benoit, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The rejection of an amendment to the Senate's financial reform package that would have added increased regulation on the payday loan sector boosted shares in the industry Wednesday. "
May 19, 2010	Senate to Vote on Measure to Ban Proprietary Trading - Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Democrats made a procedural end-run Wednesday around Republican obstruction of a plan that would sharply curb a lucrative Wall Street trading business--setting up a vote on the measure for later this week."
May 19, 2010	Harry Reid scrambles to save Wall Street vote - Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Heading into a major test vote Wednesday on Wall Street reform, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) scrambled Tuesday to prevent Democratic defections that could leave him short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate."
May 19, 2010	Cloture Vote Forces Scramble On Amendments - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "The Senate was poised today to end debate on legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, moving toward passage on a measure that industry has not been able to significantly weaken after weeks of populist bashing of Wall Street."
May 19, 2010	SEC proposes new circuit-breaker rule to calm markets - Matt Krantz, USA Today Summary: "Regulators released their report Tuesday on the May 6 market crash but still didn't answer what investors most want to know: What happened?"
May 19, 2010	Senate Republicans Call Reform Bill a ‘Takeover’ of the Banking Industry - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Senate Republican leaders on Tuesday unleashed a barrage of criticism at the far-reaching financial regulatory legislation being debated on the Senate floor, indicating that many of the party’s leaders were prepared to vote against the bill."
May 19, 2010	Editorial: The Senate at the Finish Line - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "It is a bad sign, as the Senate enters the home stretch on financial regulatory reform, that there are so many unresolved issues since weaknesses and ambiguities in the legislation play into the hands of opponents of reform at this late date."
May 19, 2010	Morgan Stanley CEO pushes for "strong" reform - Steve Eder, Reuters Summary: "Morgan Stanley's chief executive said on Tuesday that he supports 'strong and effective regulatory reform' and that Wall Street must 'rebuild trust' with Main Street."
May 19, 2010	Editorial: The Clearinghouse Rescue Plan - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "As miracle cures go, clearinghouses for derivatives seem to be everyone's favorite. By requiring that most swap contracts be settled daily through institutions that collect and spread financial risk, Congress and Treasury claim that we can all sleep better at night without fear of more AIGs."
May 19, 2010	Op-ed: A patch for Wall Street's bad habits - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post Summary: "The Senate is poised to vote this week on amendments to the financial reform bill that will determine whether Wall Street's banks will serve the American economy or whether the American economy will continue to serve Wall Street's banks."
May 19, 2010	Proposal Would Rid Finance Bill of Derivatives Measure - Damian Paletta and Greg Hitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The head of the Senate Banking Committee proposed diluting a controversial provision in the Senate's financial regulation overhaul bill that would ban banks from trading derivatives."
May 18, 2010	Blanche Lincoln blinks, will Arkansas Democrats? - Scott Payne, True Slant Summary: "Today’s primary super Tuesday holds a number of interesting races that could have some significant impact on how various legislative efforts play out over the coming months."
May 18, 2010	Senate backs role for states in Wall Street reform - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "The Senate voted to give state authorities a role in enforcing new bank consumer protection rules as lawmakers sought on Tuesday to complete their financial regulation package before a series of final votes on landmark Wall Street reform."
May 18, 2010	Measure banning bailouts to states is rejected - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "A measure that would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to bailout state or local governments that are at risk of defaulting was rejected by the Senate on Tuesday."
May 18, 2010	Senate vote increases fed's power over states on consumer financial protections - Silla Brush, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "The Senate moved Tuesday to shore up the federal government’s power to pre-empt states on consumer financial protections."
May 18, 2010	Pew Financial Reform Project Manager Speaks at Maine Public Panel - Anne Mostue, Maine Public Broadcasting Network Summary: "When it comes to financial reforms being considered by Congress, even bankers don't agree on how they should look. That was made clear during a panel discussion in Bangor last night."
May 18, 2010	Why Merkley-Levin Is Necessary - Mike Konczal, Rortybomb Summary: "A funny thing happened in June of 2007. Back when times were better, Bear Sterns had previously created two hedge funds, one in 2004 and one in August of 2006, named 'Bear Stearns High-Grade Structured Credit Fund' and 'Bear Stearns High-Grade Structured Credit Enhanced Leveraged Fund.'"
May 18, 2010	Dodd, Carper Close On Enforcement Deal - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "The Senate is poised today to resolve a fight over whether a new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection should pre-empt state laws and prosecutors, one of the last hurdles to passage of legislation that would revamp the nation's financial regulatory system."
May 18, 2010	Pew poll: Utah voters want financial reform now - John E. Morton, Salt Lake Tribune Summary: "As the Senate debates financial reform, residents of Utah should be asking what the financial crisis cost all of them."
May 18, 2010	U.S., not states, should have lead role in consumer financial protection - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "ON FINANCIAL regulatory reform, the Senate is finally wrestling with the legislative arcana that don't translate well into sound bites -- but do make a lot of difference to how the law will work."
May 18, 2010	GE and other manufacturers back exemption in financial regulation bill - Jia Lynn Yang, Washington Post Summary: "A last-minute fight has emerged over a proposed amendment to the Senate's financial regulation bill that would limit the government's power to address high-risk financial practices at companies if their main business is manufacturing."
May 18, 2010	Senate gets ready to act on financial regulations - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Democratic leaders gave notice late Monday that they intend to wind down the weeks-long debate over new financial regulations, even as lawmakers continued to churn through proposed changes to the massive bill."
May 18, 2010	NY Fed reform - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "Just as war is too important to be left to the generals, financial regulation is too important to be left to the regulated. The financial crisis has exposed brutally the fallibility of self-policing."
May 18, 2010	US Senate to drive regulatory reform - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The US Senate will vote as early as Wednesday on regulatory reform, calling time on months of congressional wrangling over the response to the financial crisis."
May 18, 2010	Reid pushes quick passage of regulatory reform - Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moved Monday to close down debate on a sweeping Wall Street reform bill, setting up a key test for Wednesday and final passage by the end of the week."
May 18, 2010	Senators Seek Curbs on Foreign Bailouts - Greg Hitt and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Senate approved Monday a measure that could make it harder to deploy U.S. funds in rescuing foreign governments, signaling Congress's unease with the sort of global economic aid recently given to Greece."
May 18, 2010	Senate Votes for a Clear Credit Score - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Anyone rejected for a credit card, car loan or department store charge account has most likely discovered a frustrating aspect of the government-mandated, free credit reports: the glaring absence of the numerical credit score that lenders rely on to make their decisions."
May 17, 2010	Finance overhaul is being used as re-election tool - David Lightman, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "The Senate's debate on overhauling the nation's financial regulatory system is also a fierce fight to woo voters in the 2010 congressional elections."
May 17, 2010	Dodd enters final days of last battle - J. Taylor Rushing and Ian Swanson, The Hill's On the Money blog Summary: "For Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), passing financial regulatory reform is bigger than cleaning up Wall Street. It's also about proving that the Senate can still function."
May 17, 2010	Frank Says Senate’s Stronger Rules Will Sway Financial Bill - Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: :The U.S. Senate bill to overhaul financial regulations is stronger than a version passed in December by the House, and it is likely to stay that way when Congress comes together to merge the two bills, according to House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank."
May 17, 2010	Auto Dealers Campaign to Fend Off Regulation - Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Summary: "After nearly a quarter-century of selling pickup trucks and cars in North Dakota, Donovan Berscht had to shut one of his dealerships last year as Chrysler downsized."
May 17, 2010	Protesters to jam K Street Monday - Vicki Needham, The Hill's On the Money blog Summary: "Thousands of protesters are expected to march on K Street on Monday in support of financial regulatory reform legislation."
May 17, 2010	Poll: Many Michiganders Want Financial Reform Now - Amy Miller/Laura Thornquist, Public News Service, MI Summary: "As a financial reform bill makes its way through Congress, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans like the idea of tighter regulations for Wall Street, and they support seeing that sooner rather than later".
May 17, 2010	Poll: 6 of 10 Surveyed See Wall St. Reform as Priority - Deb Courson, Public News Service, SD Summary: "As a financial reform bill makes its way through Congress, a new poll shows that nearly 60 percent of people questioned like the idea of tighter regulations for Wall Street, and they support seeing that sooner rather than later."
May 17, 2010	Op-ed: Learning From History on Financial Reform - Harvey L. Pitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congress is moving to enact far-reaching changes in the financial regulatory system. We need far-reaching changes. The problem is that we don't need many of the specific far-reaching changes we're about to receive."
May 17, 2010	Op-ed: It's Time to End Risky Gambling on Wall Street - Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Carl Levin, Huffington Post Summary: "When historians look back at the financial crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession that followed, they will fix their blame, in part, on the invention of complicated financial products that hid massive risks and spread them throughout the economy."
May 17, 2010	Speedy New Traders Make Waves Far From Wall St. - Julie Creswell, New York Times Summary: "Above the Restoration Hardware in this Jersey Shore town, not far from the Navesink River, lurks a Wall Street giant."
May 17, 2010	The Senate is fighting the last financial war - John Gapper, Financial Times Gapper blog Summary: "Despite being a supporter of the 'Volcker rule', I struggle to understand the logic of the move in the Senate to force deposit-taking banks to spin off their swaps desks."
May 17, 2010	Wall Street lobbyists braced for defeat - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "A vocal group of trade unionists will descend on K Street, Washington’s fabled home of lobbyists, on Monday to protest outside the offices of the US capital’s most prominent lobbying groups."
May 17, 2010	Democrats open to talks on derivatives - Tom Braithwaite, Anna Fifield and Nicole Bullock, Financial Times Summary: "Two key Democratic senators offered a narrow path for compromise over the weekend after banks pleaded with regulators and clients to help overturn provisions of a financial regulation bill they say will rock markets."
May 17, 2010	TARP becomes prime target for senators facing reelection battles - Shailagh Murray, Washington Post Summary: "It was the chant heard around the Senate: Angry GOP delegates in Utah calling out 'TARP! TARP! TARP!' as they tossed Sen. Robert F. Bennett from the primary ballot, punishment for the veteran lawmaker's 2008 vote to bail out the financial sector."
May 17, 2010	Despite audit, Federal Reserve's scope may widen with Senate bill - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "As the debate over how to overhaul financial regulation heated up last year, there was one thing Democrats and Republicans seemed to agree on: that the Federal Reserve had made major mistakes that contributed to the financial crisis and needed to have its wings clipped."
May 17, 2010	Obama's terms for financial overhaul remain mostly intact - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The Senate this week could hand President Obama his second major legislative victory of the year, both on administration priorities that seemed in doubt not long ago."
May 17, 2010	Nightmare on Wall Street - Eamon Javers and Meredit Shiner, Politico Summary: "The Wall Street reform bill is taking that rarest of paths through the Senate — actually gaining tougher provisions against the industry as it proceeds, not being watered down to win votes as health care reform was."
May 16, 2010	What would you have done in Bennett's place? - Jay Evensen, Deseret News Summary: "Most of you support the financial reform bill that's pending in Congress."
May 16, 2010	Is Ben Bernanke Having Fun Yet? - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "NINE days ago, Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, caught a Friday-night flight from here so he could address 1,100 graduates at the University of South Carolina the next morning about 'The Economics of Happiness.'"
May 16, 2010	Endgame On Financial-Overhaul Bill - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Washington Wire blog Summary: "A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Nevada Democrat was 'likely' to file cloture on the financial-overhaul bill Monday, which means the Senate could vote as soon as Wednesday on its final passage."
May 14, 2010	Votes On Amendments, Cloture Queued Up - Dan Friedman and Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The Senate is expected to vote Monday night on four amendments to financial regulatory legislation as Majority Leader Reid intends to wrap up debate by week's end by filing cloture."
May 14, 2010	President Obama rips, raises cash from Wall St. Summary: "President Barack Obama Wednesday went from his White House to Main Street tour of Buffalo to raising money for Democrats from Wall Street executives in Manhattan, even as he continued to blame them for the economic crisis and to seek sweeping industry reforms in Congress."
May 14, 2010	Editorial: Failure to rein in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac weakens financial reform bill - Detroit News Editorial Board Summary: "Two of the biggest players in the mortgage meltdown of the last two years are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which held or guaranteed about $5 trillion in mortgages when they imploded in 2008."
May 14, 2010	Sen. Dick Durbin, moderates clash on bank bill - Chris Frates and Manu Raju, Politico Summary: "Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin came out swinging against big banks Thursday — and it forced some of his colleagues to duck."
May 14, 2010	CEOs from far and wide band against financial bill provision - Jia Lynn Yang, Washington Post Summary: "Businesses far from Wall Street have intensified their efforts to kill a largely overshadowed provision of the Senate's financial regulation bill giving shareholders more ammunition to shake up corporate boards."
May 14, 2010	Pew Survey Indicates Utahns Support Financial Reform - Jeff Robinson, KCPW Radio Summary: "A new survey from The Pew Charitable Trusts indicates most Utahns are interested in financial reform, and there’s widespread agreement on a few key points that a reform bill should include."
May 14, 2010	Op-ed: In Defense of Over-the-Counter Derivatives - Mark C. Brickell, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In 1989, there were $2.5 trillion of swaps outstanding, according to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. Today there are $464 trillion. Why?"
May 14, 2010	Senate passes amendment on debit and credit card swipe fees - Brady Dennis and Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post Summary: "Retailers won a long-sought victory late Thursday as the Senate approved a measure that would give them more power over the fees they pay to banks each time shoppers swipe a credit or debit card."
May 14, 2010	Chris Dodd: Amendments could kill Wall Street bill - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd warned Thursday that an open-ended amendment process could threaten final passage of Wall Street reform, just hours before a Democratic Caucus meeting in which the party is expected to lay out its final moves on the bill."
May 13, 2010	Wall Street lobbies against Senate measures on derivatives - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "With the Senate in countdown mode for passing an overhaul of financial regulation, Wall Street executives and banking industry lobbyists are on the ground in Washington fighting a handful of measures that they say will hurt their industry and the broader U.S. economy."
May 13, 2010	The New Sheriffs of Wall Street - Michael Sherer, Time Magazine Summary: "A few weeks back, at an event to celebrate the role of women in finance, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner tried to get things started with a joke. He said he had recently come across a headline that asked, 'What If Women Ran Wall Street?'"
May 13, 2010	Regulatory reform via resolution: Maybe not sufficient, certainly necessary - Dave Altig, Macroblog Summary: "On Tuesday and Wednesday the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta hosted its annual Financial Markets Conference, titled this year 'Up From the Ashes: The Financial System After the Crisis.' Much of the first day was devoted to conversations about rating agencies and their role in the economy, for better and worse.
May 13, 2010	Senate vote on Brownback auto dealer carveout postponed - Silla Brush, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "The Senate Thursday postponed voting on a controversial amendment to Wall Street overhaul legislation that would carve out auto dealers from a new consumer protection regulator."
May 13, 2010	Senate approves new rules for credit-rating agencies - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Responding to federal and state investigations into conflicts of interest at financial institutions and credit-rating agencies, the Senate on Thursday approved new rules for raters, including a measure to create a clearinghouse intermediary to assign credit raters for banks' structured finance securities."
May 13, 2010	Senate Rejects Bankruptcy for Nonbank Financial Cos Amendment - Victoria McGrane, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "U.S. Senate lawmakers Thursday defeated a GOP amendment to force failing nonbank financial giants into bankruptcy, preserving a central element of the Obama administration's plan to revamp the nation's financial regulations."
May 13, 2010	Rating Agencies Face Curbs - Aaron Lucchetti, Serena Ng, and Greg Hitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Senate approved a provision that would thrust the government into the process of determining who rates complex bond deals, in a move to end alleged conflicts of interest blamed by some for worsening the financial crisis."
May 13, 2010	Senate rejects GOP derivatives plan - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "An intense day of Senate votes on the financial reform bill culminated with the body rejecting Wednesday evening a GOP amendment that would have weakened the highly contested derivatives language crafted by Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)."
May 13, 2010	Financial Bill Offers Tax Break for Investors - Martin Vaughn, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A provision in the Senate financial overhaul that would tighten regulation of derivatives could result in a tax break for investors in hedge funds and other investment vehicles that now trade in less-regulated over-the-counter swaps."
May 13, 2010	White House fights back against Carper amendment to Wall Street reform bill - Silla Brush, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "The White House said Thursday it would fight efforts under the Wall Street bill to limit states from pursuing tougher consumer regulations than the federal government."
May 13, 2010	Financial Overhaul Heads Toward a House-Senate Conference - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Washington Wire blog Summary: "If the Senate approves the financial overhaul bill in the next few weeks, it would have to be reconciled with a bill the House passed in December, and the talks to iron out several big differences between the two measures could be televised."
May 13, 2010	Senate Democrats Look to Wrap Up Financial Overhaul Debate - Greg Hitt, Wall Street Journal Washington Wire blog Summary: "The end is near. Well, maybe. Discussions are under way on a strategy to wrap up debate on the financial regulation overhaul in the Senate, and Senate Democrats on Thursday are expected to meet behind closed doors to talk about the way forward."
May 13, 2010	Blanche Lincoln primary has banking bill in limbo - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "The Obama administration doesn’t love it. Senate Democrats aren’t wild about it, either. Even respected financial watchdogs like Paul Volcker oppose it."
May 13, 2010	Senate votes to keep small banks under Federal Reserve's oversight - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The Federal Reserve would continue to oversee smaller banks around the country under a measure adopted Wednesday in the Senate, marking a major victory for the Fed as lawmakers prepare to overhaul the nation's financial regulations."
May 12, 2010	Obama Blasts Auto Dealer ‘Loophole’ - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times The Caucus blog Summary: "In an unusually forceful foray into Senate floor debate, President Obama on Wednesday issued a statement opposing a proposal by Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, to protect auto dealers from new consumer protection provisions in a major financial regulatory bill."
May 12, 2010	Overhaul Deal Might Leave Lincoln In A Bind At Home - Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "Senate Democrats hope to wrap up work on a financial regulatory bill next week, despite political and logistical challenges posed by two key Democratic primaries next Tuesday and a number of unresolved amendments."
May 12, 2010	Regulators Push for Market-Wide Circuit Breaker - Jacob Bunge, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. securities regulators are seeking a market-wide 'circuit breaker' tied to moves in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, alongside individual guidelines for component stocks of that index, according to people close to the discussions."
May 12, 2010	Op-ed: The danger in financial markets' unchecked 'doomsday machines' - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post Summary: "May has been a month of deregulatory debacle, of machines running out of control in the Wall Street meltdown and the Gulf oil spill, both of which could have been averted by some prudent rule-making."
May 12, 2010	Big banks hire D.C. heavyweights - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "The nation’s six largest banks and their trade associations have hired more than 240 former government officials-turned-lobbyists to represent them in the fight over Wall Street reform, according to a new report by several progressive groups."
May 12, 2010	Proposal Calls for Banks to Draft 'Living Wills' - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has proposed to require the country's largest banks to create a plan for their own liquidation in the case of financial stress."
May 12, 2010	Centrists senators push for greater federal power in consumer regulations - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Four centrist Senate Democrats are leading an effort to modify the Wall Street overhaul bill to give the federal government greater power than states on consumer regulations."
May 12, 2010	Senate Backs Audit of Fed Bailout Role - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday to require an audit of the Federal Reserve’s emergency actions during and after the 2008 financial crisis as part of broad legislation overhauling the nation’s financial regulatory system."
May 12, 2010	Senate Passes Amendment for One-Time Audit of Fed - Victoria McGrane and Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Senate adopted an amendment Tuesday to the financial-overhaul bill that would boost transparency of the Federal Reserve's emergency lending actions during the financial crisis."
May 12, 2010	Op-ed: Central banks are losing credibility - John Taylor, Financial Times Summary: "Whether or not one believes that the €750bn European rescue plan will stabilise financial markets, its consequences for Europe’s economies are surely negative."
May 11, 2010	Survey: Mainers Overwhelmingly Support Wall Street Reforms - Maine Public Broadcasting Network Summary: "The Pew Financial Reform Project survey found that likely voters in Maine support key elements of the financial reform measure now before Congress."
May 11, 2010	Still no answers for Dow's plunge - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "Four days after the 'flash crash' on Wall Street, government investigators say they still haven’t pinpointed the original trade that began the market slide – and that they may not ever be able to pin down the exact cause of the event."
May 11, 2010	SEC, US Exchanges Agree To Create Market-Wide Circuit Breakers - Sarah N. Lynch and Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the major trading exchanges agreed on Monday that a market-wide 'circuit-breaker' system should be established to handle the type of market volatility demonstrated in Thursday's unsettling market plunge, according to people familiar with the matter.
May 11, 2010	Senators are set to vote on amendment to audit Federal Reserve - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Lawmakers on Tuesday are likely to vote on an amendment by Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) to expand oversight of the Federal Reserve."
May 11, 2010	Close Call - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "Last Wednesday, Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln took to the Senate floor and delivered about as fiery a speech as you’ll hear in the chamber, at least on the subject of financial reform."
May 11, 2010	For Administration, an Ill-Timed Request for Aid - Binyamin Applebaum, New York Times Summary: "Fannie Mae’s request on Monday for another $8.4 billion in federal aid comes at a politically inconvenient time for the Obama administration, which is pressing to pass sweeping financial legislation without resolving the company’s future."
May 11, 2010	Republican senators pressing to end federal control of Fannie, Freddie - Zachary A. Goldfarb and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "As the Senate resumed debate Monday on legislation to overhaul financial regulation, leading Republican lawmakers are pushing an amendment that would wind down the government-controlled mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
May 10, 2010	Column: Bust Up the Banks - Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm Summary: "In early January, Ben Bernanke defended the Fed's handling of the recent financial crisis. The lesson he drew was simple: better regulation could have prevented it."
May 10, 2010	Finance reform bill leaves some key decisions to regulators - David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "Rather than tackling some of the most crucial issues facing Wall Street and the financial system, the pending Senate bill aimed at overhauling financial regulation would instead punt on several of those questions."
May 10, 2010	Bennett's defeat - Jay Evensen, Deseret News Summary: "I was looking over a newly released opinion poll today from the Pew Financial Reform Project on financial reform. I tried to put myself in the shoes of a politician. If I were in Congress, how would I vote on this issue?"
May 10, 2010	Jack Reed wants hedge funds to register - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "Democratic Sen. Jack Reed filed an amendment to the sweeping Wall Street reform bill Monday that cracks down on the private investment pools that have escaped largely unscathed from the kind of scrutiny big banks have faced."
May 10, 2010	Moody's Under SEC Investigation - Associated Press Summary: "Moody's Investors Service stock fell sharply Monday following news that the ratings company is being investigated for possibly misleading regulators three years ago."
May 10, 2010	A Fistful of Dollars: Lobbying and the Financial Crisis - David Leonhardt, New York Times Economix blog Summary: "The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis — Narayana R. Kocherlakota – came out in favor of a bank tax today."
May 10, 2010	Reform bill should include Fannie, Freddie: Shelby - Roberta Rampton, Reuters Summary: "Financial reform legislation being debated by the Senate needs to overhaul government involvement in U.S. mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Senator Richard Shelby, the lead Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said on Saturday."
May 10, 2010	Reid seeks to fast-track financial overhaul bill - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The tourists had gone. His colleagues had cleared out. But Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) remained on the deserted Senate floor last Tuesday evening, looking sullen."
May 10, 2010	Consensus for Limits to Secrecy at the Fed - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Federal Reserve appears to have succeeded in fending off a challenge to the autonomy of its monetary policy decisions, but it is likely to face greater scrutiny of the actions it has taken since 2007 to prevent financial institutions from collapsing."
May 10, 2010	Banks Lobbying Against Derivatives Trading Ban - Binyamin Applebaum and Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Summary: "Cory Strupp, who represents Wall Street in Washington, spent the last six months lobbying for more than two dozen changes in the derivatives chapter of the Senate’s financial legislation."
May 10, 2010	Levin Aims to Ban Banks From Betting Against Customers - John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban investment banks from betting against their customers in many circumstances, in a further ripple effect for Wall Street from Goldman Sachs's troubles."
May 10, 2010	Parties working together on financial regulatory bill in Senate - Shailagh Murray, Washington Post Summary: "Something unusual is taking place on the Senate floor: Republicans and Democrats are working together on a major piece of legislation."
May 10, 2010	Volcker: Derivatives rule goes too far; banks shouldn't have to shed businesses - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Count former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker among those concerned about a contentious proposal that could force big banks to spin off their lucrative derivatives businesses."
May 10, 2010	Editorial: Financial reform is coming to the US - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "With scores of amendments still being considered, it is too soon to say how the US Senate’s financial reform will look. But the past few days of debate were encouraging. Despite posturing on both sides to suggest otherwise, the divisions are not strongly ideological."
May 10, 2010	GOP chips away at Wall St. bill - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "Senate Republicans have been on the defensive over Wall Street reform since the start but, this week, will try to force Democrats to contend with their argument that the Senate bill simply goes too far."
May 09, 2010	Column: 6 simple steps to fix Wall Street - Allan Sloan with Doris Burke Fortune, Washington Post Summary: "The first thing you learn when you start looking at Wall Street, which I've been doing for 40 years, is to never trust the salesmen."
May 09, 2010	Dodd: Wall St. Detached From "Real Economy" - David S. Morgan, CBS News Summary: "There has been no clear determination as to what caused Thursday's remarkable drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average - plummeting about 1,000 points and rebounding another 700 in about half an hour - in the midst of positive economic news on job growth."
May 08, 2010	Payday lenders and check cashers fight financial reform legislation in Congress - Shailagh Murray, Washington Post Summary: "Payday lenders and check cashers blanketed Capitol Hill last week to challenge the scope of the financial reforms under debate in Congress and combat the industry's reputation as the pariahs of the financial system."
May 08, 2010	Editorial: New version of financial regulatory reform bill has a fighting chance - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "THESE ARE polarized and partisan days in Washington, hardly optimal conditions for elected leaders to tackle a subject as complex and politicized as financial regulatory reform."
May 07, 2010	Financial firms' roles toughen legislative task - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley do not always need to act in their customers' best interests."
May 07, 2010	Goldman Talks Settlement With SEC - Susan Pulliam and Susanne Craig, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lawyers met this week with representatives of the Securities and Exchange Commission in a first step toward a potential settlement of the agency's fraud lawsuit against the securities firm."
May 07, 2010	Fed Faults Its New York Office's Oversight of Big Banks - Jon Hilsenrath and Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has come under pressure from Fed officials in Washington to improve the performance of its supervisors overseeing the nation's biggest banks, new documents show."
May 07, 2010	Paulson and Geithner Back Calls for Tighter Regulation - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Two Treasury secretaries, Henry M. Paulson Jr. and his successor, Timothy F. Geithner, on Thursday endorsed calls for stricter regulation of financial markets."
May 07, 2010	Senate Nod to Fed Audit Is Expected - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The Senate on Thursday rejected an effort by liberal Democrats to break up some of the biggest banks, defeating an amendment to financial regulatory legislation that would have imposed new limits on the size and scope of financial companies."
May 07, 2010	With 2 Republicans, financial overhaul bill moves toward approval - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The effort to overhaul the nation's financial regulations cleared a crucial hurdle Thursday in the Senate, a signal that the landmark legislation, long stalled by filibuster threats and partisan standoffs, could be on the fast track toward passage."
May 06, 2010	Durbin: Bank bill deadline may slip - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "The Senate's second-ranking Democrat indicated Thursday that Majority Leader Harry Reid's goal of finishing a Wall Street reform bill by next week might be out of reach."
May 06, 2010	Op-ed: Better data needed to regulate markets - Allan Mendelowitz and John Liechty, Financial Times Summary: "The stability and efficiency of financial markets are critical to the well-being of nations. The US Senate is now debating legislation intended to correct failings that contributed to the near collapse of the global financial system in 2008."
May 06, 2010	Kansas Fed's Hoenig urges hard leverage constraints - Corbett B. Daly, Reuters Summary: "Policymakers need to act quickly to enact 'hard' rules to limit the amount of leverage financial institutions can take on or risk another financial crisis, said Thomas Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City."
May 06, 2010	Senate Liberals Push for Strict Financial Rules - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Liberal Democrats in the Senate, emboldened by a wave of populism, are trying to make financial regulatory legislation far tougher on Wall Street, potentially restricting or breaking up the biggest banks and financial companies."
May 06, 2010	GOP mulls pay-go challenge to Wall Street reform legislation - Jay Heflin, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "Senate Republicans are plotting a budget point of order against the financial reform bill because it no longer complies with pay-as-you-go rules."
May 06, 2010	Op-ed: Derivatives Clearinghouses Are No Magic Bullet - Mark J. Roe, Wall Street Journal Summary: "As the Senate finalizes its financial reform legislation, a consensus is developing that if we could just get derivatives traded through a centralized clearinghouse we could avoid a financial crisis like the one we just went through."
May 06, 2010	Editorial: A Fannie Mae Political Reckoning - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "One sign that the White House financial reform is less potent than its advertising claims is that it doesn't even attempt to reform the two companies at the heart of the housing mania and panic, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
May 06, 2010	2 Votes Break Logjam on Financial Overhaul Bill - Edward Wyatt and David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The Senate on Wednesday approved two amendments to the financial regulatory bill that both Democrats and Republicans claimed would end the prospect of taxpayer-financed bailouts for companies deemed 'too big to fail.'"
May 06, 2010	Senate Strikes Deal on Failing Financial Firms - Victoria McGrane and Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senators overwhelmingly approved a plan to give the government broad new powers to break up failing financial companies."
May 06, 2010	Financial overhaul bill gets bipartisan push in Senate - Brady Dennis and Shailagh Murray, Washington Post Summary: "In a rare show of bipartisanship, the Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the financial regulatory bill aimed at ensuring that taxpayers never again be on the hook for bailing out collapsed banks and investment firms."
May 05, 2010	Sen. Lincoln Plan to Allow Swaps Desk to Go in Affiliate - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A controversial derivatives regulation plan would allow large banks to spin off their derivatives operations into an affiliate under the same parent company, an aide to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (D., Ark.) said Wednesday."
May 05, 2010	Bank Tax Needs More Study, Says Levin - Martin Vaughn, Wall Street Journal Summary: "House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin (D., Mich.) said a tax on financial institutions proposed by the Obama administration needs more study before it becomes part of legislation."
May 05, 2010	Yesterday's Crisis - Kent Hoover, Portfolio.com Summary: "It appears the Senate will finally get down to business on financial regulatory reform, now that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd has agreed to Republican demands to drop a $50 billion fund for helping wind down failing financial institutions."
May 05, 2010	Barney Frank to White House: Fight the GOP - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank is worried that the GOP is scoring points with its attacks on housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and he’s urging the White House to fight back."
May 05, 2010	Taxing the Banks - Clive Crook, The Atlantic Summary: "On Tuesday Tim Geithner put the case for a tax on banks to the Senate Finance Committee. Congress Daily reports that he also seemed open to including the measure in the financial regulation bill, as urged by some Democrats."
May 05, 2010	Lawmakers Target Investment Banks - John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Lawmakers are weighing tough new legal standards for investment banks' dealings with customers, after allegations that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. took advantage of clients in the mortgage-market collapse."
May 05, 2010	Corker bucks GOP without regrets - Manu Raju, Politico Summary: "Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker knows that some of his Republican colleagues are complaining about him."
May 05, 2010	Bill Drops Fund to Shut Failed Banks - Edward Wyatt and David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Leaders of the Senate Banking Committee said Tuesday that they had reached an agreement to limit the likelihood that big banks would be bailed out by taxpayers."
May 05, 2010	Editorial: Credit-rating reform ideas are plentiful, if Congress is listening - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "BY NOW, the conflict of incentives embedded in the Wall Street credit ratings agencies' business model is well understood. Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch generally get paid by the same companies whose securities they are evaluating."
May 05, 2010	Crisis Panel to Probe Window-Dressing at Banks - Loise Story, New York Times Summary: "It’s an open secret on Wall Street that many big banks routinely — and legally — fudge their quarterly books."
May 05, 2010	White House Recasts Bailout Funds Recovery - Martin Vaughn, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Obama administration has altered its approach to recouping bailout funds from the financial industry, after objections that its previous concept—a fixed-rate tax on bank liabilities—could harm the market for U.S. Treasuries and other safe investments."
May 05, 2010	Republicans to Press Fannie, Freddie Issue - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Republicans have complained for months that the Obama administration’s financial overhaul push doesn’t include any resolution to the government’s expensive conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
May 05, 2010	Leftist Moves to Center Stage - Naftali Bendavid, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Sen. Bernie Sanders can seem like a character from another era with his rumpled suits and oratory about economic justice. But as anger at bankers and Wall Street runs high, Congress's only self-declared socialist is moving to center stage."
May 05, 2010	Column: Goldman and the 'Sophisticated' Investor - Thomas Frank, Wall Street Journal Summary: "By my count, Goldman Sachs executive Fabrice Tourre uttered the word 'sophisticated' four times in his remarks last week to the Senate subcommittee investigating the investment bank, using the term each time to characterize the various hedge funds and banks who were Goldman's clients."
May 05, 2010	Editorial: The Hard Work on Financial Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "The procedural vote in the Senate last week on financial reform did more than end a Republican filibuster. It set up the real test of the Democrats’ resolve to enact the kind of change that the nation’s financial system so badly needs."
May 05, 2010	Baucus: Bank tax in financial reform is unlikely to happen - Jay Heflin, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "The Senate Finance Committee chairman tells The Hill he doesn't think there are 60 votes for a bank tax."
May 05, 2010	Fed's Team at Capitol Short-Staffed - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Reserve's efforts to fend off challenges to its independence by Congress could be complicated by departures from the central bank's legislative-affairs office."
May 05, 2010	Some Democrats reluctant to include bank tax in overhaul - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Lawmakers seeking to overhaul financial industry regulations grappled Tuesday with the question of how to cover the cost of federal bailouts."
May 05, 2010	Senate Prepares to Weigh Amendments to Financial-Overhaul Bill - Michael R. Crittenden and Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. Senate lawmakers need to finish work on wide-ranging legislation to overhaul regulation of U.S. financial markets by the end of next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said Tuesday."
May 04, 2010	Harry Reid: Must finish reform by next week - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday that the Senate must finish its work on financial regulatory reform 'one way or the other' by next week."
May 04, 2010	Key Senators in partial agreement on Wall Street reform - Kevin Drawbaugh and Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "Key senators reached a partial agreement on Wall Street reform on Tuesday, but disputes over some issues continued, and the Senate adjourned without casting votes on amendments as planned."
May 04, 2010	Divided Dems fight over Wall St. reform - Alexander Bolton, The Hill Summary: "Divisions among Democrats emerged Tuesday on the details of Wall Street reform legislation."
May 04, 2010	Reid hammers Republicans on Wall St. reform delay - Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) took to the floor late Tuesday evening to accuse Republicans of not allowing the Senate to move forward with the amendment process on its financial regulatory reform bill."
May 04, 2010	Reid Aims For Speedy Finish On Overhaul - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "As the Senate today moved toward voting on amendments to a financial regulatory overhaul, it was poised to adopt language ensuring no taxpayer money would be used to liquidate a 'too big to fail' firm that has been taken over by the federal government."
May 04, 2010	Vanguard Leads Opposition to Creditor Clause in Financial Bill - Rebecca Christie and Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "Mutual fund companies led by Vanguard Group Inc. are lobbying to remove language in the Senate’s regulatory overhaul bill that gives the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. power to pay some creditors more than others after a big bank fails."
May 04, 2010	Op-ed: What About Fan and Fred Reform? - Robert G. Wilmers, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congress may be making progress crafting new regulations for the financial-services industry, but it has yet to begin reforming two institutions that played a key role in the 2008 credit crisis—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
May 04, 2010	Voting begins in Senate on Wall Street reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Senate will cast its first votes on Tuesday on a sweeping Wall Street reform bill, with passage of a handful of uncontroversial amendments expected and a key procedural question still unsettled."
May 04, 2010	Lobbyists fret over legislation to reshape financial system - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "As the Senate dives into the details of far-reaching legislation to overhaul financial regulations this week, lobbyists who represent some of the nation's biggest banks are feeling on edge."
May 04, 2010	Column: From Buffett, Thought-Out Support for Goldman - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Dealbook Summary: "Why is Warren Buffett sticking his neck out so far in defense of Goldman Sachs?"
May 04, 2010	Derivatives-spinoff proposal opposed as part of overhaul bill - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "A dramatic proposal that could force banks to spin off their derivatives businesses, potentially costing them billions of dollars in revenue, has run into opposition on multiple fronts as the Senate prepares to take up legislation to remake financial regulations."
May 03, 2010	Swaps desk ban seen fading from bank reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Support was slipping on Monday in the Senate for a proposal to require that banks spin off their swap-trading desks, analysts and sources familiar with discussions among lawmakers said."
May 03, 2010	Coalition Seeks To Keep Swap Desk Spin-Off Proposal In Senate Bill - Sarah N. Lynch, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A coalition of national and state organizations is fighting to retain a provision in the U.S. Senate financial overhaul bill that would force banks to spin off their swap desks if they wish to remain eligible for federal financial assistance."
May 03, 2010	Anti-Wall Street sentiment propels bank bill forward - Robert Schroeder, MarketWatch Summary: "A bill that would tighten restrictions on Wall Street is getting a boost from an angry public as senators kick off debate Monday, and at least one poll is suggesting that holding the bill back will imperil lawmakers' chances for reelection in November."
May 03, 2010	A case of regulatory jitters - Beth Healy, Boston Globe Summary: "The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston would oversee six banks instead of 180. Lenders would have to keep a 5 percent stake in mortgage loans they write and sell to investors. And stockbrokers might have to live up to a higher standard, as “fiduciaries’’ charged with doing what’s best for their clients."
May 03, 2010	Schumer gets tough on Wall Street - Jerry Zremski, Buffalo News Summary: "Sen. Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat long known as the 'senator from Wall Street,' now is giving his biggest financial supporters some unwelcome tough love."
May 03, 2010	Insurers, investment firms slam Senate plan for bailout fund - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "Executives at top Massachusetts financial firms are fuming that they may be dragged into the Senate plan to fix banking problems created on Wall Street."
May 03, 2010	Left sees chance to beef up bank bill - Eamon Javers and Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Sensing the political wind at their backs, activist groups on the left are planning a push this week to shape the Wall Street reform bill on the Senate floor — and they’re hoping that fraud charges and a criminal investigation of Goldman Sachs will give them the momentum they need."
May 03, 2010	Consumer Agency Still ‘Elephant’ in Room for Finance Debate - James Rowley and Lisa Lerer, Bloomberg Summary: "A standoff over protecting consumers against shady lending practices is the biggest obstacle to Senate passage of the biggest redesign of U.S. financial regulations since the Great Depression."
May 03, 2010	Op-ed: How to Avoid a 'Bailout Bill' - John Taylor, Wall Street Journal Summary: "It's good news there's now bipartisan agreement that the financial reform bill should not be a 'bailout bill,' and that amendments to Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd's draft legislation are being proposed and debated with this agreement in mind."
May 03, 2010	Hedge funds get 'free ride' - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "Wall Street has taken its lumps in Washington recently and Goldman Sachs has become everyone’s whipping boy, but hedge funds and private equity firms have escaped relatively unscathed."
May 03, 2010	Wall Street Rules Help GOP Fill Campaign Coffers - Brody Mullins, Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire blog Summary: "Republicans may lose the fight over Wall Street regulations, but the fight has helped their campaign accounts.
May 03, 2010	Amending Wall Street - Silla Brush, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "The latest on amendments the Senate is considering to Wall Street reform legislation."
May 03, 2010	Senate Financial Bill Misguided, Some Academics Say - Sewell Chan and Binyamin Appelbaum, New York Times Summary: "As Democrats close in on their goal of overhauling the nation’s financial regulations, several prominent experts say that the legislation does not even address the right problems, leaving the financial system vulnerable to another major crisis."
May 03, 2010	Senator Brown Says His Push to Limit Bank Size Gaining Support - Catherine Dodge and Peter Cook, Bloomberg Summary: "Senator Sherrod Brown said support is growing for his proposal to reduce the size of U.S. banks as part of broader legislation that would revamp rules governing Wall Street."
May 03, 2010	Bair Warns Against New Curbs on Bank Trading - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair has urged lawmakers to scrap a controversial Senate plan that would force banks to spin off their derivatives businesses, saying it could destabilize banks and drive risk into unregulated parts of the financial sector."
May 02, 2010	Financial Overhaul Likely To Be Major Highlight In Dodd's Long Political Career - Daniela Altimari, Hartford Courant Summary: "Christopher J. Dodd moved through the U.S. Capitol in a bubble, a blur of constant motion encompassed by a nimbus of youngish Senate staffers."
May 02, 2010	Editorial: What About the Raters? - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Everyone (except Wall Street bankers) seems to be outraged about Wall Street banks, which made billions by trading complex confections of dicey mortgages and then passed us the tab when the investments went belly up. But what about the agencies that bestowed triple-A ratings on many of the noxious financial products?"
May 02, 2010	With financial overhaul bill, Virginia's Mark Warner finds a niche in the Senate - Ben Pershing, Washington Post Summary: "The financial regulatory reform bill now inching toward passage could provide Mark Warner with the first significant victory of his short Senate career, and an object lesson on both the value and the limits of bipartisanship."
May 02, 2010	Slate of Nominees Is Clue to Obama’s Plans for Fed - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "In naming two economists and a lawyer to serve as governors of the Federal Reserve, President Obama and his top economic advisers are preparing the central bank for a new emphasis on the supervision of financial institutions."
May 01, 2010	Lobbying war launched as Senate begins debate on financial regulation - Tom Hamburger, Tribune Washington Bureau Summary: "Wall Street and other critics are mounting multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns to argue that legislation would discourage innovation and reduce profits."
May 01, 2010	New Life for 'the Volcker Rule' - Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker is 82 years old. He can't hear so well. And for a time he was outmaneuvered by President Barack Obama's economics team."
May 01, 2010	Why Do Senators Corker And Dodd Really Think We Need Big Banks? - Simon Johnson, The Baseline Scenario Blog Summary: "On Friday, Senator Bob Corker (R, TN) took to the Senate floor to rebut critics of big banks. His language was not entirely senatorial: 'I hope we’ll all come to our senses', while listing the reasons we need big banks. And Senator Chris Dodd (D, CT) rose to agree that (in Corker’s words) reducing the size of our largest banks would be 'cutting our nose off to spite our face' and that by taking on Wall Street, 'we may be taking on the heartland.'"
Apr 30, 2010	Column: Golden Rules - Ezra Klein, Newsweek Summary: "After 10 hours and 43 minutes of testimony before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Tuesday, the hapless Goldman Sachs employees and the angry senators interrogating them were still talking past each other."
Apr 30, 2010	Q&A: Volcker on Bank Regulations - Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "I might be old-fashioned, but I stick with it.’"
Apr 30, 2010	Op-ed: Let's keep banks from growing too big to regulate - Sherrod Brown, Washington Post Summary: "Wall Street executives and newspaper editorial boards argue that it's not size but the systemic risk and the interconnectedness of 'too big to fail' banks that matter ["Bailing out of bailouts," editorial, April 25]."
Apr 30, 2010	Geithner: Fannie and Freddie reform plan coming in six months - Walter Alarkon, The Hill's On the Money blog Summary: "The Obama administration will likely take another six months before releasing its plan to reform Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae mortgage firms, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday."
Apr 30, 2010	Democrats Tweak Bank Bill to Preclude Bailouts - David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "The Senate opened debate on Thursday on a far-reaching financial regulation bill, and Democrats moved quickly to demonstrate that the legislation would not provide any future taxpayer bailouts of failing financial companies — answering a Republican criticism that the Democrats had dismissed as false."
Apr 30, 2010	Unions Hold a Rally to Protest Wall Street - Steven Greenhouse, New York Times Summary: "As the Senate began debate on a financial overhaul bill, thousands of union members pressed for higher taxes on the nation’s banks and a bigger jobs program in a rally in Lower Manhattan on Thursday."
Apr 30, 2010	Column: Big business pleads for loopholes in financial regulatory reform - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "Here's a simple explanation for the financial crisis: Too much cheap credit was extended to households, businesses and even sovereign governments that couldn't afford to carry that debt or pay it back. The obvious implication is that, going forward, credit and other financial risks should be made more expensive and harder to get."
Apr 30, 2010	Bank Bill Attracts Populist Amendments - Damian Paletta and Greg Hitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate lawmakers in both parties are planning populist attacks on Wall Street by proposing a flurry of amendments to pending financial-markets legislation in coming weeks."
Apr 30, 2010	Key players in reshaping financial rules - Reuters Summary: "As the Senate moves closer to a final vote on financial reform, party leaders -- Democrat Harry Reid and Republican Mitch McConnell -- will be major figures in determining the outcome."
Apr 30, 2010	Senate begins debate on overhaul of financial regulation - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The Senate began debating a far-reaching bill Thursday to overhaul financial regulations, bracing for a series of amendments in coming days that will highlight key divisions between Democrats and Republicans."
Apr 30, 2010	Op-ed: Ironing Out the Kinks in the Dodd Bill - Phillip Swagel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Imagine a future in which Sen. Chris Dodd's financial reform bill was law and a firm like AIG or Lehman Brothers failed. Without a vote of Congress, the government could guarantee the firm's debts or put money into the failing firm to keep it afloat and reduce the hit taken by creditors such as banks and pension funds that lent the firm money."
Apr 29, 2010	Crisis Cost U.S. $648 Billion In Income, Report Says - John Maggs, National Journal Summary: "The United States lost $648 billion in income and 5.5 million jobs due to the financial crisis from October 2008 though the end of 2009, turning what was predicted to be a brief and mild downturn into one of the longest and deepest recessions since the 1930s, according to a new report commissioned by the Pew Financial Reform Project."
Apr 29, 2010	House GOP cool on compromise - James Hohmann, Politico Summary: "House Republicans are unlikely to jump on board with a financial reform bill even if a controversial $50 billion bank liquidation fund is removed, making it clear that even if a Senate compromise emerges, the vote will still be partisan in the House."
Apr 29, 2010	Senate Republicans Vow to Amend Finance Bill as Debate Begins - Alison Vekshin and James Rowley, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Republicans abandoned their efforts to block debate over legislation overhauling U.S. financial rules, vowing instead to fight for changes to the bill on issues ranging from consumer protection to derivatives."
Apr 29, 2010	Obama to Nominate Three to the Central Bank - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "President Obama will nominate Janet L. Yellen on Thursday to be vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, and fill two remaining seats on the central bank’s board of governors, officials said Wednesday evening."
Apr 29, 2010	Goldman Sachs adds to its ranks of lobbyists - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "Until a few years ago, Goldman Sachs operated a sleepy lobby shop in the nation's capital."
Apr 29, 2010	Senate Ends Financial-Bill Standoff - Greg Hitt and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Lawmakers ended the three-day standoff holding up action on the financial-overhaul bill, setting up a Senate debate in which both sides will be maneuvering for advantage."
Apr 29, 2010	Goldman Shows It Can Still Lobby Hard - Elizabeth Williamson and Brody Mullins, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is lobbying hard to kill a provision in financial industry overhaul legislation requiring big banks to sell off their derivatives-trading businesses, and rival banks are welcoming the help, shrugging off attacks on the firm by lawmakers and securities regulators."
Apr 29, 2010	Suspicion greets Democrat's stated reason for opposing financial overhaul bill - Brady Dennis and Lori Montgomery, Washington Post Summary: "For the third day in a row, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) broke with his Democratic colleagues Wednesday and voted to block the start of formal Senate debate on a far-reaching bill to overhaul financial regulations."
Apr 29, 2010	Republicans Allow Debate on Financial Overhaul - David M. Herszenhorn and Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "With political pressure mounting, Senate Republicans relented on Wednesday and agreed to let Democrats open debate on legislation that would impose the most far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s financial regulatory system since the aftermath of the Depression."
Apr 29, 2010	Goldman and Its Lobbyists Spurned in Finance Fight - Eric Lichtblau and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "Last week, White House officials quietly approached leading financial firms seeking formal letters of support for a Congressional overhaul of financial regulations. One Wall Street powerhouse was left off the list: Goldman Sachs."
Apr 29, 2010	Bunning calls Reid an 'idiot' - Manu Raju and John Bresnahan, Politico Summary: "Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning called Harry Reid an 'idiot' during a lunch meeting with other Republican senators this week — the latest sign that the Senate majority leader is getting under the skin of his GOP counterparts."
Apr 28, 2010	Op-ed: Using Education to Cope With a Complex Economy - Timothy Geithner, Arne Duncan and Valerie Jarrett, Huffington Post Summary: "While Americans from Wall Street to Main Street focus on much-needed financial reforms that will set and enforce clear rules across the financial marketplace, we also need to recognize that most Americans don't have the knowledge and skills they need to make the right financial decisions for themselves and their families."
Apr 28, 2010	Financial crisis cost taxpayers at least $11,000 per household - Jay Heflin, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "The Pew Economic Policy Group announced on Wednesday that the total cost to taxpayers for the financial crisis is at least $11,000."
Apr 28, 2010	U.S. Households Lost $100,000 From Financial Crisis, Study Says - Rebecca Christie, Bloomberg Summary: "The financial crisis and recession cost U.S. households an average of about $100,000 in lost wealth and income, according to a study by former Treasury Department economist Phillip Swagel."
Apr 28, 2010	Op-ed: Why cautious reform is the risky option - Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summary: "Americans are obsessed with the case launched by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Goldman Sachs. At last, many hope, wrong-doers will be punished. But this misses the point."
Apr 28, 2010	Capping Career, Dodd Relishes Fight For Financial Reform - Jay Newton-Small, Time Magazine Summary: "Senator Chris Dodd emerged from the Democrats' weekly policy lunch Tuesday and spied a wall of reporters waiting to talk to him."
Apr 28, 2010	Editorial: Wall Street Casino - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Congressional Republicans have concluded that screaming foul about the banking bailout and blocking financial reform is a clever strategy for the fall elections."
Apr 28, 2010	Column: Two planets collide for three hearings on Goldman - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "It was as if people from different planets had finally come together in the Dirksen Senate Office Building for Tuesday's big hearing on Goldman Sachs and its role in fomenting the financial crisis."
Apr 28, 2010	Column: The Riskiest Financial Firms In America - Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes Summary: "We are now well past the worst throes of the financial crisis. Banks and financial institutions are earning record profits. The economy is recovering steadily. All is right with the world! Wishful thinking."
Apr 28, 2010	Column: Will Regulation Really Hurt the Market? - Daniel Gross, Newsweek Summary: "Last week, the Senate agriculture committee, led by Blanche Lambert Lincoln, sent to the floor a bill that would significantly alter derivatives trading."
Apr 28, 2010	Republican Alternative To Democrats’ Financial Overhaul Takes Shape - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Senate Republicans are circulating their own financial overhaul plan as they continue to block the effort by Democrats to bring a White House-backed bill to the Senate floor for a vote."
Apr 28, 2010	Panel’s Blunt Questions Put Goldman on Defensive - Loise Story, New York Times Summary: "Even before the first question was leveled inside the Senate chamber, Tuesday was going to be uncomfortable for Goldman Sachs."
Apr 28, 2010	Editorial: Senators vs. Goldman - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "If an investor buys shares in General Electric, and then GE's stock declines in the future, is the New York Stock Exchange to blame? What if the investor chooses to purchase the shares through TD Ameritrade or Charles Schwab? Is the broker also responsible for the losses?"
Apr 28, 2010	GOP Holds Firm on Day 2 of Standoff - Carrie Budoff Brown and David Rogers, Politico Summary: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan to force rapid-fire votes on a Wall Street reform bill rests on a single assumption – eventually, a Republican chastened by negative headlines will fold."
Apr 28, 2010	Republican senators again block vote on financial regulation - Brady Dennis and Paul Kane, Washington Post Summary: "Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked for the second straight day efforts to begin debate on a sweeping overhaul of financial regulations, saying the bill represents an overreach of government power that could harm small businesses."
Apr 28, 2010	Finance Bill Is Blocked Again - Greg Hitt and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The relationship between Sen. Ben Nelson and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has thrown an unexpected wrench into the White House's bid to speed an overhaul of financial regulation, as the Nebraska Democrat voted for a second time in two days with Republicans to block the bill from moving forward."
Apr 27, 2010	Eventual U.S. bank reform passage seen, votes loom - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Influential Republican Senator Judd Gregg said on Tuesday he expects the U.S. Senate to eventually pass a financial reform bill as Democrats moved to force a series of votes to try to open debate on the measure."
Apr 27, 2010	Swaps limits may give false comfort - Ann Saphir, Reuters Summary: "A financial reform proposal that would force banks to spin off their swaps desks could create a false sense of security about how well banks are insulated from potential blowups, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro said on Tuesday."
Apr 27, 2010	Dodd in talks over congressional input in taxpayer bailouts - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "After receiving two major setbacks on bank reform legislation, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd once again is working on reaching a compromise with Republicans over how much taxpayer funds could be put at risk in the event of a financial crisis. "
Apr 27, 2010	Fed Presidents Asked to Meet Lawmakers on Financial Overhaul - Joshua Zumbrun and Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "The presidents of four Federal Reserve banks have been invited to meet with members of Congress this week to discuss legislation to overhaul regulation of the financial system."
Apr 27, 2010	Off Wall St., Worries About Financial Bill - Eric Lichtblau and Ron Nixon, New York Times Summary: "Mars, the maker of M&M’s and Snickers, wants to make sure it can continue dabbling in the derivatives market to protect the price of sugar and chocolate for its candies."
Apr 27, 2010	Debate stalls on Wall St. overhaul - Matt Viser, Boston Globe Summary: "Senate Republicans, including Scott Brown of Massachusetts, united with a lone Democrat yesterday to block debate on legislation designed to overhaul the nation’s financial regulations and prevent a repeat of the 2008 economic meltdown."
Apr 27, 2010	Op-ed: The Goldman Drama - David Brooks, New York Times Summary: "Between 1997 and 2006, consumers, lenders and builders created a housing bubble, and pretty much the entire establishment missed it."
Apr 27, 2010	Op-ed: Meet the Real Villain of the Financial Crisis - Bethany McLean, New York Times Summary: "TODAY, we will have the pleasure of watching outraged members of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations fire questions at a half-dozen executives from Goldman Sachs."
Apr 27, 2010	Talks continue as GOP senators block advance of financial overhaul bill - Brady Dennis and Shailagh Murray, Washington Post Summary: "Republicans voted unanimously Monday to block an effort to overhaul financial regulations from reaching the Senate floor, pledging to hold out for significant changes to the bill even as they acknowledged the political risk of appearing to obstruct a popular cause."
Apr 27, 2010	Levin: Goldman has been 'misleading' the country - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) charged on Monday that top executives at Goldman Sachs have been 'misleading' the country and profited from bets against the U.S. housing market in 2007 and 2008."
Apr 27, 2010	G.O.P. Blocks Debate on Financial Oversight Bill - David M. Herszenhorn and Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "Senate Republicans, united in opposition to the Democrats’ legislation to tighten regulation of the financial system, voted on Monday to block the bill from reaching the floor for debate. As both sides dug in, the battle has huge ramifications for the economy and for their political prospects in this year’s midterm elections."
Apr 27, 2010	Bank debate stalls in Senate as industry polishes image - David J. Lynch, USA TODAY Summary: "As Wall Street braces for an epic political battle, it is difficult to exaggerate either what is at stake or how battered is the financial industry's public image."
Apr 27, 2010	Sen. Kaufman of Delaware tests the big-bank theory - The Washington Post Summary: "When Congress excluded the public option from its landmark health-care bill, the leading voices in opposition from the left were familiar figures such as Howard Dean, liberal bloggers and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus."
Apr 27, 2010	Republicans delay financial reform bill - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Republicans delayed a financial regulatory bill on Monday, sending senators back to the negotiating table where they will try to thrash out a deal and consider new criticism from the Federal Reserve."
Apr 27, 2010	Finance Bill Hits Impasse - Greg Hitt and Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Republicans closed ranks Monday to block Democrats' overhaul of financial regulation, a standoff that throws the sweeping legislation into a period of uncertainty."
Apr 26, 2010	Consumer Protection as Systemic Safety - Elizabeth Warren, The American Prospect Summary: "The Senate is in the midst of a fierce battle over the future of the consumer-credit market. If you aren't watching, you should be."
Apr 26, 2010	US Senate Republican calls for strict swaps rules - Roberta Rampton and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A Senate Republican has called for the "strongest" derivatives rules, signaling that Democrats may get the votes needed to start debating their sweeping financial regulation bill on Monday."
Apr 26, 2010	Op-ed: Financial reform's big unknowns - Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post Summary: "The one thing we know about the financial 'reform' now moving toward what looks like eventual congressional approval is that it will be oversold, says economist Robert Litan of the Kauffman Foundation."
Apr 26, 2010	Op-ed: Berating the Raters - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "Let’s hear it for the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Its work on the financial crisis is increasingly looking like the 21st-century version of the Pecora hearings, which helped usher in New Deal-era financial regulation."
Apr 26, 2010	Op-ed: Taxpayers and the Dodd Bill - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Last Thursday, at New York's Cooper Union, President Obama promoted the Senate financial reform bill while castigating its opponents. 'Now, there's a legitimate debate taking place about how best to ensure taxpayers are held harmless,' he said of Sen. Chris Dodd's legislation."
Apr 26, 2010	Most back stricter financial reform, advantage Obama - Jon Cohen, Washington Post Behind the Numbers Summary: "About two-thirds of Americans support stricter regulations on the way banks and other financial institutions conduct their business, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."
Apr 26, 2010	Deal Near on Derivatives - Damian Paletta and Scott Patterson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats took a step toward their goal of overhauling financial regulation, reaching a tentative deal to set restrictions on trading in exotic financial instruments known as derivatives."
Apr 26, 2010	Wall St. showdown on Senate floor - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Even as both sides closed in on a Wall Street reform deal, Senate Republicans predicted Sunday that Democrats will fail to push the overhaul bill through the chamber Monday."
Apr 26, 2010	Op-ed: Time to take Wall Street out of Washington - Robert Reich, Financial Times Summary: "Washington’s relationship with Wall Street is growing more schizophrenic by the day. On the one hand, Congress is trying to show how tough it can be on the financial sector by enacting a law ostensibly designed to prevent another near-meltdown and taxpayer-supported bail-out."
Apr 26, 2010	Decision near for financial reform in Senate - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The most sweeping overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression, including tough new rules for the derivatives market, was slated for a crucial test vote in the Senate on Monday."
Apr 25, 2010	Op-ed: 'We Won't Get Caught Off Guard Next Time' - Chris Dodd, Hartford Courant Summary: "The economic crisis caused by Wall Street misdeeds and regulatory failures did massive damage to American businesses and families who did nothing wrong."
Apr 25, 2010	Cracked Foundation: Reforming Housing Finance - Roger Lowenstein, New York Times Summary: "Timothy Geithner, a man whose taste for Kierkegaard is usually kept under wraps, recently held forth to the House Financial Services Committee on the 'central, existential question' that is facing America or, at the very least, that is facing its reform of housing finance."
Apr 25, 2010	Column: Do You Have Any Reforms in Size XL? - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "EVERY once in a while, Congress awakens from its lobbyist-induced torpor, realizes that the masses are cranky and sets out to appease them. Such a moment occurred last week when lawmakers finally got the message that Main Street is disgusted with Wall Street and wants them to do something about it."
Apr 25, 2010	They’ve Got It: Fixes for the Financial System - Sewell Chan and Binyamin Appelbaum, New York Times Summary: "Congress is consumed by the proposed legislation to overhaul the financial system, with lawmakers clashing over the best ways to regulate derivatives, protect consumers and end taxpayer-supported bailouts."
Apr 25, 2010	Op-ed: Fight On, Goldman Sachs! - Frank Rich, New York Times Summary: "MAYBE Lloyd Blankfein was doing 'God’s work' after all. When the Goldman Sachs chief executive made that tone-deaf remark to an interviewer in November, he became the butt of a million insults, the ultimate symbol of Wall Street’s abdication of responsibility for its sleazy role in the Great Crash of ’08.
Apr 25, 2010	Editorial: Bailing out of bailouts - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "NO ISSUE LOOMS larger in the Senate debate on financial regulation than 'too big to fail.' As long as a few giant financial institutions dominate the system, they will enjoy artificial competitive advantages based on the market's perception that the U.S. government would never let them go under.
Apr 25, 2010	US prepares to push for global capital rules - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The US is preparing to pivot from domestic regulatory reform to a push for a tough new international capital regime after the weekend’s G20 and International Monetary Fund meetings glossed over differences between leading economies."
Apr 25, 2010	Op-ed: Obama and Wall St. — it’s not 1936 - Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times Summary: "The Barack Obama who went to Wall Street last week to ask investment bankers to support new financial regulations had little in common with the fire-breathing Franklin D. Roosevelt of 1936 who denounced 'financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking,' and added pungently, 'I welcome their hatred.'"
Apr 23, 2010	Sizing Up Seven Key Elements of Financial Reform - Barbara Kiviat, Time Magazine Summary: "As Senate Democrats gear up to start trying to pass their version of a bill to re-regulate Wall Street and other finance firms, President Obama swung by New York City for a speech in the nation's financial capital."
Apr 23, 2010	Senators Move Toward Finance Bill Deal as Gaps Loom With House - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Democrats and Republicans say a deal on legislation to rewrite the rules of U.S. finance may be within reach. If they succeed, they’ll be only halfway home."
Apr 23, 2010	G-20 Chiefs to Press Finance Reform - Tom Barkley, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations will struggle this week to keep up the momentum on financial reform, as disagreements emerged over bank tax proposals being floated by the International Monetary Fund that could cost the financial sector as much as $2 trillion."
Apr 23, 2010	Op-ed: Back to Basics on Financial Reform - Niall Ferguson and Ted Forstmann, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A "trilemma" is like a dilemma, only there are three things to choose from and you can have just two. The current debate over post-crisis financial regulation suggests we face such a trilemma: We can choose any two of the following, but not all three: 1) efficient capital markets 2) no bailouts to big banks and 3) a depression-free economy."
Apr 23, 2010	Derivatives traders search for ways to appease regulators - Aline van Duyn, Financial Times Summary: "As Barack Obama, US president, took to the stage in New York to admonish Wall Street for spending millions of dollars on lobbying efforts to avoid tough new regulations, hundreds of derivatives industry participants were gathered on the other side of the US to mull over their futures."
Apr 23, 2010	Op-ed: How Obama found his mojo on Wall Street - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post Summary: "The politics of financial regulatory reform are simple. After the meltdown and the bailout, many Americans -- perhaps most Americans -- are inclined to see Wall Street as predatory and all-devouring. Striding into the lion's den and calling the beast to heel, as President Obama did Thursday, was a move without a downside."
Apr 23, 2010	Op-ed: Don’t Cry for Wall Street - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "On Thursday, President Obama went to Manhattan, where he urged an audience drawn largely from Wall Street to back financial reform. 'I believe,' he declared, 'that these reforms are, in the end, not only in the best interest of our country, but in the best interest of the financial sector.''"
Apr 23, 2010	Finance Bill Climax Looms - Damian Paletta and Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama used a Manhattan speech to urge top banking executives to back his sweeping overhaul of financial-market rules, while in Washington the bill gained steam as cracks in the Republican opposition improved its prospects in Congress."
Apr 23, 2010	Republicans Block Start of Debate on Financial Bill - Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner, Politico Summary: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) placed a bet Thursday: Call the roll on a Wall Street reform bill and at least one Republican will say 'aye.'"
Apr 23, 2010	Obama to Wall St.: ‘Join Us, Instead of Fighting Us’ - Peter Baker and David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "President Obama took his rhetoric of reform on Thursday to the nation’s financial capital in a high-profile foray to chide Wall Street bankers for their “reckless practices” and to press for tighter regulations meant to avert another financial crisis."
Apr 22, 2010	Op-ed: The Two Issues to Watch on Financial Reform - Alan Blinder, Wall Street Journal Summary: "We may now be approaching the final act of the lengthy legislative drama of financial regulatory reform. While reformers still have miles to go before they sleep, the prospects for getting a good bill through Congress have brightened considerably since health reform passed."
Apr 22, 2010	Dodd reform bill would reduce U.S. deficit: report - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The Democrat's Senate financial reform bill would cut the U.S. budget deficit by $21 billion over the next 10 years, according to a cost estimate by the Congressional Budget Office obtained by Reuters."
Apr 22, 2010	Fed Said to Press Largest Banks to Lower Pay Incentives for Risk - Ian Katz, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve supervisors are telling about two dozen of the largest U.S. banks they must do more to end pay practices that encourage excessive risk-taking and are ordering boards to step up scrutiny of incentives, according to three people briefed on the discussions."
Apr 22, 2010	Op-ed: Reforms miss the mark - Thomas J. Donohue, USA Today Summary: "America's broken financial regulatory structure contributed to the loss of 7 million jobs in the current recession. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is leading the effort to create more than 20 million jobs in the next 10 years, and we're urging Congress to pass financial reforms that help reach that goal."
Apr 22, 2010	Editorial: After Goldman - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "After the government sued Goldman Sachs for fraud, a lot of politicians vowed to finally clean up the system. In an important committee vote on Wednesday, 13 senators — including one Republican for a refreshing change — approved a measure that would go a long way toward regulating derivatives, the complex instruments at the heart of the bubble, the bust, the bailouts and the Goldman case."
Apr 22, 2010	Obama Looks to Close Sale on Financial Reform - Jackie Calmes, New York Times Summary: "Just over three years ago, early in his uphill campaign for president, Senator Barack Obama wrote to the Federal Reserve chairman and the Treasury secretary calling for a summit conference to address signs of trouble in the housing and financial markets."
Apr 22, 2010	Senators close to a deal on financial regulation bill - Brady Dennis and Paul Kane, Washington Post Summary: "Key members of both parties said Wednesday that they are close to agreeing on the main elements of a bill to overhaul the nation's financial regulations, raising the prospect that the Senate could begin formal discussion of the landmark legislation early next week."
Apr 22, 2010	Grassley Bucks GOP, Backs Derivatives Curbs - Damian Paletta and Greg Hitt, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats won the support of a senior Republican Wednesday for a sweeping overhaul of the market for derivatives, as both sides appeared to be inching closer to a broader deal on new financial market rules after a week of bitter feuds."
Apr 22, 2010	Bill on Finance Wins Approval of Senate Panel - Edward Wyatt and David M. Herszenhorn, New York Times Summary: "Senate Republicans and Democrats predicted on Wednesday that Congress would soon pass a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s financial regulatory system, indicating a potentially swift resolution of the latest partisan firefight on Capitol Hill."
Apr 21, 2010	Op-ed: The GOP and the Politics of Financial Reform - Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal Summary: "This is a season of discontent for congressional Democrats. This week's Pew Poll holds plenty of bad news for them. Congress's favorability ratings stand at 25%, the lowest in the poll's nearly three decade-long history. The Pew Poll also found that the more upset independents are about the current state of politics, the more likely they are to throw out the Democrats. The independents that are most upset favor Republicans 66% to 13%."
Apr 21, 2010	Wall St spent heavily on lobbying Congress - David Morgan, Reuters Summary: "Wall Street institutions and allied special-interest groups poured tens of millions of dollars into lobbying Congress in early 2010, as the political focus shifted to financial reform from healthcare, official data shows."
Apr 21, 2010	NY mayor sticks up for Wall Street as Obama heads to city to lobby for financial reforms - Sara Kugler, Associated Press Summary: "As Congress debates sweeping legislation aimed at guarding against another financial meltdown, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has become Wall Street's spokesman and defender amid a chorus of populist voices."
Apr 21, 2010	Mike Bloomberg vs. Chuck Schumer - Glenn Thrush and Manu Raju, Politico Summary: "A rift as big as Wall Street is dividing the two most powerful politicians in New York — Sen. Chuck Schumer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg."
Apr 21, 2010	Democrats press advantage on financial reform - Andy Sullivan and Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Democrats in the Senate pressed forward on a sweeping regulation overhaul on Wednesday, backing a measure to drive banks from the lucrative derivatives market at the heart of the financial crisis."
Apr 21, 2010	Sides Getting Closer To Overhaul Deal - Dan Friedman and Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Senators today inched toward a financial regulatory reform bill deal that would leave room for changes through amendments."
Apr 21, 2010	Goldman Donations Spurned in Illinois Campaign for Obama Seat - John McCormick, Bloomberg Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s problems with the Securities and Exchange Commission are spilling over into the U.S. midterm elections."
Apr 21, 2010	Op-ed: Bankruptcy Reform Will Limit Bailouts - Thomas Jackson and David Skeel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The volcanic language coming out of Washington suggests there are only two choices with financial reform: Cram down Sen. Chris Dodd's bill over Republican opposition, or stop the bill in its tracks. But there is a third option that would address both sides' concerns by linking bankruptcy reform to the proposed framework for regulating derivatives."
Apr 21, 2010	Op-ed: Hope rises for real financial reform - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post Summary: "The Goldman Sachs scandal has done the unthinkable: It's made it possible that legislation reining in Wall Street's casino may actually be enacted."
Apr 21, 2010	IMF to Nations: Tax Finance Firms - Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The International Monetary Fund advised Group-of-20 nations to tax balance sheets, profits and compensation of financial institutions to reduce the chances of another financial crisis, and pay for the costs if one occurs."
Apr 21, 2010	A primer on financial derivatives - Robert O'Harrow, Washington Post Summary: "The derivative has become one of the financial world's most important risk-management tools."
Apr 21, 2010	Op-ed: Clearinghouses Are the Answer - Gary Gensler, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In September 1998, I travelled to Greenwich, Conn., to meet with Long-Term Capital Management, which was on the brink of failure. The highly leveraged hedge fund was dangerously interconnected to numerous financial institutions through its $1.2 trillion derivatives book."
Apr 21, 2010	Once critical of financial regulation bill, Republicans change their tone - Brady Dennis and Shailagh Murray, Washington Post Summary: "Key Senate Republicans on Tuesday began to back away from their sharp criticism of proposed new financial regulations and expressed optimism that a bipartisan deal on a bill that would drastically change the way Wall Street operates could emerge in the coming days."
Apr 20, 2010	Democrats seek to close partisan divide on Wall Street reform - Shailagh Murray and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Democratic leaders scrambled Monday to peel away the Republican votes they need to bring a Wall Street reform package to the Senate floor this week -- an effort hampered by sharp partisan divisions."
Apr 20, 2010	Democrats hit Brown over job-loss estimates - Matt Viser, Boston Globe Summary: "Senator Scott Brown’s use of as-yet-unsubstantiated industry estimates to predict the number of jobs that would be lost to greater financial regulation drew fire yesterday as partisan debate continued to heat up in the US Senate."
Apr 20, 2010	Column: Numbers game - Steven Syre, Boston Globe Summary: "US Senator Scott Brown was talking about financial regulation on national television over the weekend."
Apr 20, 2010	Financial reform picks up speed - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "President Barack Obama travels to New York’s Cooper Union on Thursday to push his vision for Wall Street regulatory reform as part of a stepped-up drive to push the reforms through Congress."
Apr 20, 2010	Editorial: Republicans fight - New Haven Register Editorial Board Summary: "In the twisted logic of Washington, whatever President Barack Obama wants, Republicans in Congress are determined to oppose — even if it means siding with the investment banks that nearly destroyed the nation’s economy."
Apr 20, 2010	Op-ed: Fannie and Freddie Amnesia - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Now that nearly all the TARP funds used to bail out Wall Street banks have been repaid, the government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stand out as the source of the greatest taxpayer losses."
Apr 20, 2010	Editorial: Swaps showdown - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "A year has passed since the Group of 20 leaders meeting in London swore to regulate the global financial system so it would not blow up again. Neither Europe nor the US has managed to pass reform. Still in the balance are the future rules for derivatives trading."
Apr 20, 2010	Both Parties Look For Concessions On Overhaul Measures - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "As the Senate heads to a debate over a revamp of the nation's financial regulatory system, lawmakers are engaged in a burgeoning battle over placing tough conditions upon the big banks that control the nation's over-the-counter derivatives market."
Apr 20, 2010	Column: Goldman case helps Democrats' quest for Wall Street reform - Edward Luce, Financial Times Summary: "Nobody would dream of associating divinity with Chris Dodd, the Democratic chairman of the Senate banking committee."
Apr 20, 2010	Op-ed: Gambling With the Economy - Roger Lowenstein, New York Times Summary: "WHILE the Securities and Exchange Commission’s allegations that Goldman Sachs defrauded clients is certainly big news, the case also raises a far broader issue that goes to the heart of how Wall Street has strayed from its intended mission."
Apr 20, 2010	Democrats stand by $50B fund - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Senate Democratic leaders plan to stand behind the $50 billion fund maligned by Republicans as perpetuating Wall Street bailouts, agreeing at a leadership meeting Monday that they wouldn’t give it up without gaining GOP votes in return, according to a Democratic aide familiar with the discussions."
Apr 20, 2010	Column: You’re Welcome, Wall Street - William D. Cohen, New York Times Summary: "In a 1964 concurring opinion deciding Jacobellis v. Ohio, Associate Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart wrote about 'hard-core pornography' and his struggle to define it: 'Perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it.'"
Apr 20, 2010	Finance Overhaul Remains in Flux - Damian Paletta and Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The White House and Senate Democrats appear increasingly willing to jettison a contentious provision of their financial-markets overhaul bill, showing how core elements remain uncertain as the legislation heads toward its first votes."
Apr 20, 2010	A Finance Overhaul Fight Draws a Swarm of Lobbyists - Edward Wyatt and Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Summary: "Assessing the battle to overhaul the nation’s financial regulations recently, Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, left no doubt about the consequences if Congress cracked down on his bank’s immense business in derivatives."
Apr 19, 2010	Poll Says Financial Reform Is Crucial - Dan Heyman, West Virginia Public News Service Summary: "West Virginians want real financial reform and they want it right away, according to a recent survey. The poll from the Pew Charitable Trusts says reform measures now being debated in Congress are hugely important to people in West Virginia and are vital for returning public confidence to the economy."
Apr 19, 2010	For the $50 Billion Fund, A Tortured History - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A $50 billion fund to break up failing companies has become a political piñata in the last week. But it has also caused hand wringing for close to a year as lawmakers and government officials fretted about how to protect taxpayers from future bailouts."
Apr 19, 2010	Obama Plans New York City Speech on Financial Regulation Bloomberg - Roger Runningen, Bloomberg Summary: "President Barack Obama plans to press his case for legislation to overhaul U.S. financial regulations in a speech this week in Manhattan."
Apr 19, 2010	Dodd: financial reform bill would have stopped Goldman Sachs - Jay Heflin, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) on Monday said his financial reform legislation would have stopped Goldman Sachs from misleading investors on mortgage-backed securities that eventually failed and helped to bring down the overall economy."
Apr 19, 2010	Op-ed: Looters in Loafers - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "Last October, I saw a cartoon by Mike Peters in which a teacher asks a student to create a sentence that uses the verb 'sacks, as in looting and pillaging. The student replies, 'Goldman Sachs.'"
Apr 19, 2010	Senate insider Chris Dodd tries to retire as a reformer - David Rogers, Politico Summary: "Chris Dodd is the Institutional Man beset by failed institutions, from Wall Street banks to his beloved Senate."
Apr 19, 2010	Clinton Says Rubin, Summers Advice on Derivatives Was ‘Wrong’ - Joshua Zumbrun, Bloomberg Summary: "Former President Bill Clinton said his Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers were wrong in the advice they gave him about regulating derivatives when he was in office."
Apr 19, 2010	Summers Says Financial Overhaul Likely to Be Passed by June - Mike Dorning, Bloomberg Summary: "White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers predicted an overhaul of financial regulation will be approved by Congress in coming months and voiced general support for a proposal to place limits on derivatives trading by commercial banks."
Apr 19, 2010	Democrats Seize on Financial Oversight After Goldman Suit - Jackie Calmes, New York Times Summary: "With the Senate scheduled to begin debate on a financial overhaul bill this week, the fraud suit against the Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs has emboldened Democrats to ratchet up pressure on Republicans who oppose the Obama administration’s proposal."
Apr 19, 2010	Geithner says financial overhaul will clear Senate with GOP votes - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Sunday that efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system will win bipartisan support in Congress, even as the top Senate Republican continued to attack Democratic proposals."
Apr 19, 2010	Eve of Destruction - Daniel Gross, New York Times Summary: "Eighteen months after the failure of Lehman Brothers, writers seeking to make sense of the debacle have had their say: the first responders and e-booksters, the polemicists and shoe-leather reporters, the boardroom whisperers and I-told-you-so scolds, the would-be screenwriters and former policy makers."
Apr 18, 2010	Obama Jumps In Early on Bank-Rules Overhaul - Greg Hitt and Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama, stung by efforts to drag health care across the finish line, is taking a more hands-on approach to revamping financial regulation at its outset, drafting legislative language, mounting political pressure on Republicans and trying to control the terms of the debate."
Apr 18, 2010	Measuring Wall Street Apologetics - Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "The parade of bankers called to account for the financial crisis continued last week when Kerry K. Killinger, head of Washington Mutual, the largest bank ever to fail, apologized, sort of, as have many before him."
Apr 18, 2010	Op-ed: Keep the Fed on Main Street - Thomas Hoenig, New York Times Summary: "LAST week, I visited Santa Fe, N.M., and spoke to one of America’s many Main Streets: more than 300 small-business owners, real estate developers, artists, bankers and other citizens."
Apr 18, 2010	Trench Warfare: Send In the Deputies - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "ON a recent afternoon, Neal S. Wolin entered the ornate limestone headquarters of the United States Chamber of Commerce, across Lafayette Park from his office at the Treasury Department here, and stood before scores of corporate chieftains, financiers and lobbyists."
Apr 16, 2010	Op-ed: A strong financial reform bill would resonate with voters - Michael Bocian and Andrew Baumann, Politico Summary: "President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress are now poised to turn to their next big issue: Wall Street reform."
Apr 16, 2010	Eight Republicans who may break ranks on bank bill - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "The Republican rhetoric sounded tough on financial regulatory reform early this week."
Apr 16, 2010	Pressure on fate of financial bill is on holdout Sen. Collins - Alexander Bolton, The Hill Summary: "The fate of a Senate bill that would revamp the nation’s financial regulatory system could hinge on a Republican centrist from Maine."
Apr 16, 2010	Biden Replacement Delivers Stem-winders on Wall Street Excess - Paul M. Barrett and Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "Ted Kaufman’s big chance arrived in January 2009 when Senator Joe Biden moved over to the White House. To his delight, and the financial services industry’s chagrin, Kaufman, a longtime Biden aide, got the nod to serve out the new vice president’s remaining two years in the Senate."
Apr 16, 2010	U.S. Treasury Seeks to Ease Path for Bank Seizures in Dodd Bill - Rebecca Christie, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. Treasury Department officials are seeking to change provisions in the Senate’s proposed financial-rules overhaul that they say might hamper regulators’ ability to seize a large bank and prevent a financial panic."
Apr 16, 2010	Swaps spin-off proposals look costly for banks - Elinor Comlay and Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "A proposal to rein in derivatives trading could translate to billions of dollars of lost annual revenue for banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group."
Apr 16, 2010	Finance Overhaul Heads for Showdown - Greg Hitt and Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In the increasingly bitter struggle over regulating financial markets, senior Republican lawmakers are coalescing around a blunt line of attack, warning that White House-backed legislation headed to the Senate floor would entrench rather than end federal bailouts of Wall Street."
Apr 16, 2010	Rare Finance Bill Consensus: No Bailouts - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "As the Obama administration and Senate Republicans clash over the future of the nation’s financial regulatory system, there is one principle on which they agree: Taxpayers should never again have to bail out giant financial institutions."
Apr 16, 2010	Op-ed: The Fire Next Time - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "On Tuesday, Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, called for the abolition of municipal fire departments."
Apr 16, 2010	Editorial: Partisan schisms aside, financial regulatory reform must get done - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "FINANCIAL regulatory reform is necessary, complex -- and easily demagogued. Thus, although Republicans and Democrats in the Senate did, for a time, engage in negotiations, the odds never favored calm, bipartisan lawmaking."
Apr 16, 2010	Geithner Letter Could Steer Derivatives Debate Away From Ban on Banks - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday in a letter that tight restrictions on derivatives is "at the core" of a sweeping overhaul of financial rules but didn't call for the outright ban on trading by banks that some Democrats are pushing."
Apr 16, 2010	SEC heavyweights call for self-funding powers - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Mary Schapiro, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and five of her predecessors on Thursday exhorted Congress to grant self-funding powers to strengthen the agency that missed the Madoff fraud."
Apr 15, 2010	Senate Republican expects deal on financial reform - David Morgan, Reuters Summary: "'I will be stunned if we do not reach a bipartisan agreement,' Corker said in an interview with ABC's 'Good Morning America.'"
Apr 15, 2010	Speaker Pelosi aims to rein in Wall Street - Donna Smith, Reuters Summary: "Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that Democrats' efforts at passing regulatory reform are aimed at reining in reckless behavior on Wall Street."
Apr 15, 2010	Editorial: McConnell to big banks' rescue - Lexington Herald-Leader Editorial Board Summary: "FOXBusiness reported on Monday that Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell recently called on about 25 Wall Street executives, many of them hedge fund managers, to hear their complaints about proposals for regulating the financial industry."
Apr 15, 2010	Fight Over Resolution Authority Brewing - Bill Swindell with Dan Friedman contributing, National Journal Summary: "Despite partisan sniping over a proposed $50 billion fund to take over at-risk firms, an even greater fight could stymie the Senate's financial regulatory overhaul: How much flexibility should regulators have to unwind failing firms and place them into receivership?"
Apr 15, 2010	Q.&A.: Lincoln Makes Her Case for Derivatives Rules - Cyrus Sanati, New York Times Dealbook Summary: "Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, the Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is expected to introduce derivatives legislation on Friday that is far stricter for banks than Wall Street had anticipated."
Apr 15, 2010	Barney Frank Predicts Obama Will Sign Financial-Regulation Bill by Memorial Day - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, predicted that Congress will send President Barack Obama a financial-regulatory bill by Memorial Day."
Apr 15, 2010	Reid Places Financial Bill Atop Agenda - Dan Friedman and Billly House, National Journal Summary: "Senate Democrats today said they intend to speed up their schedule on financial regulatory reform and hope to bring it the floor next week, pushing back expected action on food safety legislation and perhaps nominations."
Apr 15, 2010	Column: Why Mitch McConnell, Senate minority leader, deserves our pity - Giles Whittell Summary: "Just for a moment pity Mitch McConnell. His role as minority leader in the US Senate, as he sees it, is to block as much of the White House legislative agenda as possible with only 41 Republican votes."
Apr 15, 2010	Banks Would Be Forced to Push Out Derivative Trading Under Plan - Robert Schmidt and Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and their biggest rivals would be forced to wall off derivatives trading operations from their commercial banks under a measure to be introduced by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln, a congressional aide said."
Apr 15, 2010	GOP Fights to Unify Opposition to Bill - Damian Paletta and Victoria McGrane, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Republican leaders are struggling to maintain a unified opposition to the White House's financial-regulation revamp, which is emerging as the next big test of the GOP's ability to counter the administration's agenda."
Apr 15, 2010	Obama fails to soften derivatives reform opposition - Anna Fifield and Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Barack Obama, president, met Republican leaders to discuss financial regulatory reform on Wednesday but the meeting did nothing to improve the tone of an increasingly bitter debate."
Apr 15, 2010	White House and Democrats Join to Press Case on Financial Controls - David M. Herszenhorn and Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times Summary: "The White House and Democratic Congressional leaders said Wednesday that they would press forward with legislation to tighten regulation of the nation’s financial system. Rebuffing Republican criticism, the Democrats effectively dared the minority party to side with Wall Street by opposing the measure."
Apr 15, 2010	Obama calls together congressional leaders in push for new financial regulation - David Cho, Brady Dennis and Scott Wilson, Washington Post Summary: "The battle over reshaping the country's financial regulation escalated on several fronts Wednesday, with President Obama stepping up his personal efforts to win Senate passage of an ambitious bill while senators from both parties fought to claim the anti-Wall Street mantle."
Apr 14, 2010	Geithner:'Time To Move' On Financial Regulatory Overhaul - Henry J. Pulizzi, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, responding to Republican criticism of a proposed financial regulatory overhaul, gave assurances Wednesday that taxpayers won't be on the hook for any future bank failures."
Apr 14, 2010	Column: Sen. Mark Warner: Mitch McConnell 'either doesn't understand or chooses not to understand' - Ezra Klein, Washington Post Summary: "When Sen. Mitch McConnell said that the Senate financial-regulation bill meant 'endless taxpayer-funded bailouts for big Wall Street banks,' he was, knowingly or not, taking aim at a policy that had been jointly developed by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) (pictured above) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)."
Apr 14, 2010	Chris Dodd threatens to cut GOP out of financial reform talks - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd threatened Wednesday to end negotiations with Republicans on a financial regulatory reform bill if they continue to lead what he called a misinformation campaign based on Wall Street talking points."
Apr 14, 2010	Corker: GOP Reg Bill Talk Is 'Overheated' - Dan Friedman and Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., today pushed back against rhetoric from fellow Republicans about Democrats' financial regulatory reform bill, calling a recent focus on the bill's potential to increase bailouts legitimate but 'blown out of proportion.'"
Apr 14, 2010	Hopes dim for bipartisan banking bill - John Bresnahan and Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "The chances of a bipartisan compromise on financial reform took another significant hit Tuesday as top Senate Republicans accused the White House of derailing a deal on derivatives trading and bashed the Democratic legislation as perpetuating Wall Street bailouts."
Apr 14, 2010	Lawmakers Regulate Banks, Then Flock to Them - Eric Lichtblau, New York Times Summary: "Representative Barney Frank publicly rebuked a former aide this month for taking a job with a big Wall Street firm right after drafting a regulation that could affect the way the firm does business."
Apr 14, 2010	US Sen Shelby says can see financial reform by May - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Republican Senator Richard Shelby said on Wednesday that he continues to work with Democrats on a bipartisan financial reform bill, and holds out hope for passage by May or early June."
Apr 14, 2010	Blankfein, Dimon Pressed by White House to Stop Lobbying Against Overhaul - Julianna Goldman and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Top White House officials last week pressed the chief executive officers of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to stop lobbying against a financial-regulatory bill advancing in Congress, according to people who attended the meeting."
Apr 14, 2010	IMF adds weight to big bank surcharges - Francesco Guerrera and Patrick Jenkins, Financial Times Summary: "The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday urged US and European regulators to consider imposing higher customised capital requirements on “systemically important” banks deemed 'too big to fail'"
Apr 14, 2010	Column: In hindsight, Geithner looks good. In foresight, he doesn't. - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "Last spring, if you believed the media, Tim Geithner was the tax-cheating Treasury secretary who used gobs of taxpayer money to bail out the banks and provide bonuses to failed executives at American International Group, even as he was running up massive government deficits in a vain attempt to stimulate the U.S. economy."
Apr 14, 2010	Op-ed: The bankers need to fight back - Robert Sloan, Financial Times Summary: "When President Barack Obama was inaugurated just over a year ago, comparisons to Franklin Delano Roosevelt had already begun. Mr Obama does seem to be following the FDR playbook in confronting the recession, at least as far as allocating blame is concerned."
Apr 14, 2010	Op-ed: A Reasoned Approach To Executive Compensation - Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes Summary: "Since the onset of the financial crisis there has been a huge hue and cry about executive compensation, particularly compensation on Wall Street. It isn't hard to understand why, and it would not have been unexpected to see financial reform legislation that took a heavy-handed approach to 'reforming' compensation practices.
Apr 14, 2010	Senate Republicans Blast Regulatory-Overhaul Bill - Victoria McGrane and Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Republicans on Tuesday sought to paint a Democratic financial-regulation bill as an endless bailout package and accused Democrats of pushing the proposal in a partisan direction."
Apr 14, 2010	G.O.P. Takes Aim at Plans to Curb Finance Industry - David M. Herszenhorn and Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Drawing the lines for a fierce election-year battle over regulating the nation’s financial system, Senate Republicans on Tuesday insisted that legislation proposed by Democrats and the White House would only encourage future taxpayer bailouts of big banks."
Apr 13, 2010	US Shelby: Will Know In ‘Couple of Weeks’If Reg Deal Possible - John Shaw, Market News International Summary: "Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, told Market News International Tuesday that he continues to work with Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd on a 'consensus' regulatory reform bill."
Apr 13, 2010	Blanche Lincoln Wall Street bill tacks left - John Bresnahan and Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico Summary: "A new proposal by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln would require sweeping changes to the $450 trillion derivatives market, including forcing big banks to spin off 'swaps desks' that handle the complex financial instruments — a more aggressive approach than either the White House or other congressional committees have advocated so far, according to the Arkansas Democrat and her aides."
Apr 13, 2010	Editorial: Congress' financial mess - Washington Times Editorial Board Summary: "For years, the Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae caused banks to make high-risk mortgages to borrowers who couldn't afford them."
Apr 13, 2010	Manufacturing giants aim to protect industrial banks - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Business giants General Electric, Toyota and dozens of others are on the verge of a major victory over President Barack Obama’s push to rein in their financial arms."
Apr 13, 2010	Fed’s Tarullo Says Regulators Should Listen to Policy Critics - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo said regulators must pay greater heed to external critics to have a better chance of preventing another financial crisis."
Apr 13, 2010	How to prevent America's next financial crisis - Timothy Geithner, Washington Post Summary: "America is close to turning the page on this economic crisis. While far too many Americans are still out of work and face deep economic hardship, we have now reported three quarters of positive growth and the beginnings of job creation."
Apr 13, 2010	Hurdle Emerges to Financial Revamp - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "White House officials have raised objections to a potential compromise between Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee regarding rules governing derivatives trading, Senate aides said."
Apr 13, 2010	Editorial: Financial system rules must be stricter - Kansas City Star Editorial Board Summary: "The most important thing lawmakers could do to reform our financial system is impose tough rules limiting the debt and risky investments that banks and other financial institutions can pile up."
Apr 13, 2010	Op-ed: It's Time to Restrict Private Equity - Richard L. Trumka, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Simmons Bedding Company, manufacturer of the famous Beautyrest mattresses, has finally been flipped one time too many. This story carries an important message for financial reform, now under consideration in the U.S. Senate."
Apr 13, 2010	Hedge fund managers invest on Hill - Manu Raju, Politico Summary: "John Paulson, one of the world’s richest hedge fund managers, has not been shy about spreading his wealth to Senate campaign coffers — or to the chairman of the committee that could directly affect his bottom line."
Apr 13, 2010	Defining financial regulatory overhaul remains a PR battle as Senate vote nears - Brady Dennis and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "For the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the proposed financial regulations headed to the Senate floor would create sleepless nights and a lack of credit for the nation's small-business owners."
Apr 13, 2010	Morgan Stanley CEO calls for partnering with regulators and legislators - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman acknowledged in a letter to shareholders Monday that the financial sector benefited from extraordinary government support during the 2008 market crisis and urged the industry to work with Washington on reshaping banking regulation."
Apr 13, 2010	Lehman Channeled Risks Through ‘Alter Ego’ Firm - Loise Story and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "It was like a hidden passage on Wall Street, a secret channel that enabled billions of dollars to flow through Lehman Brothers."
Apr 12, 2010	White House will not back down from financial reforms - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration vowed on Monday to push for even tougher U.S. financial regulation reform, as legislation heads for the Senate floor as soon as next week."
Apr 12, 2010	Senator Warns of ‘Populist Fervor’ Against Wall St. - Cyrus Sanati, New York Times Dealbook Summary: "Senator Judd Gregg, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, asserted Monday that Senate Democrats were approaching the overhaul of the nation’s financial regulations with a harmful 'populist fervor,' but he said he still hoped a compromise could be reached between both parties in the coming weeks."
Apr 12, 2010	U.S. Faults Regulators Over a Bank - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Regulators failed for years to properly supervise the giant savings and loan Washington Mutual, even as the company wobbled under the weight of risky subprime mortgages, a federal investigation has concluded."
Apr 12, 2010	Federal Reserve Officials Said to Be Wary of Consumer Agency - Robert Schmidt and Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve governors are discussing whether to publicly oppose placing within the central bank a consumer-protection agency that they would not be able to control, three officials familiar with the matter said."
Apr 12, 2010	Corzine: 'Bankers are right down there with politicians' - Andrew Cave, Telegraph Summary: "Investment banking is on the threshold of a new and much more regulated era and Jon Corzine, one-time head of Goldman Sachs, former US senator and ex-governor of New Jersey, has seen this kind of thing before."
Apr 12, 2010	White House to Meet on Financial Overhaul - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The White House has called a meeting of top lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss its effort to overhaul financial regulations as part of an aggressive effort to push legislation through by the Memorial Day recess."
Apr 12, 2010	Letter: Financial reform Republicans could support - Spencer Bachus, Washington Post Summary: "Contrary to recent claims made by Democratic Party leaders and in the April 7 editorial 'Say no to no,' Republicans continue to be strong advocates for financial regulatory reform and were, in fact, the first to introduce comprehensive legislation."
Apr 12, 2010	Op-ed: Build strong rules for finance system - Joseph Stiglitz, Politico Summary: "The betting is that Congress will pass a financial regulatory reform bill."
Apr 12, 2010	Democrats eager to take on Wall Street - Lisa Lerer, Politico Summary: "Liberal Democrats see an opportunity to reassert their power in the Senate this spring on the Wall Street reform bill, after being forced to swallow a series of compromises on everything from health care reform to jobs legislation."
Apr 11, 2010	Battle to fix bank system to be quieter - David Lightman, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "This year's next big legislative battle -- overhauling the nation's financial regulatory system -- will involve a different and probably gentler style of politics from the one the capital has seen recently."
Apr 11, 2010	Op-ed: How to reduce risk on Wall Street? Make the banks pay. - Matthew Richardson and Nouriel Roubini Summary: "Between the fall of 2008 and the winter of 2009, the world's economy and financial markets fell off a cliff. Stock markets in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America lost between a third and half of their value; international trade declined by a whopping 12 percent; and the size of the global economy contracted for the first time in decades."
Apr 11, 2010	Editorial: Who’s Not Sorry Now? - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "I’m sorry that the financial crisis has had such a devastating impact on our country. I’m sorry for the millions of people, average Americans, who have lost their homes. And I’m sorry that our management team, starting with me, like so many others, could not see the unprecedented market collapse that lay before us.'"
Apr 11, 2010	Op-ed: No One Is to Blame for Anything - Frank Rich, New York Times Summary: "'I was right 70 percent of the time, but I was wrong 30 percent of the time,' said Alan Greenspan as he testified last week on Capitol Hill. Greenspan — a k a the Oracle during his 18-year-plus tenure as Fed chairman — could not have more vividly illustrated how and why geniuses of his stature were out to lunch while Wall Street imploded."
Apr 09, 2010	Ex-Fannie CEO apologizes, faults business model - Corbett B. Daly and Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The former chief of Fannie Mae (FNM.N), the giant firm that dominates America's deeply troubled housing finance system, apologized and accepted responsibility on Friday for its failings."
Apr 09, 2010	You Could Bank on It - Dennis K. Berman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Beware: The end of 'the end of Wall Street' is nigh. In the worst moments of September 2008 it seemed as if the nation's financial system would be sucked into the Earth's molten core, never to be seen again."
Apr 09, 2010	Op-ed: Let traders call the next bubble - Sebastian Mallaby, Washington Post Summary: "So here's a paradox to ponder: By now everyone has heard about traders who saw the housing crash coming -- and made millions betting on it. Yet most economists agree that central bankers won't prevent the next bubble from inflating."
Apr 09, 2010	'Too Big To Fail' Bank Draws Complaints - Ashlie Rodriguez, National Journal Summary: "Banks that were 'too small to save' complain that not only were they left to suffer the effects of a weak economy without government bailout money, but they've also had to fight off an increasingly aggressive GMAC, a beneficiary of federal largesse."
Apr 09, 2010	Bernanke says policymakers prevented 'cataclysm' worse than Great Depression - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "The world's economic policymakers successfully learned the lessons of the Great Depression, helping to avert a horrendous economic outcome from the 2008 financial crisis, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said Thursday."
Apr 09, 2010	Reed targets private investment pools - Chris Frates, Politico Summary: "In an effort to throw some light on the shadowy world of private investment pools, Sen. Jack Reed of (D-R.I.) is working to require hedge, private equity and venture capital funds to provide information on their dealings to the Securities and Exchange Commission."
Apr 09, 2010	Ex-Citi chiefs say sorry for loan losses - James Politi, Francesco Guerrera and Alan Rappeport, Financial Times Summary: "Chuck Prince and Robert Rubin on Thursday apologised for Citigroup’s severe losses on mortgage related securities but insisted that there was nothing wrong with the company’s risk management ahead of the financial crisis."
Apr 09, 2010	Polls: Voters support financial reform, but details mixed - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Voters strongly support an overhaul of financial regulations, but they are concerned by or have not focused on the details of new regulations, according to three recent polls."
Apr 09, 2010	Panel Criticizes Oversight of Citi by 2 Executives - Sewell Chan and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "The two men who steered Citigroup into the eye of the financial storm offered a striking contrast on Thursday."
Apr 08, 2010	Insiders Want Bipartisan Regulatory Reform - James A. Barnes, Summary: "Given the politics of issue, you could see a fair amount of bi-partisanship on financial reform legislation given the results of the latest National Journal Insiders Poll: asked whether it was in their party's interest to work with the other party on Wall Street reform, solid majorities of both Dem and GOP Insiders said yes."
Apr 08, 2010	Big Banks Mask Risk Levels - Kate Kelly, Tom McGinty and Dan Fitzpatrick, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Major banks have masked their risk levels in the past five quarters by temporarily lowering their debt just before reporting it to the public, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York."
Apr 08, 2010	Robert Rubin returns - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin — who watched his reputation as an economic titan shatter after he left the Clinton White House — is decidedly out of favor in the nation’s capital."
Apr 08, 2010	SEC proposes tighter rules on securities that helped fuel financial crisis - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Federal regulators unveiled stricter rules Wednesday for a key source of funding for home, auto and credit-card loans that has been blamed for worsening the financial crisis by allowing trillions of dollars in risky investments to be sold around the world."
Apr 08, 2010	Obama administration vows to defend financial reform provisions in bill - Brady Dennis and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "Obama administration officials said Wednesday that they would fight efforts to weaken far-reaching Senate legislation that would overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system."
Apr 08, 2010	Momentum building for financial reform-White House - Matt Spetalnick and Alister Bull, Reuters Summary: "Political momentum to toughen U.S. bank rules is building, the White House said on Wednesday, as President Barack Obama shifts his focus to financial regulation after victory on healthcare reform."
Apr 08, 2010	Op-ed: Ending ‘Too Big to Fail’ - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "As we move closer to a Senate — and presumably national — debate on financial reform, the central technical and political question is: What would prevent any bank or similar institution from being regarded — ultimately by the government — as so big that it would not be allowed to fail?"
Apr 08, 2010	B of A to Support Consumer Agency - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Bank of America Corp. is breaking ranks with other large banks and agreeing to support beefed up consumer-protection provisions in regulatory reform legislation, several sources said Wednesday."
Apr 08, 2010	Column: Still no consensus or major reform after global financial crisis - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "I attended a conference at Columbia University earlier this week that wound up focusing on how the mainstream business press contributed to the recent economic crisis with fawning, uncritical coverage of the financial sector that ignored the evidence of abusive lending and bought into the myth that unregulated markets are more innovative and self-correcting."
Apr 08, 2010	Fed Reviews Find Errors in Oversight of Citigroup - Sewell Chan and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "Citigroup ran into trouble under the noses of federal regulators. But even after taxpayers rescued the financial giant, regulators failed to monitor the company adequately, according to reviews by the Federal Reserve."
Apr 08, 2010	Greenspan mauled over role in meltdown - James Politi and Alan Rappeport, Financial Times Summary: "Alan Greenspan, once lauded as maestro of the financial system, was on Wednesday subjected to a rare public mauling on Capitol Hill, accused of causing or at least failing to prevent economic meltdown."
Apr 08, 2010	Greenspan Grilled Over Role in Financial Crisis - John D. McKinnon and Randall Smith, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Former Fed chief Alan Greenspan faced some of the toughest questioning yet about his role in the financial crisis at a hearing Wednesday marked by tense exchanges with a longtime foe."
Apr 08, 2010	Treasury Opposed To Congress Setting Ratios - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Administration officials said today they were opposed to Congress setting capital ratios for large financial institutions, arguing that it would not provide regulators with enough flexibility to ensure that a firm does not become too big to fail."
Apr 07, 2010	Obama official opposes exemption for derivatives end users - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "A key Obama administration official said Wednesday that he opposes efforts on Capitol Hill to automatically exempt end users, such as manufacturers or airlines, from new derivatives-trading transparency measures included in bank-reform legislation."
Apr 07, 2010	White House Says Financial Regulation Reform By Memorial Day Is Possible, Offers Specifics - Sam Stein, The Huffington Post Summary: "Obama administration officials on Wednesday expressed optimism about the passage of financial regulatory reform legislation and made explicit recommendations to resolve those sticking points that remain to be debated."
Apr 07, 2010	Op-ed: A Case for Annual Stress Tests - Rob Cox, New York Times Summary: "Improving bank regulation may call for a little more stress. The disclosure and discipline imposed by the Federal Reserve’s stress tests of big banks a year ago drew a line under the crisis."
Apr 07, 2010	A consumer watchdog for your wallet - Jennifer Liberto, CNNMoney.com Summary: "You've heard talk about a consumer financial protection regulator, the signature part of proposed legislation to prevent the next Wall Street crisis."
Apr 07, 2010	Senate showdown nears on overhauling financial rules - Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "Consumer advocates and financial industry lobbyists are locked in battle for the hearts and minds of senators as the time nears for them to put up or shut up on the most sweeping revamp of financial regulation in generations."
Apr 07, 2010	Editorial: Financial reform is in the GOP's interest, too - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "WITH HEALTH CARE behind it, Congress seems likely to turn next to financial regulatory reform. As a matter of policy, this project is both necessary and complex."
Apr 07, 2010	Op-ed: The Dodd Bill: Bailouts Forever - Peter Wallison and David Skeel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "There are many reasons to oppose Sen. Chris Dodd's (D., Conn.) financial regulation bill. The simplest and clearest is that the FDIC is completely unequipped by experience to handle the failure of a giant nonbank financial institution."
Apr 07, 2010	Mr. Dimon Goes to Washington - Robin Sidel and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "As Congress prepares to push finance regulation to the front burner, plenty of bank executives—stung by Washington's Wall Street bashing—are keeping a low profile."
Apr 06, 2010	Republican Aides Offered Consumer-Agency Plan - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Aides to Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) floated a proposal last week to Democratic staffers on the Senate Banking Committee that would create an independent consumer-protection agency, two people familiar with the matter said, reversing course from a previous Republican position."
Apr 06, 2010	Dodd's Banking Bill Doesn't Do Enough, Many Experts Say - Norm Alster, Investor's Business Daily Summary: "When Congress returns next week, financial reform will finally headline the agenda."
Apr 06, 2010	Greenspan, subprime lenders to get grilled - Max Frumes, Medill News Service Summary: "The special bipartisan commission established by Congress to examine the causes of the financial crisis resumes its hearings on Wednesday, taking on the heads of subprime-lending firms at the heart of the crisis and the government institutions responsible for overseeing those lenders."
Apr 06, 2010	Financial Overhaul's Goal: End 'Too Big To Fail' - John Ydstie, National Public Radio Summary: "There's no shortage of demands from taxpayers to end bailouts like those for AIG, Citigroup and the other big banks."
Apr 06, 2010	Volcker-Chances for financial reform getting better - Steven C. Johnson and Leah Schnurr, Reuters Summary: "The chances of enacting financial reform this year are getting better and should include some type of ban on proprietary trading by banks, White House economic adviser Paul Volcker said on Tuesday."
Apr 06, 2010	Brownback to offer bill exempting auto dealers from consumer financial office - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sen. Sam Brownback is planning to introduce legislation exempting auto dealers from a new consumer protection office."
Apr 06, 2010	Senator Reed Calls S&P Lobbying ‘Cynical’ Effort to Kill Reform - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. Senator Jack Reed criticized Standard & Poor’s for a 'cynical' attempt to halt reform by asking Republican lawmakers to fight legislation that would make it easier to sue credit-rating firms."
Apr 06, 2010	Op-ed: Don’t Trust the Regulators - Ezra Klein, Newsweek Summary: "Here's my problem with the financial-regulation package that Sen. Chris Dodd has proposed: it hands the very regulators who failed us in 2005 and 2006 and 2007 and 2008 the responsibility for saving us next time."
Apr 06, 2010	S&P Urges Republicans to Fend Off Ratings’ Liability - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: "Standard & Poor’s, the McGraw-Hill Cos. unit facing increased regulation after flawed assessments of mortgage bonds, is enlisting Republican lawmakers to kill legislation that may make it easier to sue credit-rating firms."
Apr 06, 2010	Column: Now to Explain the Party Favors - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Dealbook Summary: "On Thursday, two of the biggest — and among the most tarnished — names on Wall Street will testify in front of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in Washington: Charles O. Prince III, the former chairman and chief executive of Citigroup, and Robert E. Rubin, a former top adviser and director of the bank."
Apr 06, 2010	Financial Crisis Inquiry Wrestles With Setbacks - Sewell Chan and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "The panel established by Congress to investigate the causes of the financial crisis has been hobbled by delays and internal disagreements and a lack of focus, according to interviews with a majority of its members and government officials briefed on its work."
Apr 06, 2010	Financial Reform: Far from a Done Deal in Congress - Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine Summary: "It's funny how fast the Beltway consensus can change. A few months ago, health care reform was dead. Then it got undead. Financial regulatory reform was supposedly dead too, but now that Republicans have supposedly learned that pure obstructionism is a losing play, it's being treated as a done deal."
Apr 05, 2010	'Too big to fail' in crosshairs of reform debate - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. Democratic lawmaker and top bank regulator on Monday defended legislative efforts that they say would end the perception that some firms are 'too big to fail,' challenging Republican complaints about the financial reform bills."
Apr 05, 2010	Op-ed: Making Financial Reform Fool-Resistant - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "The White House is confident that a financial regulatory reform bill will soon pass the Senate. I’m not so sure, given the opposition of Republican leaders to any real reform. But in any case, how good is the legislation on the table, the bill put together by Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut?"
Apr 05, 2010	Op-ed: Beyond Bankruptcy And Bailouts - Sheila Bair, The Wall Street Journal Summary: "Meaningful reform of our financial regulatory system is finally within reach. The opportunity to pass such a comprehensive overhaul may not come again in our lifetimes. Never again should taxpayers be asked to bail out large, failing financial firms. Unfortunately, we still lack a viable way to close financial behemoths without risking market collapse."
Apr 05, 2010	Momentum Mounts For Financial Overhaul - Renuka Rayasam, The Kiplinger Letter Summary: "An overhaul of financial regulations is a good bet as President Obama, fresh from his health care victory, takes on another huge swath of the U.S. economy.
Apr 05, 2010	Democrats bristle at financial reform deadline - Manu Raju & Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "Democrats blew deadline after deadline in the health care debate, and now some on Capitol Hill are bristling at the suggestion from the White House that a massive financial reform bill should be on the president’s desk by Memorial Day."
Apr 04, 2010	Republicans push plan to overhaul financial industry - Associated Press Summary: "End the public lifeline for large financial institutions, Republicans demanded yesterday, as they pushed back against Democratic efforts to set new rules for the financial industry."
Apr 04, 2010	Op-ed: I Saw the Crisis Coming. Why Didn’t the Fed? - Michael J. Burry, New York Times Summary: "ALAN GREENSPAN, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, proclaimed last month that no one could have predicted the housing bubble. 'Everybody missed it,' he said, 'academia, the Federal Reserve, all regulators."
Apr 04, 2010	Street Fight - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "Obama can get everything he wants on financial reform--if only he gets tough."
Apr 04, 2010	We can't rely on financial regulators to protect us - Ezra Klein, Washington Post Summary: "Here's my problem with the financial regulation package that Sen. Chris Dodd has proposed: It hands the very regulators who failed us in 2005 and 2006 and 2007 and 2008 the responsibility for saving us next time."
Apr 04, 2010	Interview: Larry Summers and Alan Greenspan - Jake Tapper, ABC News / This Week Summary: "Fifteen million Americans were still looking for work in March, and of those, 6.5 million have been unemployed for more than 27 weeks. And the broadest measure of unemployment, those who have given up looking for a job or cannot find a full-time job, bumped up to 16.9 percent."
Apr 02, 2010	Geithner sees Republican support on financial reform bill - David Lawder, Re Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Friday he believed the Senate was 'very close' to a financial reform bill that protects consumers and limits financial company risk taking that will win Republican supporters."
Apr 01, 2010	US Rep Frank Sees Financial Bill Signed Around Memorial Day - Jon Kamp, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "U.S. Rep. Barney Frank said Thursday that he believes President Barack Obama will sign a bill to overhaul financial regulations by around Memorial Day."
Apr 01, 2010	Column: Breaking Up the Financial Industrial Complex - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "One of Wall Street's favorite pastimes is to cast aspersions on regulators."
Apr 01, 2010	Fed Ends Its Purchasing of Mortgage Securities - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Federal Reserve’s single largest intervention to prop up the American economy, its $1.25 trillion program to buy mortgage-backed securities, came to a long-anticipated end on Wednesday."
Apr 01, 2010	Administration seeks to change pay incentives at major firms - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "When the Obama administration imposed restrictions on executive pay last year at some of the largest companies the government had bailed out, officials said they were aiming to set a new standard for compensation across corporate America that would discourage risky business practices."
Apr 01, 2010	Regulator seeks to rein in energy market trading by big Wall Street firms - David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "The nation's commodities regulator is proposing to limit the vast amounts of oil, natural gas and other vital goods the world's biggest investment firms can buy and sell, seeking to eliminate the unfettered access these companies have had to energy markets for 20 years."
Apr 01, 2010	Dimon attacks ‘demonisation’ of big banks - Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: "Jamie Dimon on Wednesday attacked the 'demonisation' of large banks by politicians, arguing that multinational groups need large financial institutions to thrive in global markets."
Mar 31, 2010	Senator Bob Corker says "absolutely" financial reform should take this long - Naomi Snyder, The Tennesean Summary: "U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, appearing before a crowd of students, professors and local bankers at Vanderbilt University this morning, had no apologies when it comes to the fact that it’s been more than two years since the start of the financial crisis and no reform has passed."
Mar 31, 2010	Editorial: Next, Fiscal Reform: Two years after the Wall Street bust, the status quo prevails - Syracuse Post-Standard Editorial Board Summary: "'We are at a defining moment in the great debate about financial reform,' Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said a week ago."
Mar 31, 2010	Corker optimistic about hooking up with Dodd again - Ken Whitehouse, Nashville Post Summary: "When it comes to financial regulatory reform discussions, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker wants to wind back the clock about three weeks."
Mar 31, 2010	Do Safety and Soundness and Consumer Protection Really Conflict? - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "A key banking industry argument against the creation of a consumer protection agency — that the new division would write rules that conflict with safety and soundness standards — is shaky."
Mar 31, 2010	Corker Says He Can't Back Current Financial Overhaul - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Republican Sen. Bob Corker said Tuesday he 'absolutely cannot support' a bill written by Senate Democrats to overhaul financial regulations unless changes are made, clouding the outlook for a bipartisan measure."
Mar 31, 2010	Volcker Optimistic for Financial Revamping This Year - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The White House and one of its top outside economic advisers, Paul A. Volcker, expressed confidence on Tuesday that legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial system would be completed this year, possibly before the Congressional summer recess."
Mar 30, 2010	Op-ed: Banking on hypocrisy - Elizabeth Warren, Politico Summary: "Banks or families? For almost a year, the big banks and the American Bankers Association have presented that choice to Congress."
Mar 30, 2010	Op-ed: On to financial reform - Mark Mellman, The Hill Summary: "Americans are angry at Wall Street, holding the big banks responsible for the recession and demanding action on financial reform to forestall more job loss. For most Americans, financial reform is about jobs."
Mar 30, 2010	Bill would limit banks in derivatives - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) wants to limit big banks from dominating the multitrillion-dollar derivatives market."
Mar 30, 2010	Volcker: Proprietary trading not central to crisis - Kim Dixon and Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Paul Volcker, the White House economics adviser who crafted a proposed ban on proprietary trading by banks, said on Tuesday the practice was not central to the financial crisis -- the very argument used by some critics of the proposal."
Mar 30, 2010	G20 sounds warning note over new bank rules - Huw Jones and Crispian Balmer, Reuters Summary: "Key Group of 20 leaders and the International Monetary Fund urged governments on Tuesday to redouble efforts in tightening up financial rules as some countries lag in curbing bank pay."
Mar 30, 2010	Akaka Remittance Provision Draws Ire - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The escalating debate over financial regulatory reform has one additional complication as it heads to the Senate floor -- a fight over a 3-feet-by-2-feet sign."
Mar 30, 2010	Obama outlines ambitious agenda for financial reform in letter to G20 - Jay Heflin, The Hill's On the Money Blog Summary: "President Obama on Monday sent a letter to the G20 that offered an ambitious agenda for preventing another financial meltdown. The White House released the letter on Tuesday."
Mar 30, 2010	Fed's Evans: Monetary policy not effective for pricking bubbles - Ann Saphir, Reuters Summary: "Monetary policy is not an effective tool for pricking asset bubbles, but central banks without authority to supervise banks may have no alternative, Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans said Tuesday."
Mar 30, 2010	S.E.C. Looks at Wall St. Accounting - Loise Story, New York Times Summary: "The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday it had started an inquiry into about two dozen financial companies to determine whether they followed accounting practices similar to those recently disclosed in an investigation of Lehman Brothers."
Mar 30, 2010	Column: The Issue of Liquidity Bubbles Up - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Dealbook Summary: "It’s a question of whether you want to insure against a 100-year flood or a 30-year flood.'"
Mar 30, 2010	Op-ed: Use bankruptcy courts, not financial regulation - James Gattuso, Deseret News Summary: 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.'"
Mar 29, 2010	Chris Dodd bill offers financial progress -- at last - Martin Baily, Politico Summary: "A few short weeks ago there seemed little chance of financial reform any time soon — if ever."
Mar 29, 2010	Senator Graham Sees Financial Bill in Face of ‘Tough Sledding’ - Bob Willis, Bloomberg Summary: "Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said he is confident his party and Democrats can pass a financial regulation measure even after the fight over health- care legislation."
Mar 29, 2010	Reform in Congress Lacking Cash Clause to Stop Lehman-Like Runs - Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg Summary: "In 2,615 pages of financial reform legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress, there are no rules to ensure that banks keep enough cash-like assets when credit disappears."
Mar 29, 2010	Editorial: Fannie maybe - The Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "BY NOW, the Obama administration was supposed to have a plan to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the 'government-sponsored' mortgage finance enterprises (GSEs) that have been under federal control -- and absorbing $126 billion in federal cash -- for the past 19 months."
Mar 29, 2010	Editorial: A sheriff for Wall Street - The Miami Herald Editorial Board Summary: "Two years ago this month the downfall of Bear Stearns triggered the worst economic decline since the Great Depression. Yet despite the enormous hardship that countless American families have endured since then, Congress has failed to pass legislation aimed at preventing something like this from happening again."
Mar 29, 2010	New York Fed Official Says Incentive Pay Fueled Credit Crisis - Naureen S. Malik Summary: "Thomas Baxter, general counsel of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said Saturday that incentive compensation fueled the global credit crisis and there is a need for greater loan discipline."
Mar 29, 2010	Op-ed: Punks and Plutocrats - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "Health reform is the law of the land. Next up: financial reform. But will it happen? The White House is optimistic, because it believes that Republicans won’t want to be cast as allies of Wall Street. I’m not so sure."
Mar 28, 2010	Pro-Business Lobbying Blitz Takes on Obama’s Plan for Wall Street Overhaul - Eric Lichtblau and Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "With the Obama administration looking to score another major legislative victory, an array of pro-business groups and fiscal conservatives are mounting a well-financed campaign to scale back or block altogether the Democrats’ plan to overhaul regulation of the financial industry."
Mar 28, 2010	Heading Off the Next Financial Crisis - David Leonhardt, New York Times Summary: "A public good is something that the free market tends not to provide on its own, to the detriment of society. Pollution laws and police departments are classic examples. In the case of finance — and of the crisis of the past two years — this missing good has been strong regulation."
Mar 28, 2010	Does This Bank Watchdog Have a Bite? - Andrew Martin, New York Times Summary: "FOR now at least, the nation’s front line for consumer financial protection resides on the 34th floor of a downtown office tower here, amid cubicles surrounded by posters that read, 'Improving the Customer Experience — Be a LEADER in every call.'"
Mar 28, 2010	Bank-Tax Concept Gains Momentum - Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The U.S. and European governments are moving toward a consensus on taxing large banks to cover the cost of any future bailouts rather than asking taxpayers to foot the bill, as happened regularly in past banking crises."
Mar 27, 2010	Op-ed: Derailing Help for Consumers - Bob Herbert, New York Times Summary: "Why should there be any significant opposition to the creation of an independent agency with strong powers of enforcement to protect consumers from exploitation by banks, mortgage companies, auto dealers and other purveyors of credit?"
Mar 26, 2010	Regulators, Mount Up - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "Going into this week, the Obama Treasury department had an extensively choreographed plan for closing the deal on financial reform."
Mar 26, 2010	Break Out the C-4: New Book Say Let’s Blow up Wall Street - Michael Corkery Summary: "Break up the big banks. It is as simple as that."
Mar 26, 2010	US Sen Dodd urges financial reform ahead of recess - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said on Friday that Congress 'must not fail' to reform financial regulation and defended a bill approved this week by his committee."
Mar 26, 2010	Securitization forum looks for louder voice as Congress overhauls Wall Street - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The industry behind asset-backed securities at the heart of the financial crisis is starting to cut a larger profile in Washington as Congress overhauls Wall Street regulations."
Mar 26, 2010	Fitch: reforms mostly a plus for U.S. bank ratings - John Parry and Walden Siew, Reuters Summary: "Proposed reforms for the financial system should reduce the extent of risk-taking by the biggest U.S. banks and may bolster their ratings, Fitch Ratings said on Friday."
Mar 26, 2010	Democrats aim at GOP split on financial reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Democratic lawmakers dug in again on Thursday to break off just enough support from Republicans to keep an overhaul of the U.S. financial system moving in the Senate."
Mar 26, 2010	SEC official backs tougher rule for brokers - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A top U.S. securities regulator lamented weak broker rules being contemplated by the Congress and said brokers who provide financial advice should be required to act in their client's best interest."
Mar 26, 2010	Q&A: Slow pace of reform surprises NYSE director - Purva Patel, Houston Chronicle Summary: "Students and faculty of Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business rang the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange from the Rice campus Thursday, also closing a daylong discussion on campus of capital markets, leadership and ethics."
Mar 26, 2010	Richard Shelby: Timothy Geithner distorting my view - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee said that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner mischaracterized his position in a speech praising the Senate Democratic financial reform bill."
Mar 25, 2010	Americans & FinReg - Steve Liesman, CNBC Summary: CNBC's Steve Liesman discusses a new poll that shows Americans overwhelmingly support financial reform. Charles Taylor, Pew Financial Reform Project director, explains the methodology and results.
Mar 25, 2010	Gensler Asks Commercial Firms To Push For Tougher Regs - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: " Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler on Wednesday attempted to split the business community as he makes his case for greater regulation of the multitrillion-dollar derivatives industry, asking commercial businesses to push for tougher rules against financial firms, in part because it could lower their costs and risk."
Mar 25, 2010	Column: Getting Financial Reform Right - Duncan Currie, National Review Summary: "Earlier this week, the Senate Banking Committee endorsed regulatory-reform legislation that would (among other things) launch a Financial Stability Oversight Council to monitor and tackle systemic risk, establish a new consumer-protection agency in the Federal Reserve, boost shareholder rights through proxy access, and implement a watered-down version of the “Volcker rule” on proprietary trading."
Mar 25, 2010	Rodgin Cohen: We Desperately Need Financial Reform Legislation - William Wei and Gregory White, Business Insider Summary: "Earlier on Bloomberg TV, corporate lawyer Rodgin Cohen asserted his belief that financial reform is necessary for Wall Street, and that institutions are willing to come to terms with it if it works."
Mar 25, 2010	Financial crisis tale to make the blood boil - William Cohan, Financial Times Summary: "At the very moment when – thanks to trillions of dollars in taxpayer bail-outs – Wall Street seems to have righted itself and returned to the work of generating billions of dollars in revenue in opaque ways and then paying half of it in the form of bonuses to its overcompensated employees, Michael Lewis’s new book comes along to stir up the simmering pot. Yep, it’s time to throw another tank of gasoline on the Wall Street pyre."
Mar 25, 2010	Consumer watchdog may be too weak, advocates say - Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch Summary: "Far-reaching legislation aimed at overhauling the nation's financial-services regulatory system is moving forward in Congress, but advocates say some of the proposed consumer protections are too weak."
Mar 25, 2010	Hoenig Says Removing Bank Oversight Would Worsen Future Crisis - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig said a proposal to strip the Fed of supervision over 5,000 banks would worsen the next financial crisis by denying policy makers information about the firms."
Mar 25, 2010	Obama official slams U.S. Chamber over opposition to financial overhaul - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Taking a newly defiant stance in its next major legislative battle, a top Obama administration official walked into the heart of the opposition Wednesday and accused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of lying about what the sweeping regulatory overhaul of financial regulations would do."
Mar 25, 2010	Behind Consumer Agency Idea, a Tireless Advocate - Jodi Kantor, New York Times Summary: "Ask Elizabeth Warren, scourge of Wall Street bankers, how they treat consumers, and she will shake her head with indignation. She will talk about morality, about fairness, about what she calls their 'let them eat cake' attitude toward taxpayers. If she is riled enough, she might even spit out the Warren version of an expletive."
Mar 25, 2010	Financial Overhaul Is Next Priority of Democrats - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Buoyed by passage of landmark health care legislation, the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress said Wednesday that an overhaul of financial regulations was the next legislative priority."
Mar 25, 2010	Obama urges Democrats to make hard push on financial regulation - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "President Obama and Democratic lawmakers moved Wednesday to accelerate their efforts at overhauling the nation's financial regulation, seeking to exploit divisions among Republicans over how much to compromise on a landmark bill now awaiting Senate action."
Mar 24, 2010	Frank: Bank reform number-one issue for Americans - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Legislation to reform the rules of capitalism in the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression is likely to be approved shortly because it is the number-one issue Americans are focused on now, said a key lawmaker on Wednesday."
Mar 24, 2010	Editorial: Restore credibility to the U.S. financial system - The Seattle Times Editorial Board Summary: "THE health and credibility of the U.S. financial system is basic to the functioning of the American economy, and the role and influence of that economy worldwide."
Mar 24, 2010	Big Banks Begin Effort to Improve Image, Set ’Record Straight’ - Julianna Goldman and Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "One of Wall Street’s main lobbying groups is starting an image-improvement campaign aimed at showing the financial industry as trustworthy and a positive force after more than a year of being chastised in Washington."
Mar 24, 2010	US Sen Dodd: To Harmonize Senate, House Reg Reform Bills Soon - Henry J. Pulizzi, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Negotiators will begin the process of harmonizing House and Senate financial overhaul bills 'in the coming days,' Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) said Wednesday, indicating that lawmakers are moving toward the end game in a broad rewrite of the rules governing financial institutions."
Mar 24, 2010	Bob Corker: GOP erred on financial reform - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "A top Republican player in the financial reform debate Wednesday said his Republican colleagues have made a 'major strategic error' in allowing a Democrat-only bill to pass out of committee."
Mar 24, 2010	Fed’s Hoenig Endorses Volcker Rule, Leverage Limits - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig urged the U.S. to ban proprietary trading at banks and overhaul regulation to ensure a competitive financial system."
Mar 24, 2010	Battle brews over expanding shareholders' power - Lisa Lerer and Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "As Senate negotiators continue to toil toward a bipartisan deal on financial reform, one issue that will continue to divide the two sides is a provision to allow minority shareholders to nominate their own candidates to a company’s board of directors."
Mar 24, 2010	Wall Street Despised, Most Want Oversight, Poll Shows - John McCormick and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Americans are leery about creating a new federal agency to make consumer-protection rules for mortgages and credit cards and would prefer to enhance the existing powers of banking regulators."
Mar 24, 2010	Senate Banking Republicans Say Financial Bill Will Pass - Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Two key Republican negotiators on the Senate Banking Committee on predicted Wednesday that a broad financial overhaul bill will pass Congress before the year is out."
Mar 24, 2010	Op-ed: Recovery depends on Main Street - Robert Reich, Financial Times Summary: "Can the American economy recover if only its big global companies, Wall Street and high-income Americans are doing better but its small businesses and middle and lower-income Americans are not? The short answer is no."
Mar 24, 2010	Op-ed: Strong CFPA will end abusive lending - Sen. Jeff Merkley, The Hill Summary: "There are countless variations on the American Dream, but for many families, that dream includes two major milestones: starting a family and owning a home."
Mar 24, 2010	Op-ed: Bill misses mark on ‘too big to fail’ - Sen. David Vitter, The Hill Summary: "Bipartisan negotiations on a financial reform bill had been making real progress over the last month, particularly toward truly ending 'too big to fail' and replacing it with a strong resolution mechanism that would ensure that failed firms are liquidated. Unfortunately, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) pulled away from this approach at the urging of the Obama administration."
Mar 24, 2010	Op-ed: Economy can’t accept status quo, and neither will President Obama - Neal Wolin, The Hill Summary: "On Monday evening, the Senate Banking Committee voted out the most significant financial reform legislation since the 1930s. The markup followed many months and countless hours of bipartisan discussions. If enacted, Chairman Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) legislation — like the House bill that passed last December — would help lay a stronger financial foundation for decades to come."
Mar 24, 2010	Column: No End to U.S. Housing Handouts - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The time to get out of a toxic relationship is when its ill effects are undeniable. At this point in the housing crisis, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner could have used Tuesday's speech on the mortgage market to convince America it is time to end its relationship with housing subsidies. Instead, he suggested ways to make it less dysfunctional."
Mar 24, 2010	Schumer Threatens Retaliation in EU Hedge-Fund Dispute - Stephen Fidler, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A U.S. senator threatened retaliation if European Union proposals curbing access of American fund managers to the European market become law."
Mar 24, 2010	A First Step on Fannie and Freddie - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Despite growing pressure from Congress to act quickly, the Obama administration is moving tentatively to develop a plan to reshape Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage-finance companies taken over by the government 18 months ago."
Mar 23, 2010	White House Looking Towards End Game on Financial Rules? - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Are Democrats looking towards the finish line on their yearlong effort to overhaul Wall Street rules?"
Mar 23, 2010	The Administration Starts to Fight On Banking, But For What? - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "Speaking to the American Enterprise Institute, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner had some good lines yesterday...
Mar 23, 2010	Op-ed: The Dodd Bill and U.S. Competitiveness - Paul Singer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Last week, Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd released a bill that proposes sweeping changes to the U.S. financial regulatory framework."
Mar 23, 2010	Pressure grows to overhaul Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "It is the forgotten bailout: $125.9 billion spent by taxpayers so far to rescue housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- nearly twice what's been pumped into American International Group Inc. -- and with no end in sight."
Mar 23, 2010	Editorial: Real Reform in an Election Year - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "The White House and Democratic leaders in Congress won’t have much time to savor their victory on health care reform if they hope to achieve the next big goal: enacting financial regulatory reform before the midterm elections."
Mar 23, 2010	Financial Overhaul Advances - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats advanced legislation to rewrite financial rules without Republican support as part of a broader strategy by the Obama administration to pressure the GOP to vote on the regulatory overhaul."
Mar 23, 2010	Bank Panel Clears Bill on Overhaul - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee voted on Monday to send to the full Senate a Democratic bill to overhaul the nation’s financial system, deferring, for now, an anticipated partisan fight over the legislation."
Mar 23, 2010	Senate panel passes sweeping financial-regulation bill - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The Senate banking committee voted along party lines Monday to transform the regulation of financial markets, sending another piece of far-reaching legislation to the full Senate a day after Congress approved an overhaul of the nation's health system."
Mar 22, 2010	Fannie, Freddie messy government tie tough to cut - Lynn Adler and Richard Leong, Reuters Summary: "With the U.S. housing sector still on the ropes, the Obama administration on Tuesday will begin to sketch out plans for the market's two biggest financing pillars, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Mar 22, 2010	Senate Banking Committee Passes Dodd’s Financial-Overhaul Bill - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee today approved Senator Christopher Dodd’s plan to overhaul financial regulations, advancing the Obama administration’s call for the biggest restructuring of Wall Street oversight since the 1930s."
Mar 22, 2010	Big Push to Alter Finance Rules - Michael R. Crittenden and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Administration officials are intensifying their appeals to overhaul U.S. financial regulation as the Senate Banking Committee prepares to take up Sen. Christopher Dodd's legislation on Monday."
Mar 22, 2010	In creating consumer financial regulatory agency, there are no guarantees - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "In the debate over how to structure a new regulatory agency to protect consumers of financial products, history offers a lesson:"
Mar 22, 2010	Fate of Volcker Rule May Hinge on Dodd’s ‘Shall’ Becoming ‘May’ - Alison Vekshin and Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg Summary: "The fate of the Volcker rule, which would ban proprietary trading at U.S. banks, may hinge on the word 'shall.'"
Mar 22, 2010	Op-ed: US financial reform ignores wider terrain - Clive Crook, Financial Times Summary: "With the US in convulsions over healthcare, Barack Obama devoted his regular weekend broadcast to a different subject: financial reform. It was a surprising choice, but give the president credit for recognising the importance of the issue."
Mar 22, 2010	Volcker And Bernanke: So Close And Yet So Far - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "In case you were wondering, Paul Volcker is still pressing hard for the Senate (and Congress, at the end of the day) to adopt some version of both 'Volcker Rules'."
Mar 22, 2010	Op-ed: Alan Greenspan's flawed analysis of the financial crisis - Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post Summary: "Rarely has a public figure's reputation suffered a reversal as dramatic as Alan Greenspan's."
Mar 22, 2010	How to reward taxpayers who bailed out Wall Street - Jim Webb, Washington Post Summary: "On Sept. 19, 2008, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke convened a conference call with the Democratic caucus of the U.S. Senate."
Mar 22, 2010	Activist investors to push back against lax corporate governance - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "Investor groups have launched a two-pronged battle this spring against the lax corporate governance that they say helped precipitate the financial crisis."
Mar 22, 2010	Republicans plan broad attack on financial reforms - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A wide assault on a plan by Democrats to overhaul U.S. financial regulation is planned by Republicans for Monday as a Senate panel begins drafting a much-disputed bill, documents obtained by Reuters show."
Mar 22, 2010	Bernanke Says Public Shouldn’t Pay to Wind Down Financial Firms - Steve Matthews and Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said any mechanism to dismantle firms deemed too big to fail must avoid disruptions to the financial system while imposing costs on shareholders and creditors, not taxpayers."
Mar 21, 2010	Op-ed: Obama, Lehman and ‘The Dragon Tattoo’ - Frank Rich, New York Times Summary: "THE same week that Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008, a Swedish crime novel titled 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' was published in America."
Mar 20, 2010	Rules Or Regulators? - John Maggs, National Journal Magazine Summary: "As economist Robert Litan totes up the compromises that went into the long-awaited draft of the financial regulatory reform legislation unveiled in the Senate this week, he is reminded of 1991."
Mar 20, 2010	Senators divided over rules on the derivatives market - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Two senators charged with shaping new rules to oversee the vast, unregulated over-the-counter derivatives market said Friday that they have failed to reach agreement on the legislation, considered a crucial element of the effort to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system."
Mar 20, 2010	Amendments and Impasse May Hamper Banking Bill - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee might face some late nights next week."
Mar 20, 2010	Op-ed: A Foreign Service for Wall Street - Scott McClesky, New York Times Summary: "LAST week, Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy examiner released a report showing that the investment firm went to great lengths to hide its shaky finances."
Mar 20, 2010	Obama: Dodd's Financial Overhaul 'Essential' - Judith Burns, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama used his weekly radio address to call for an overhaul of U.S. financial regulation, saying reform is needed to rein in bad practices and better protect consumers."
Mar 19, 2010	More Reuters Results for:"Once skeptical, Congress warms to CFTC's Gensler Reuters" - Christopher Doering, Reuters Summary: "Gary Gensler, who once supported market deregulation blamed for the recent financial meltdown, has been winning over members of Congress who had been skeptical of his ability to rein in Wall Street as the top U.S. futures regulator."
Mar 19, 2010	Greenspan Says Fed, Regulators ‘Failed’ During Financial Crisis - Steve Matthews, Bloomberg Summary: "Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the central bank and other U.S. regulators 'failed' during the financial crisis because they became too complacent about risks."
Mar 19, 2010	Many Calls for Avoiding a Repeat of Bank Bailouts - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The idea of requiring giant banks to develop contingency plans that would spell out their orderly demise in a financial crisis gained support on Thursday from major international regulators. "
Mar 19, 2010	U.S. Senate to remove "backdoor bailouts" from bill - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will remove a provision from the financial reform bill that bank regulator Sheila Bair said could allow for 'backdoor bailouts,' a panel spokeswoman said on Friday."
Mar 19, 2010	Financial reform bill headed to party-line vote - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Two key Republican senators said Thursday that the bill introduced this week by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) to overhaul financial regulation is headed for a strict party-line vote in the Senate banking committee unless the measure undergoes significant amendments during debate next week. "
Mar 19, 2010	Greenspan Concedes That the Fed Failed to Gauge the Bubble - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Is Alan Greenspan, famous for his libertarian leanings and hands-off approach to Wall Street, having some second thoughts?"
Mar 19, 2010	Treasury Seeks Stronger Resolution Authority - Bill Swindell and Juliana Gruenwald, National Journal Summary: "The Treasury Department is seeking greater authority than what Congress is considering to take over and assist financial firms whose collapse could threaten financial markets."
Mar 18, 2010	The Hand of Dodd - The Economist Summary: "CHRIS DODD, the soon-to-retire chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has staked his legacy on overhauling America’s financial regulations. If he fails, it won’t be for lack of trying."
Mar 18, 2010	White House rips business lobby over financial reform - Jeff Mason, Reuters Summary: "The White House lashed out at a major U.S. business lobbying organization on Wednesday for spending millions of dollars to fight legislation that would overhaul regulation of Wall Street firms."
Mar 18, 2010	Column: Lehman’s Demise, Dissected - William D. Cohen, New York Times Summary: "What if the biggest rewards on Wall Street went to those who thwarted dangerous and excessive risk-taking instead of to those who enabled, approved or simply ignored it?"
Mar 18, 2010	Adviser swats Boehner on 'punks' - Eamon Javers, Politico 44 Blog Summary: "National Economic Council Director Larry Summers fired back this morning at Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), who on Wednesday encouraged bankers to stick up for themselves against the 'little punk staffers writing financial regulatory reform legislation."
Mar 18, 2010	Complications abound for Dodd's bank-reform bill - Ronald D. Orol & Greg Robb, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Members of the Senate Banking Committee appeared close to a bipartisan deal on bank-reform legislation last week, but the panel is now likely to vote out a package next week strictly along party lines -- complicating its chances for passage in the full Senate this spring."
Mar 18, 2010	White House's Summers:Fin Sys Not Failsafe Until Safe to Fail - Heather Scott, iMarketNews.com Summary: "White House economic coordinator Lawrence Summers Thursday slammed the intense and well bankrolled lobbying effort to block reform of financial system oversight by portraying the banks as underdogs and stressed that the system must be made safe from failure."
Mar 18, 2010	Greenspan Says Banks May Need to Raise Reserve Capital by 40% - Steve Matthews, Bloomberg Summary: "Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said regulators may need to compel banks to raise capital levels by as much as 40 percent, saying that’s a more effective way to ensure stability than new regulatory rules targeting risk."
Mar 18, 2010	Summers Renews White House Pitch For Regulatory Overhaul - Henry J. Pulizzi, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A top White House official said the Federal Reserve should have a close 'nexus' with the biggest and most important financial institutions, but cautioned that the public should focus on broad aspects of financial overhaul legislation rather than regulatory turf battles."
Mar 18, 2010	Corker: Dodd financial markup will be partisan - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Thursday that next week's markup of financial overhaul legislation will likely split on party lines, even as senators work towards a final Senate bill that could garner GOP support."
Mar 18, 2010	Op-ed: If You Liked Fannie and Freddie... - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Think ObamaCare for the financial system. That's one way to understand Sen. Chris Dodd's bill to reform financial regulation. If passed in its current form, the bill would give the government control over the financial system in roughly the same way, and to the same extent, that ObamaCare would take over the nation's health care."
Mar 18, 2010	Bernanke Criticizes Dodd Plan to Curb Fed Supervision - Craig Torres and Joshua Zumbrun, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke criticized a proposal in the Senate to limit the central bank’s supervision to the largest financial firms, saying it would undercut its ability to spot financial risks."
Mar 18, 2010	Fed chief defends role as watchdog - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, appealed to Congress to preserve the central bank’s supervision of the financial system as lawmakers consider removing some of the Fed’s powers."
Mar 17, 2010	Volcker Wants Second Vice Chair at Fed - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "The latest Senate proposal to overhaul financial regulation includes a provision to create a second vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington who would be directly responsible for bank supervision."
Mar 17, 2010	Financial reform would shift Fed's authority away from regional banks - Neil Irwin and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "In the details of the financial reform legislation introduced this week are fundamental changes to the Federal Reserve that would shift power from the regional Fed banks around the country and concentrate it in Washington and New York."
Mar 17, 2010	Dodd Bill Empowers Regulators to Limit Size of Financial Firms - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Senator Christopher Dodd unveiled legislation that empowers regulators to break up large financial firms, ban proprietary trading, and oversee hedge funds and derivatives, aiming to enact the most sweeping rules overhaul since the 1930s."
Mar 17, 2010	Column: Dodd 2.0: Maybe we need to reboot - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "OMG! I'm turning into Mitch McConnell! :( "
Mar 17, 2010	Op-ed: Why Consumers Can’t Trust the Fed - Daniel Carpenter, New York Times Summary: "ON Monday, Senator Christopher Dodd unveiled his proposal to reform the nation’s financial regulatory system, including a new agency to protect consumers from predatory practices like teaser mortgages and misleading credit card contracts."
Mar 17, 2010	As Lawmakers Grapple With Financial Overhaul, They Call for More Studies - Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "When in doubt, conduct a study. That, in short, is the regimen prescribed by both the House and the Senate bills proposing a regulatory overhaul of the banking and financial industries."
Mar 17, 2010	Banks ready gantlet for Chris Dodd - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Even before Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd stepped up to the lectern Monday to discuss his latest financial reform bill, lobbyists across town were poring over the more than 1,300-page draft legislation."
Mar 17, 2010	Column: Dodd Bill: Progress but Not Perfect - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Does it pass the AIG test? That is the challenge facing any financial-sector overhaul legislation, including Monday's long-awaited Senate bill."
Mar 17, 2010	Republicans push back on Dodd's reform schedule - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Republicans on the banking committee are not pleased with Chairman Chris Dodd’s decision to start formal committee consideration of his 1,336-page financial reform bill on Monday, a mere week after he unveiled the latest draft of the complex legislation."
Mar 17, 2010	Editorial: Reform is in sight - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "Structured chaos' is what Senator Chris Dodd quips he almost called the liquidation scheme in his new financial regulation bill. It could also describe the political process that forced him to have a second stab after his November draft ran afoul of Republican opposition.
Mar 17, 2010	Dodd's 2nd shot at financial reform still leaves loopholes - Paul Wiseman, USA Today Summary: "Trying to fix the broken U.S. financial system is no way to win a popularity contest. Standing by himself, Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, on Monday announced his second attempt to plug loopholes in financial regulation and find ways to prevent a repeat of the crisis that overtook Wall Street in late 2008."
Mar 16, 2010	Sen. Dodd urges quick action on financial reform - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd on Tuesday said Congress needs to fast track financial reform despite Republican pleas to slow down the process to rewrite sweeping new rules."
Mar 16, 2010	Top 10 lobbying fights over financial reform overhaul legislation - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Lobbyists are scurrying to make major changes to the 1,336-page financial overhaul legislation Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) released this week."
Mar 16, 2010	Larry Summers: 'Six Imperatives' for Financial Regulation - Larry Summers, Economist's View Blog Summary: A clip of National Economic Director Larry Summers addressing an audience on 'six imperatives for financial reform on March 12, 2010 at the SIEPR 2010 Economic Summit.
Mar 16, 2010	Dodd's bill includes 'Volcker rule,' ability to sue credit-rating agencies - Frank Ahrens, Washington Post Economy Watch Blog Summary: "A couple of pieces of news emerged from the summary sheet of Sen. Chris Dodd's (D-Conn.) sprawling financial industry regulation reform bill, which he rolled out today. Most of what is included was anticipated."
Mar 16, 2010	6 key points of the financial regulation legislation - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "Dodd's second draft of financial reform legislation tracks closer to the bill that passed the House in December, eliminating several of the bold reforms he proposed last fall. But Republicans remain opposed, despite Dodd's decision to incorporate their ideas on some issues."
Mar 16, 2010	Dodd’s Financial Rules Bill Dilutes Obama Plan to Seek Support - Phil Mattingly and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd’s plan for the biggest Wall Street regulatory overhaul since the 1930s drops provisions he sought in November and dilutes others as he seeks bipartisan support."
Mar 16, 2010	Sen Dodd boosts Fed in new financial reforms - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The Federal Reserve would take on a greatly expanded role in financial regulation under new legislation unveiled on Monday by a top Senate Democrat, in a push to move ahead with the regulatory reform that has been a top priority of President Barack Obama."
Mar 16, 2010	Chris Dodd proposal hits Wall Street hard - Eamon Javers and Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The cynics called it a stunt, a photo-op and dead on arrival."
Mar 16, 2010	Wall Street Loses as Small Banks Win - Damian Paletta and Randall Smith, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A proposal advanced by Senate Democrats on Monday to overhaul financial markets would take sharp aim at big Wall Street banks, with provisions that would rein in profits, require more capital and tamp down executive compensation, likely exacerbating a political brawl between bankers and the White House."
Mar 16, 2010	Reform Bill Adds Layers of Oversight - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The 1,336-page bill to overhaul financial regulation that Senate Democrats put forward on Monday with the backing of the Obama administration calls for Washington to play a more active role in policing Wall Street."
Mar 15, 2010	Its Own Advisers Oppose Consumer Role for the Fed - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "As the Senate contemplates creation of a consumer financial protection agency within the Federal Reserve, opposition to the idea has emerged from an unexpected quarter: the Fed’s Consumer Advisory Council."
Mar 15, 2010	Editorial: Pick Your Side - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "After spending months searching for a bipartisan consensus on financial regulatory reform, Senator Christopher Dodd, chairman of the banking committee, is expected to unveil his own bill on Monday, without one Republican supporter."
Mar 15, 2010	State attorneys general vie for stronger consumer protection role - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "In the fight over how to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system, one of the key power struggles has pitted the states -- in particular a core group of state attorneys general -- against federal regulators, financial lobbyists and some members of Congress."
Mar 15, 2010	Sen. Dodd to introduce plan to overhaul financial regulatory system - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Senate banking Chairman Sen. Christopher J. Dodd will try to strike a delicate balance Monday as he introduces a new measure to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system, including provisions aimed at shoring up support among fellow Democrats but also incorporating compromises he reached with Republicans."
Mar 15, 2010	Does Meaningful Financial Reform Have Any Chance? - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "Senator Dodd’s financial reform bill will be introduced in the Senate Banking Committee today. Unfortunately, on the major issue – too big to fail financial institutions that caused the 2008-09 crisis and that will likely trigger the next meltdown – there is nothing meaningful in the proposed legislation."
Mar 15, 2010	Op-ed: Lessons from the collapse of Bear Stearns - John Cassidy, Financial Times Summary: "Two years ago on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson called up Alan Schwartz, the chief executive of Bear Stearns, and told him the jig was up. 'Alan, you’re in the government’s hands now,' he said. 'Bankruptcy is the only other option.' Thus began the epic stage of the credit crunch and 24 months on, many costly lessons have been learned."
Mar 15, 2010	Dodd Faces ‘Ticklish Position’ Going Alone on Financial Rules - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd will unveil a financial-regulation bill today without Republican backing, a move that may force him to balance the need for bipartisan accord against his own party’s goals."
Mar 15, 2010	Dodd's New Plan for Finance Rules Aims to Give More Muscle to Fed - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The political battle over rewriting the rules of Wall Street will intensify Monday afternoon when Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd is expected to introduce legislation tougher on financial companies than was expected just a few weeks ago."
Mar 15, 2010	Chris Dodd: Wall St. reform 'cannot wait' - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd will unveil a revised financial reform bill Monday that seeks to find a middle ground between the skeptical Republicans he left at the negotiating table last week and the unhappy left-wing of the Democratic caucus."
Mar 15, 2010	With Financial Reform Bill, a Test for Congress - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Senate Democrats will press forward this week on legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial system in a critical test of whether Washington can pass reform."
Mar 14, 2010	Sen. Dodd challenges Republicans on financial reforms - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd told Reuters he will unveil revised financial regulation reform legislation on Monday and threw down a challenge to Republican lawmakers."
Mar 14, 2010	A Brief, but Failed, Pass at Bipartisanship - John Harwood, New York Times Summary: "In 1981, as Christopher J. Dodd reached the Senate, two members of the Harvard Negotiation Project published the best seller “Getting to Yes.'"
Mar 12, 2010	Q&A: Warner, Corker On Financial Reform - Ronald Brownstein, National Journal Magazine Summary: "First-term Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., have been at the center of the extended bipartisan negotiations in their chamber to restructure the regulation of financial institutions."
Mar 12, 2010	Reed Calls For Limits On OTC Exemptions - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., stressed again today he wants to limit exemptions for businesses that use derivatives for commercial purposes despite intense opposition from industry lobbyists wanting to keep it as unregulated as possible."
Mar 12, 2010	Dodd’s Decision to Snub Republicans Could Stall Financial Bill - Alison Vekshin and Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "The most ambitious attempt to overhaul U.S. financial rules since the 1930s suffered a setback as the third bipartisan push collapsed, setting the stage for wrangling that could delay a final bill for months."
Mar 12, 2010	Administration Said to Settle on No. 2 at Fed - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Obama administration has settled on Janet L. Yellen, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, to serve as vice chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, a senior administration official said on Thursday night."
Mar 12, 2010	Editorial: A Financial Reform Reprieve - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd announced yesterday that bipartisan talks on financial reform have broken down, and he'll now introduce a Democratic bill on Monday. That strikes us as good news because it probably reduces the chances that a rushed and ill-thought reform will pass this year."
Mar 12, 2010	Financial system reforms won't wait - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Senate banking committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said Thursday he will move forward next week with sweeping legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, despite failing to resolve key differences with Republicans."
Mar 11, 2010	Column: Harry Markopolos, SEC Chairman? - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Harry Markopolos is finally taking his victory lap. Out hustling a new book about his nearly decade-long pursuit of Bernie Madoff, he's been on a whirlwind media tour: CNBC, MSNBC and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Mar 11, 2010	How U.S. financial regulation fight might play out - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The debate over financial regulation overhaul has a long way to go in the U.S. Congress, with the action now centered in a Senate committee, where analysts, aides and lawmakers see several possible scenarios ahead."
Mar 11, 2010	Sen. Corker Offers Details of Deal That Almost Was… - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) on Thursday talked openly of the bipartisan compromise he nearly reached with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) over new financial regulations."
Mar 11, 2010	Dodd to Offer Financial Regulation Bill Without G.O.P. - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, hoping to break a months-long logjam on the biggest overhaul of financial regulations since the Depression, will unveil his own proposal on Monday, without yet having a single Republican endorsement."
Mar 11, 2010	Dodd Pushes Financial Reform Without GOP Support - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) will introduce his sweeping plan to overhaul financial regulations Monday without any Republican support, a spokeswoman said, potentially imperiling the White House's effort to redraw financial regulations."
Mar 11, 2010	Geithner warns of rift over regulation - Martin Arnold, Sam Jones and Nikki Tait, Financial Times Summary: "Tim Geithner, US Treasury secretary, has delivered a blunt warning to the European Commission that its plans to regulate the hedge fund and private equity industries could cause a transatlantic rift by discriminating against US groups."
Mar 11, 2010	Senators Unveil Bill to Ban Banks' High-Risk Trades - Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Two senators introduced legislation Wednesday echoing calls from the Obama administration to bar taxpayer-insured banks and their affiliates and subsidiaries from engaging in proprietary trading."
Mar 11, 2010	Senate Bill on Finance to Include Agency That Tracks Financial Risk - Edward Wyatt and Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Senate Banking Committee members from both parties said on Wednesday that they had agreed to include in their regulatory overhaul bill a new Office of Research and Analysis that would provide early warnings of possible systemic collapses."
Mar 10, 2010	The Deflationist - Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker Summary: "When it is cold at home, or he has a couple of weeks with nothing to do but write his Times column, or when something unexpectedly stressful happens, like winning the Nobel Prize, the Princeton economist Paul Krugman and his wife, Robin Wells, go to St. Croix."
Mar 10, 2010	Inside Man - Joshua Green, The Atlantic Summary: "Congress members accuse Timothy Geithner of coddling Wall Street. Wall Street accuses him of abetting socialism. Yet when the history books are written, Geithner will be recognized as Barack Obama’s key lieutenant in the struggle to right the economy and fix the finance system."
Mar 10, 2010	Corker: Reg Reform Deal Is 'Imminent' - Andy Leonatti and John Maggs, National Journal Summary: "A key Senate Republican said today lawmakers should "chill" while negotiators work on a financial reform deal in the Senate Banking Committee so that speculation on the bill will not complicate the process."
Mar 10, 2010	US Sen Corker: no exemptions in new watchdog bill - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "An influential Republican in U.S. Senate talks on financial regulatory reform said on Wednesday there are no special exemptions for particular institutions in a proposed new government financial watchdog agency."
Mar 10, 2010	Op-ed: The Regulation Shell Game - Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes Summary: "I think everyone has seen versions of this game. The street-corner con artist puts a pea under one of three cups and then whirls them around with speed and deception, while the 'marks' bet on the ultimate location of the pea."
Mar 10, 2010	Way Too Big To Save - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "Listening to US officials, talking to legal experts, and waiting for an intense Senate debate on financial reform to begin, you can easily form the impression that “too big to fail” adequately describes our most serious future systemic banking problems. It does not."
Mar 10, 2010	Senate financial bill appears likely to keep Fed as regulator of big banks - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Key members of the Senate banking committee are coalescing around legislation that would strip the Federal Reserve of much of its regulatory authority but would leave the central bank with oversight of the nation's largest banks, according to aides familiar with the ongoing negotiations."
Mar 10, 2010	Frank Wants Reform on C-SPAN - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Republicans who moaned about President Barack Obama’s broken C-SPAN promises on health care negotiations, beware: Barney Frank plans to demand an old-school conference on financial reform."
Mar 10, 2010	Op-ed: If only financial reform really were funny - Katrina vanden Heuvel, Washington Post Summary: "In a hilarious video plug for the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, the popular comedy Web site funnyordie.com gathers Saturday Night Live's famed presidential impersonators -- from Chevy Chase to Will Farrell -- to advise a slumbering Barack Obama (Fred Armisen). Dana Carvey, reprising Daddy Bush, tersely sums up the whole shebang about financial reform:"
Mar 10, 2010	Regulators tell US banks to hold funds - Justin Baer and Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: "US regulators have told banks not to increase dividends or buy back shares until political and economic uncertainty surrounding the industry dissipates, in a move that will delay by months the return of capital to shareholders."
Mar 10, 2010	A Consumer Bill Gives Exemption on Payday Loans - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Senator Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who is playing a crucial role in bipartisan negotiations over financial regulation, pressed to remove a provision from draft legislation that would have empowered federal authorities to crack down on payday lenders, people involved in the talks said."
Mar 09, 2010	No Credit - John Cassidy, The New Yorker Summary: "In the history of product launches, the rollout of the Obama Administration’s plan to stabilize the financial system was in the category of 'Ishtar,' smokeless cigarettes, and New Coke."
Mar 09, 2010	Senate Revamp to Seek $50 Billion From Large Firms - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Key Senate lawmakers have agreed to levy $50 billion in fees on the U.S.'s largest financial companies to cover the cost of paying the collapse of financial firms, people familiar with the matter said."
Mar 09, 2010	Fed’s Reach May Be Curbed Under Plan - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Several high-ranking members of the Senate Banking Committee have reached a tentative consensus on a plan that would strip the Federal Reserve of regulatory powers over all but the very largest banks, those with more than $100 billion in assets, people briefed on the negotiations said on Monday night."
Mar 09, 2010	Column: Let's Not Repeat Sad History Will U.S. Leaders Restore Sanity to the Economy? - Errol Louis, New York Daily News Summary: "America is still sorting through the wreckage of the mortgage crisis, and already congressional Democrats have forgotten the main lesson of that debacle: Lax financial regulation sets the stage for economic catastrophe."
Mar 09, 2010	Editorial: Keep an eye on banks - Philadelphia Enquirer Editorial Board Summary: "It's been more than a year since Wall Street collapsed, and Congress is finally moving forward with reforms to prevent more abuses in the banking industry."
Mar 09, 2010	SEC Economist Leaving Amid Short-Sale Rules Conflict - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s top economist is leaving the agency after Chairman Mary Schapiro merged his office with another and passed short- selling rules that hedge funds said ignored financial analysis."
Mar 09, 2010	Op-ed:Effective credit-rating reform needs balance - Phil Papoojian, Providence Journal Summary: "People in Congress are working on far-reaching legislation to regulate the financial-services industry in hopes of preventing a repeat of the financial turmoil we saw over the last two years."
Mar 09, 2010	Column: No tea for Wall Street in fall elections - David Weidner, MarketWatch Summary: "Tea party? When it comes to elections, Wall Street traditionally has but one party of choice: the winning party."
Mar 09, 2010	Biz Groups Appear To Be Close To Win On Governance - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Business interests appear to have the upper hand in their quest to strip corporate governance language from a revamp of the nation's financial regulatory system, a priority for Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who has spearheaded the populist effort."
Mar 09, 2010	Showdown looms for financial reform - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "If there were any question that the stakes are high for financial reform, consider this: Even the Defense Department is getting into the fight."
Mar 09, 2010	Column: So Where’s Consumer Protection? - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "The fate of the proposed consumer protection agency remains the biggest question mark in the proposed overhaul of the finance industry, The New York Times’s Andrew Ross Sorkin writes in his latest DealBook column."
Mar 08, 2010	Critics hit Senate tilt toward Fed status quo - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Senators leaning toward preserving the Federal Reserve's role as a bank supervisor and consumer protection regulator came under criticism on Monday from academics and consumer activists."
Mar 08, 2010	Senators wrangle over OTC derivatives exemptions - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Republican and Democratic senators are at odds over which financial players should be exempt from complying with proposed rules designed to shed light on the $450 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market."
Mar 08, 2010	Federal Reserve may retain power in banking reform - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Financial institutions that have more than $100 billion in assets would continue to be overseen by the Federal Reserve, based on a legislative proposal under consideration in the Senate, according to people familiar with negotiations on broad bank-reform legislation."
Mar 08, 2010	Battle Inside Fed Rages Over Bank Regulation - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The worst of the banking crisis may be long over, but the political contest over the Federal Reserve is entering a crucial phase in which its personality and role will almost certainly be redefined."
Mar 08, 2010	Column: Sure-Fire Crowd Pleaser: Reining in Wall Street - John Harwood, New York Times Summary: "For President Obama and Congressional Democrats, public opinion this past year has mostly gone in the wrong direction — on his job performance, on health care and economic stimulus, on midterm elections."
Mar 08, 2010	Key vacancies give Obama a chance to steer financial reform - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "President Obama has the chance during his first term to appoint leaders for each of the federal agencies that oversee banks, an important opportunity to reshape the government's approach to regulation even as the White House struggles to push structural reforms through the Senate."
Mar 08, 2010	Big bank oversight to stay with Fed - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Banks with more than $100bn of assets will be overseen by the US Federal Reserve under a regulatory reform plan that represents a partial victory for the central bank after months of attacks in Congress."
Mar 07, 2010	Financial reform bill likely to lose measure to protect Main Street investors - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "When financial reform legislation finally lands on the Senate floor, a provision that advocates call the single most important item for Main Street investors will probably have been banished from the ponderous bill."
Mar 06, 2010	Consumer Groups Urge Regulation of Nonbank Financial Institutions - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "While much of the Congressional debate over consumer financial protection has focused on banks, lawmakers have been grappling behind the scenes over whether and how to regulate payday lenders, debt collectors, check-cashing outlets, title and installment lenders and even pawnbrokers."
Mar 06, 2010	Autonomy of Consumer Watchdog Is in Dispute - Andrew Martin and Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "As Congress and the White House battle over the outlines of an agency to protect consumers from deceptive financial practices, their biggest hurdle is figuring out how independent it should be."
Mar 06, 2010	Two Visions Of Banking's Future - John Maggs, National Journal Magazine Summary: "If financial regulatory reform becomes law, what then? No one can know whether the new rules taking shape in Congress will go far enough to prevent a repeat of the last crisis. Will the jumble of hybrid agencies proposed to enforce those rules get off the ground and function properly?"
Mar 05, 2010	Column: Fed-Bashing and Consumer Protection - Duncan Currie, National Review Summary: "Senate Banking Committee members Chris Dodd (D., Conn.) and Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) are reportedly on the verge of introducing a landmark financial-reform bill. Dodd, the committee chairman, began collaborating with Corker in mid-February, after the breakdown of talks with GOP ranking member Richard Shelby of Alabama."
Mar 05, 2010	Treasury's bailout overseer shifts course from 'too big to fail' - Renae Merle, Washington Post Summary: "A senior Treasury Department official overseeing the financial bailout told a congressional panel Thursday that the government is not providing a blanket guarantee that it will save institutions deemed too big to fail."
Mar 05, 2010	Op-ed: Six Steps Toward Financial Reform - Maurice Greenberg, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The devastating consequences of the financial crisis are all too familiar: billions of dollars and millions of jobs lost, and along with them lost confidence in the might of the American economy and the U.S. role as a global superpower. The question now is: What can we learn from the crisis and how can we prevent something like this from happening again?"
Mar 05, 2010	Dodd: Financial reform bill coming in days - Michael O'Brien, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room Summary: "Senators hope to unveil their financial reform bill in a matter of days, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said Friday morning."
Mar 04, 2010	Editorial: A.I.G., Greece, and Who’s Next? - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "As Greece has tottered on the brink of fiscal chaos, threatening to drag much of Europe down with it, Wall Street’s role in the fiasco has drawn well-deserved scorn."
Mar 04, 2010	Financial reform still on the table - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The Connecticut Democrat described his meeting with his banking colleagues Thursday as a chance to bring everyone up to date and discuss the issues at hand in the same room. The Democrats-only meeting came directly after a one-on-one meeting between Dodd and Corker."
Mar 04, 2010	Mandelson knocks ‘Volcker rule’ as too difficult - Alex Barker and Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Barack Obama’s plan to limit deposit-taking banks from proprietary trading are 'too difficult' to implement, Lord Mandelson said on Wednesday, as he called on the US president to refocus on G20 financial reforms."
Mar 04, 2010	Obama reasserts Volcker rule, U.S. Senate bill seen - Kevin Drawbaugh and Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration reasserted its commitment to banning proprietary trading by banks with draft legislative language on Wednesday, despite signs that the U.S. Congress is unlikely to adopt such a rule."
Mar 04, 2010	Fed May Lose Oversight of Small State Banks to FDIC, Reed Says - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The Federal Reserve, which is urging Congress to let it keep its bank supervising role, may lose oversight of smaller state banks to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Democratic Senator Jack Reed said."
Mar 04, 2010	Bullard Calls for Fed Powers to Avert Future Crisis - Steve Matthews, Bloomberg Summary: "St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said the central bank needs authority to determine the condition of the entire financial system to avert another crisis."
Mar 04, 2010	Manufacturers warn on wide US financial reform net - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A group of manufacturers and other non-banking firms on Thursday urged the U.S. Congress to prevent financial reforms from inadvertently sweeping in businesses outside the financial sector."
Mar 04, 2010	Why, Exactly, Are Big Banks Bad? - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "Just over 100 years ago, as the 19th century drew to a close, big business in America was synonymous with productivity, quality and success."
Mar 04, 2010	Editorial: Dodd’s dilemma - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "It is not much good winning over opponents if you lose corresponding numbers of your own side in the process. That is the problem for Chris Dodd, Democratic chairman of the Senate banking committee. Fellow Democrats have been scathing about the result of his efforts to devise a consumer protection measure popular enough to allow financial regulatory reform to make progress."
Mar 04, 2010	White House Offers Bill to Restrict Big Banks’ Actions - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Obama administration put forward legislation on Wednesday to rein in the size and scope of the nation’s largest banks. But the proposal faces strong resistance in Congress, where lawmakers have shown little appetite for adding to the prolonged debate on overhauling financial regulations."
Mar 04, 2010	Senators in Consumer Agency Talks - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Several senior Republicans have joined negotiations with Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) over how to construct consumer-protection rules, potentially bringing more Republican votes to a broader revamp of finance rules—if Democrats can stomach more concessions."
Mar 03, 2010	Frank: Treasury Dept. could house consumer protection office - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Wednesday he is open to placing a consumer financial protection authority at the Treasury Department instead of in a standalone office."
Mar 03, 2010	Barney Frank: Chris Dodd Deal Like 'A Bad Joke' - Eamon Javers and Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank on Tuesday blasted a proposal floated by Senate negotiators to place a proposed consumer protection agency inside the Federal Reserve."
Mar 03, 2010	Consumer Agency Within Fed Seen as Victory for Banking Industry - Craig Torres and Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg Summary: "For consumer advocates, housing a new agency to protect Americans from financial-product abuse within the Federal Reserve would be a defeat after lobbying for an independent body. For banks, it would represent a victory."
Mar 03, 2010	Key senators near financial reform deal: sources - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Two key senators have nearly cut a deal on financial regulation reform and a summary of it is being drafted, sources said on Tuesday, but other senators remain deeply divided on basic reform issues."
Mar 03, 2010	White House draft language on Volcker rule - Karey Wutkowski, Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The proposal known as the 'Volcker rule' would limit banks' proprietary trading, get them out of the hedge fund and private equity business, and limit their future growth through a new market share cap. The proposals were inspired by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker."
Mar 03, 2010	Hoyer Open to Senate Plan on Consumer Agency - Corey Boles and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A top House Democrat said Tuesday that an overhaul of financial regulation doesn't necessarily have to include a standalone consumer-protection agency."
Mar 03, 2010	Column: Congress Is Wasting a Good Crisis - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Has anyone in Congress actually explained to taxpayers how much they could be on the hook for if the banking system were to crater again?"
Mar 03, 2010	U.S. futures regulator wants ‘Eddie Murphy’ insider-trading ban - Roberta Rampton and Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "The top U.S. futures regulator wants Congress to include as part of its financial regulatory reform package new securities-style firewalls and insider trading bans for commodities, the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Wednesday."
Mar 03, 2010	Fed's Rosengren endorses contingent capital idea - Kristina Cooke, Reuters Summary: "Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Eric Rosengren said on Wednesday that he 'strongly endorses' the idea of requiring banks to hold debt that converts into equity during times of duress."
Mar 03, 2010	Gridlock May Be Ending on Consumer Protection - Sewell Chan and Edward Wyatt, New York Times Summary: "A proposal to give the Federal Reserve the primary responsibility for protecting consumers from abusive and deceptive financial products emerged on Tuesday as a potential breakthrough after months of partisan gridlock in the Senate over the terms of a broad overhaul of financial regulations."
Mar 03, 2010	Senators propose consumer-protection regulator within Fed - Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "It's an unlikely twist after all the beatings that Democrats and Republicans have laid on the Federal Reserve over the past year."
Mar 03, 2010	Op-ed: Wall Street's financial aftershocks - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post Summary: "Like earthquakes, Goldman Sachs can strike anytime. Its work can slumber undetected for years, only to erupt, unanticipated, with catastrophic consequences."
Mar 03, 2010	Column: Why No International Financial Regulation? - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "As we fast approach the unveiling of the Dodd-Corker financial reform proposals for the Senate, it is only fair and reasonable to ask: Does any of this really matter? To be sure, some parts of what the Senate Banking committee (and likely the full Senate) will consider are not inconsequential for relatively small players in the US market."
Mar 02, 2010	Summers urges business to back financial reform - Al Yoon, Reuters Summary: "Top White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers on Tuesday urged businesses to embrace financial regulatory reform to prevent another severe economic crisis and ensure long-term health of their companies."
Mar 02, 2010	Dodd, Corker regulatory offer gets cool reception - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "Getting new regulations to govern Wall Street boils down to this: If everybody hates a compromise, can it still work as a deal?"
Mar 02, 2010	Dodd Has Work Cut Out For Him Selling Fed Consumer Plan - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Initial reaction from Democratic senators and the White House was mixed for a plan Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) is advancing to house a new consumer-protection division within the Federal Reserve. (Long and short of it: everyone wants more details.)"
Mar 02, 2010	Op-ed: Stakes Are Too High to Fail on Regulatory Reform - Sen. Chris Dodd, Politico Summary: "This effort is not an attempt to punish the financial services industry. To create a strong economy, we must promote the innovation and imagination that have been the hallmark of our nation’s vibrant financial sector."
Mar 02, 2010	Op-ed: Time to Prevent Future Collapse is Now - Sen. Evan Bayh, Politico Summary: "In 2008, when the magnitude of our nation’s financial crisis became clear and Congress passed the Troubled Asset Relief Program to avert a national economic collapse, I made this prediction:"
Mar 02, 2010	Dodd, Corker Said to Near Deal on Giving Consumer Power to Fed - Dodd, Corker Said to Near Deal on Giving Consumer Power to Fed Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd and Republican Senator Bob Corker are nearing a deal to create a consumer authority at the Federal Reserve, according to two Republican Senate aides."
Mar 02, 2010	Dodd Proposes Giving Fed the Task of Consumer Protection - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "In an effort to secure Republican support for an overhaul of financial regulations, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee on Monday proposed giving the Federal Reserve responsibility for protecting consumers from abusive and deceptive financial products."
Mar 02, 2010	Deal Near on Banking Rules - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Key senators were close to a deal on legislation to overhaul financial regulations, people familiar with the matter said, bringing the U.S. a step closer to sweeping changes to the way banks interact with consumers and the markets alike."
Mar 01, 2010	Shelby’s Two Counteroffers on Consumer Protection - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) has offered two alternatives for new consumer-protection powers within the government. These contrast with a plan floated late last week by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) to create a Bureau of Financial Protection within Treasury to write rules and police consumer protection at banks."
Mar 01, 2010	Op-ed: Financial Reform Endgame - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "So here’s the situation. We’ve been through the second-worst financial crisis in the history of the world, and we’ve barely begun to recover: 29 million Americans either can’t find jobs or can’t find full-time work."
Mar 01, 2010	In Senate, a Renewed Effort to Reach a Consensus on Financial Regulation - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "When Christopher J. Dodd announced in January that he would not seek a sixth term in the Senate, he called reform of financial regulation, along with health care, 'the two most important issues of our time,' and pledged to spend his last year in Congress 'fully focused' on his legislative duties."
Mar 01, 2010	The Baseline Scenario Writes on Financial Reform Task Force Member's Paper on Financial Innovation - James Kwak, Baseline Scenario Summary: "I’ve had Robert Litan’s recent paper defending most financial innovation (the web page doesn’t tell you much; you need to grab the PDF) on my to-do list for a while now. I wasn’t looking forward to writing about it, since I’m a bit tired of the subject, and I don’t think I have much more to say."
Mar 01, 2010	Fed’s No. 2 Plans to Retire in June - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Donald L. Kohn, the vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, who helped coordinate the central bank’s response to the fiscal crisis in 2008, told the White House on Monday that he will retire when his four-year term expires on June 23."
Mar 01, 2010	Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair on Financial Reform Efforts in Wall Street Journal - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: Peter Wallison, Co-Chair of the Financial Reform Task Force, pens an op-ed in Monday's Wall Street Journal, "Why Financial Reform is Stalled."
Feb 28, 2010	Republicans want hearing on Fannie/Freddie bailout - Lynn Adler, Reuters Summary: "Two key Republicans are urging the U.S. House of Representatives to speed up a public hearing to investigate the administration's bailout of home funding giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Feb 28, 2010	Senate financial reform talks snag on watchdog - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Bipartisan agreement in the Senate on financial reform hit a snag on how much power to give a consumer watchdog office being proposed by Democrats, with marathon talks resuming on Sunday."
Feb 26, 2010	Geithner: No change to Fannie, Freddie until 2011 - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "The Obama administration will wait until 2011 to propose an overhaul of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said this past week, arguing that he wanted to put some distance between a new system and what he called 'the worst housing crisis in generations.'"
Feb 26, 2010	Menendez to introduce financial reform bills - Raju Chebium, Gannett Washington Bureau Summary: "Sen. Robert Menendez is introducing legislation that would give shareholders a say in how much corporate executives get paid."
Feb 26, 2010	Fed's Posture Improves in the Senate . - Damian Paletta and Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Reserve is gaining support in the Senate and could emerge from the overhaul of financial-market rules as the primary regulator of the country's largest financial firms, according to people involved in the negotiations."
Feb 26, 2010	Bernanke Pushes to Keep Regulation Power as Some Senators Waver - Scott Lanman and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke renewed his push to keep bank-supervision authority as some senators expressed support and others wavered."
Feb 26, 2010	Obama Pulls Back From Stand-Alone Consumer Financial Agency - Alison Vekshin and Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg Summary: "The Obama administration has backed away from creating a stand-alone Consumer Financial Protection Agency in its overhaul of Wall Street regulations, bowing to mounting pressure from lawmakers and industry."
Feb 26, 2010	Fiscal reform effort may pay off - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Washington’s eyes may have been trained on the high-stakes health care summit this week, but the Obama administration has been doing some multitasking."
Feb 26, 2010	Christopher Dodd’s Wall Street dance with Richard Shelby and Bob Corker - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd and his Republican counterpart, Richard Shelby, are still talking about the financial reform bill, despite the breakdown of formal negotiations several weeks ago."
Feb 26, 2010	Traction for Banking Regulation - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The prospect of a financial regulatory overhaul’s passing Congress brightened on Thursday, as representatives of the banking industry left a meeting with the Treasury secretary saying that they had agreed on the need to get a bill through Congress this year."
Feb 26, 2010	Financial reform bill hangs on consumer protection - Brady Dennis and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "Liberal senators and advocacy groups cautioned Thursday that they would not support a compromise on financial reform legislation unless it sufficiently empowered a proposed federal regulator to protect consumers of mortgages, credit cards and other loans."
Feb 25, 2010	Dodd Reaches Out To Shelby Again - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd has reached out again to ranking member Richard Shelby on a revamp of the nation's financial regulatory system, another signal that the two might be able to strike a deal within the next few days."
Feb 25, 2010	Bernanke: Taking Away Fed Bank Supervision ‘Grave Mistake’ - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday offered one of his most aggressive defenses of the central bank’s role in the future of bank supervision in response to a question from Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) during an appearance on the Senate Banking Committee."
Feb 25, 2010	Finance Bill Compromise Appears Likely - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "As part of an effort to save a financial regulation bill, the Obama administration is prepared to agree that an existing agency, rather than a new agency, could take responsibility for consumer protections as long as the regulators have substantive powers."
Feb 25, 2010	Obama may compromise on consumer agency to pass financial regulation - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration is no longer insisting on the creation of a stand-alone consumer protection agency as a central element of the plan to remake regulation of the financial system."
Feb 25, 2010	Obama’s $90 Billion Bank Fee Formula May Be Revised by Panel - Ryan J. Donmoyer, Bloomberg Summary: "House lawmakers may alter the formula for applying President Barack Obama’s proposed $90 billion fee to the 50 biggest financial firms, a spokesman for the House Ways and Means Committee said."
Feb 24, 2010	Geithner repeats call for financial reform bill - David Lawder, Reuters Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday repeated his call for Congress to pass financial reform legislation that curbs risk-taking by big financial firms and ensures they can absorb their own losses."
Feb 24, 2010	US Sen. Dodd sees bipartisan financial bill "soon" - Glenn Somerville, Reuters Summary: "Christopher Dodd, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said there is momentum for the sweeping legislation -- after it seemingly stalled earlier this month over disagreements related to the powers of a consumer financial protection agency."
Feb 24, 2010	Christopher Dodd walks reform high-wire - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "As Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd prepares a new and improved financial reform bill for possible release in the coming days, all eyes are on the treacherous high-wire act Dodd must perform on the topic of consumer protection."
Feb 24, 2010	Corker Optimistic On Regulatory Reform Talks With Dodd - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Tuesday he had a very productive meeting with Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd on negotiations to revamp the nation's financial regulatory structure."
Feb 24, 2010	White House in New Push for Changes on Wall St. - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Obama administration redoubled its efforts on Tuesday to overhaul the nation’s financial regulations, saying it would not back down from its efforts to restrict the trading activities of banks and to create a consumer agency to regulate financial products."
Feb 24, 2010	Column: Senators, finally, near an attractive deal on financial regulation - Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post Summary: "It's been a year and a half since the collapse of Lehman Brothers, and you have to wonder how big a financial crisis we have to go through before we get the new regulatory apparatus in place to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Feb 24, 2010	Greenspan Says Crisis ‘By Far’ Worst, Recovery Uneven - Joshua Zumbrun, Bloomberg Summary: "Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the financial crisis was 'by far' the worst in history and called the recovery from the global recession 'extremely unbalanced.'"
Feb 24, 2010	Proposal Calls for Fannie, Freddie to Be U.S.-Owned Nonprofits . - Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal Summary: "An influential real-estate trade group is calling for the government to convert Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into federally owned nonprofit corporations that would largely leave the mortgage-finance giants intact."
Feb 24, 2010	Op-ed: In Defense of Financial Speculation - Darrell Duffie, Wall Street Journal Summary: "George Soros, Washington Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and others are proposing to curb speculative trading and even outlaw it in credit default swap (CDS) markets. Their proposals appear to be based on a misconception of speculation and could harm financial markets."
Feb 24, 2010	Wall Street Bonuses Rise 17%, N.Y.’s DiNapoli Says - Elizabeth Hester and Henry Goldman, Bloomberg Summary: "Wall Street bonuses rose 17 percent in 2009 from a year earlier as the securities industry rebounded from the financial crisis, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said."
Feb 23, 2010	US Senate ag committee to soon unveil OTC bill - Washington Commodities Desk, Reuters Summary: "The Senate Agriculture Committee will unveil a draft bill to increase oversight of over-the-counter derivatives in the next couple of weeks, said its chairman Blanche Lincoln on Tuesday."
Feb 23, 2010	Press Release: St. Louis Fed's Bullard: Fed is the Nation's 'Best Chance' for Avoiding Future Financial Crises - Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Summary: "In remarks today to the CFA Virginia Society in Richmond, Va., St. Louis Fed President James Bullard provided an overview of the origins of the financial crisis and explained why most of the regulatory reform proposals under debate in Washington will not be adequate for preventing future crises."
Feb 23, 2010	U.S. ‘Problem’ Banks Soar, Lending Drops, FDIC Says - Phil Mattingly, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. 'problem' banks climbed to the highest level in 17 years, signaling failures may accelerate in 2010, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said. Bank lending had the biggest retreat in more than six decades."
Feb 23, 2010	White House recommits to "Volcker rule" bank trade ban - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration said on Tuesday it is still committed to the 'Volcker rule' to ban risky trading by banks, although Congress looks increasingly unlikely to adopt the rule as proposed."
Feb 23, 2010	Fed Presidents Take Case to Congress for Keeping Bank Oversight - Scott Lanman, Robert Schmidt and Craig Torres, Blooomberg Summary: "Some Federal Reserve regional bank presidents, concerned that financial-overhaul legislation will imperil their institutions, are making their own case to Congress."
Feb 23, 2010	Press Release: Consumer Financial Protection: Opinion of People Aged 50+ - Colette Thayer, AARP Summary: "AARP recently commissioned a nationwide survey to understand public opinion on consumer financial protection issues. The results show nearly unanimous support for numerous consumer financial protections."
Feb 23, 2010	Commentary: Prospects For Financial Reform - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: The best opportunity for immediate reform of our financial sector was missed at the start of the Obama administration.
Feb 23, 2010	House Dems Mull Changing Bank Fee Plan - Peter Cohn, National Journal Summary: "House Democrats are discussing a plan to restructure President Obama's proposed fee on the nation's largest financial institutions into a pure income "surtax," which they argue would be easier to understand -- and harder to oppose."
Feb 23, 2010	Editorial: Fannie and Freddie: The Last SIVs - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "The first step in treating Washington's spending addiction is for the political class to admit it has a problem. This means being honest with taxpayers about the debts politicians are racking up."
Feb 23, 2010	Reg Reform Bill May Not Cover Ratings - Andrew Ackerman, The Bond Buyer Summary: "Senate Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., is expected to unveil a revised financial regulatory reform bill by the end of the week, but it is not expected to include any changes to the municipal market-related provisions floated in the original version in November."
Feb 23, 2010	Little Guys, Big Guys - Andy Meek, The Memphis Daily News Summary: "No one would mistake a local institution like Tri-State Bank for one of Wall Street’s mighty titans of finance, whose recent woes brought the U.S. and world economies to their knees."
Feb 23, 2010	Wall Street's Bailout Hustle - Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone Summary: "On January 21st, Lloyd Blankfein left a peculiar voicemail message on the work phones of his employees at Goldman Sachs. Fast becoming America's pre-eminent Marvel Comics supervillain, the CEO used the call to deploy his secret weapon: a pair of giant, nuclear-powered testicles."
Feb 23, 2010	Banks Apply Pressure to Keep Fees Rolling In - Andrew Martin and Ron Lieber, New York Times Summary: "For many households trying to improve their finances, tossing out pitches from the bank has become almost automatic. But in recent weeks, Chase has been fanning special letters out to consumers with an offer that it urges them not to refuse."
Feb 22, 2010	Geithner Calls Meeting on Banking Rules as Action Heats Up - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "A lot of action is expected this week in the Senate – and in the Obama administration – over the White House’s push for new financial rules. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) told reporters Monday he hopes to bring a bill to his committee in a matter of 'days.'"
Feb 22, 2010	SEC advisors eye back-up plan to empower investors - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "At many U.S. corporations, executives can be re-elected to board positions in uncontested elections with just one share voting for them."
Feb 22, 2010	US’ Geithner pushes for independent consumer agency - David Lawder, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration is still fighting for a single, independent consumer financial protection agency, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday as lawmakers haggled over a financial reform bill."
Feb 22, 2010	Modeling Bipartisanship In Financial Regulation - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "If the Corker-Warner effort is successful, the Pew Charitable Trusts will deserve a lot of credit. Last year, it assembled a financial reform project that brought together an array of voices on a mission to reach a compromise. The Pew task force issued its recommendations late last year, and the senators say they have been impressed by both its process and its product."
Feb 21, 2010	Op-ed: We Want Progress, Not Just Change - David Hirschmann, Center for Capital Markets, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in the Wall Street Journal Summary: "Proclaiming it's "our way or the highway" has not presented any real solutions. What is being proposed will result in a significant reduction in the availability and affordability of credit for consumers and small businesses at a time when they need it the most."
Feb 21, 2010	Op-ed: Congress Should Implement the Volcker Rule for Banks - W. Michael Blumenthal, Nicholas Brady, Paul O'Neill, George Shultz, John Snow, The Wall Street Journal Summary: "We who have served as secretary of the Treasury in both Republican and Democratic administrations write in support of the proposed legislation to prohibit certain proprietary activities of commercial banking organizations—the so-called Volcker rule, as part of needed financial reform. The principle can be simply stated. Banks benefiting from public support by means of access to the Federal Reserve and FDIC insurance should not engage in essentially speculative activity unrelated to essential bank services."
Feb 21, 2010	Financial Reform Task Force Member Litan's work reviewed: After the financial crisis, in praise of Wall Street's wizards - Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post Summary: "Remember when we admired Wall Street's financial wizards, the math and computer geeks who dreamed up all those credit default swaps, mortgage derivatives, collateralized debt obligations and the like? They were wise. They won Nobel Prizes. They made the economy more efficient. And they earned tons of cash."
Feb 20, 2010	Op-ed: Modest Won’t Do It - The New York Times Summary: "Nearly a year ago, as the Obama administration issued a first draft of its plan to reform the financial system, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner forcefully — and correctly — declared that anything less than a total overhaul would be inadequate. 'Our system failed in fundamental ways,' he told Congress. 'To address this will require comprehensive reform. Not modest repairs at the margin, but new rules of the game.' ”
Feb 19, 2010	Frank Says Consumer Agency Essential in Regulatory Overhaul - Alison Vekshin and Peter Cook, Bloomberg Summary: "The Consumer Financial Protection Agency sought by President Barack Obama is an essential part of the regulatory overhaul being negotiated in Congress, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said."
Feb 19, 2010	Corker working on a deal for reform - The Leaf Chronicle Summary: "In a relatively short time in Washington, Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker has made a positive impression. In December 2008, the freshman senator served as a GOP negotiator in the auto bailout and nearly was able to work out a deal regarding General Motors and Chrysler."
Feb 19, 2010	Bill would broaden Treasury secretary's power - Brady Dennis and David Cho, The Washington Post Summary: "The chairman of the Senate banking committee is aiming to release a new wide-ranging bill next week that would overhaul financial regulation, including a provision that could for the first time give the Treasury secretary a direct role in the oversight of individual financial companies, according to aides."
Feb 19, 2010	Financial Reform Task Force Member Op-ed: Getting the biggest bang for job-creation bucks - Alan Blinder, The Washington Post Summary: "Official Washington seems interested in only three things: jobs, jobs, jobs. But what are the real policy options? Broadly speaking, job-creating policies come in two varieties: general stimulus to boost growth and programs targeted specifically at job creation."
Feb 19, 2010	Polls support Volcker Rule - David Weidner, MarketWatch Summary: "The legislation in question is the so-called Volcker Rule, the president's proposed limit on bank activities. After all but being thrown off Capitol Hill, Paul Volcker's plan to cut proprietary trading, hedge funds and private equity out of banks appeared nearly dead. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., might want to take note: people like the Volcker Rule."
Feb 18, 2010	Senate Republicans Said to Draft Alternative Financial Overhaul - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Republicans led by Richard Shelby are drafting an alternative to financial-regulation legislation that Senator Christopher Dodd is developing after bipartisan talks collapsed this month, two Shelby aides said."
Feb 18, 2010	Fresh momentum in US Congress on financial reform - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Efforts to tighten financial regulation picked up speed in the U.S. Senate on Thursday as a key committee targeted next week for the unveiling of revised legislation and the week after for a working session on it."
Feb 18, 2010	Dodd to Offer New Finance-Overhaul Bill . - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) is planning to introduce a new bill next week to overhaul financial regulation, his spokeswoman said, and his panel could begin debating the proposal in the first week of March."
Feb 18, 2010	Democrats bet politics favor U.S. financial reforms - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The next round of betting is near in a high-stakes game to tighten U.S. financial regulation and Democrats are wagering heavily on a hunch -- that some Republicans cannot afford politically to block reform."
Feb 18, 2010	Agreement Is Near on New Overseer of Banking Risks - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Senate and the Obama administration are nearing agreement on forming a council of regulators, led by the Treasury secretary, to identify systemic risk to the nation’s financial system, officials said Wednesday."
Feb 18, 2010	Op-ed: Reject ad hoc, national financial reforms - Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Financial Times Summary: "As countries around the world get down to the serious work of reforming their financial systems, the need for greater international co-ordination looms large. The imperative to fix the failed regulatory model behind the crisis has been an important driver, but so too is public indignation over the spectacle of outsized bonus payments by banks even as unemployment is rising."
Feb 17, 2010	The hedge fund's image makeover - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Richard Baker, president and CEO of the Managed Funds Association, uses a Domino’s Pizza ad, of all things, to illustrate how much work the hedge-fund industry he represents has to do to polish its image as Congress eyes tougher financial regulations."
Feb 17, 2010	Column: The Case for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency - Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine Summary: "When you buy a dishwasher, you know it probably won't explode. When you buy aspirin, you can figure out the side effects without an advanced degree. When you buy zucchini, you can feel confident it won't be toxic. And when you buy movie tickets, you can presume the terms of your purchase won't change after you leave the window."
Feb 17, 2010	Column: Rethinking the Bailout - Holman W. Jenkins Jr, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Obama won't cut himself a break. After pursuing an overreaching health-insurance debate that bogged down the economic recovery, he tries to redeem himself by opening fire on the banks, bogging down recovery. His attack also lands just as empirical reality is revising first judgments about what happened and why."
Feb 17, 2010	Elders of Wall St. Favor More Regulation - Louis Uchielle, New York Times Summary: "Put aside for a moment the populist pressure to regulate banking and trading. Ask the elder statesmen of these industries — giants like George Soros, Nicholas F. Brady, John S. Reed, William H. Donaldson and John C. Bogle — where they stand on regulation, and they will bowl you over with their populism."
Feb 16, 2010	Financial Reform Task Force Member Op-ed in Wall Street Journal: It's Time for Financial Reform Plan C - Alan Blinder, Wall Street Journal Summary: "About a month ago on this page ("When Greed Is Not Good," Jan. 11), I worried that the financial reform boat was taking on water and in danger of sinking. Since then, legislative prospects have grown progressively worse."
Feb 16, 2010	Column: Enemies of Reform - Paul Krugman, The Conscience of a Liberal Summary: "At this point the odds are that in response to the most devastating financial crisis since the Great Depression, we will do … nothing."
Feb 16, 2010	Op-ed: Why Obama Must Take On Wall Street - Robert Reich, Christian Science Monitor Summary: "It has been more than a year since all hell broke loose on Wall Street and, remarkably, almost nothing has been done to prevent all hell from breaking loose again."
Feb 16, 2010	Banking panel hit by Senate turnover - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "Within minutes of the announcement Monday by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) that he’s not running for reelection, financial industry experts began piecing together what it means for Wall Street interests in Washington."
Feb 16, 2010	Banks step up spending on lobbying to fight proposed stiffer regulations - Nathaniel Popper, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Even as the financial industry has sought to keep a low public profile, some of the country's largest banks have ramped up their spending on lobbying to fight off some of the stiffest regulatory proposals pending in Congress."
Feb 16, 2010	Tougher financial regulations not coming fast or easy for SEC's Mary Schapiro - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "As Mary Schapiro took the reins of the Securities and Exchange Commission last year, she faced a torrent of complaints from lawmakers and bankers that Wall Street short sellers had driven down bank stocks during the financial crisis, contributing to the fear that gripped the nation."
Feb 16, 2010	Op-ed: How to Watch the Banks - Henry M. Paulson Jr., New York Times Summary: "SIXTEEN months ago, our financial system teetered on the brink of collapse. The Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took actions that were unpopular and previously unthinkable — but absolutely necessary to stave off an economic catastrophe in which unemployment could have exceeded the 25 percent level of the Great Depression."
Feb 16, 2010	US senators oppose ‘systemic risk’ curbs - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Senate Republicans are resisting a fundamental tenet of the Obama administration’s financial regulatory reforms in another obstacle for the stalled legislative process."
Feb 16, 2010	Greece Shows Need For Derivatives Reform . - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "How many more crises will it take? The Greek emergency is a reminder of how little has been done to fix large, potentially unstable parts of the financial system. "
Feb 16, 2010	Struggling Over a Rule for Brokers - Tara Siegel Bernard Summary: "While most of the debate about financial overhaul legislation has focused on the impact on how big banks do business, one piece that would affect consumers directly has received little public notice: a requirement that stock and insurance brokers act in their customers’ best interest."
Feb 13, 2010	Fed's regulatory authority threatened by Republican Sen. Corker - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who jumped into the spotlight by agreeing to negotiate with Democrats over regulatory reform legislation, said Friday that he would consider stripping the Federal Reserve of regulatory responsibilities but that he opposed the creation of an agency to protect borrowers and other bank customers. "
Feb 13, 2010	Senate’s Corker Considers Reducing Fed’s Bank-Oversight Role - Alison Vekshin and Kristin Jensen Summary: "Senator Bob Corker, the lead Republican negotiator on legislation to overhaul financial regulation, said he is considering removing the Federal Reserve’s power to oversee banks."
Feb 12, 2010	US sen. wants to widen proposed ban on risky trade - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A member of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee said on Friday he is writing legislation that would apply more widely a White House proposal to limit risky investing, extending the reach to nonbank financial institutions as well as to banks."
Feb 12, 2010	Corker Considers Reducing Fed’s Oversight Powers - Alison Vekshin and Kristin Jensen, Bloomberg Summary: "Senator Bob Corker, the lead Republican negotiator on legislation to overhaul financial regulation, said he is considering removing the Federal Reserve’s power to oversee banks."
Feb 12, 2010	Op-ed: Lawmakers' rush to punish banks threatens recovery - Stephen A. Schwarzman, Washington Post Summary: "The 5.7 percent annualized growth rate in this country's fourth-quarter GDP numbers and newly released statistics on increased factory output in parts of Europe and Asia give great hope that we are well on the road to economic recovery."
Feb 12, 2010	Corker: Willing to Be Sole GOP Vote on Financial Overhaul - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "GOP Sen. Bob Corker said he 'absolutely' would be willing to buck his party to pass a bill cracking down on financial market abuses and creating new rules to prevent firms from becoming 'too big to fail.'"
Feb 12, 2010	Volcker: Choice is prop trading or bank charter - Steve Eder, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama's economic adviser, Paul Volcker, said his proposed banking rules would force Goldman Sachs and other banks to give up their bank charters if they want to continue proprietary trading."
Feb 12, 2010	Obama’s Consumer Agency Imperiled by Senate’s Bipartisan Talks - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Republican Senator Bob Corker’s decision to work with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd may speed passage of a financial overhaul bill at the expense of President Barack Obama’s biggest goal: a standalone Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Feb 12, 2010	Republican Breaks Rank on Finance Bill - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Winning the first-term Tennessee [Sen. Bob Corker] 's support is perhaps the White House's best chance of passing a financial-overhaul bill this year. Democrats need one Republican to reach the 60 votes required to pass legislation in the Senate. Democrats hope Mr. Corker's support also could bring along other centrist Republicans."
Feb 12, 2010	Dodd, Corker to work together on financial reform - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate banking committee, was seeking a new collaborator on a landmark bill to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system. He had grown frustrated after months of unsuccessful talks with the committee's ranking Republican, Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.)."
Feb 12, 2010	Republican Gregg sees common ground on financial regulation - David Morgan, Reuters Summary: "Republicans and Democrats in the Senate share common ground on financial regulation, but the White House's stance on how to protect consumers from banking abuses remains an obstacle to legislation, a top Republican senator said on Friday."
Feb 12, 2010	Is Summers Ready to Get Tough on Big Banks? - Simon Johnson and James Kwak, New York Times Economix Summary: "The administration has repeatedly emphasized the need for better regulation — who could argue with that? — but was not closely linked to the idea that the financial sector is simply too big. The idea that some, if not most, financial innovation has served only to exploit customers is also a recent addition to the administration’s verbal arsenal. The fact that Mr. Summers is doing the talking may also be significant."
Feb 11, 2010	Another fine mess - The Economist Summary: "WITH health-care reform stalled, the White House would dearly love to see Congress approve an overhaul of financial regulation."
Feb 11, 2010	Campaign builds to include new consumer protection agency in financial reform - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "With a proposed overhaul of financial regulations facing stiff headwinds in the Senate, consumer advocates have redoubled their efforts to portray opponents as favoring big banks over the interests of ordinary Americans."
Feb 11, 2010	Dodd Turns to Corker to Negotiate Financial Overhaul - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The top Senate Democrat negotiating an overhaul of financial markets regulation is turning to a junior Republican member of the committee he heads after reaching an impasse with a top Republican."
Feb 11, 2010	Dodd Kick-Starts Financial Reform Talks - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee said today that talks over legislation to overhaul the nation’s financial regulations had resumed, although whether a bipartisan agreement could be reached remained far from clear."
Feb 10, 2010	Op-ed: Watchdogs need not bark together - Joseph Stiglitz, Financial Times Summary: "In the years before the crisis, there was a race to the bottom, with countries competing on the 'lightness' of regulation. Iceland may have been the winner of that race, but its citizens were the losers. As the consequences of these failures continue to manifest themselves and discussions of the new regulatory regime proceed, the problem of global co-ordination has moved centre stage."
Feb 10, 2010	S&P warns on Citi and BofA ratings - Francesco Guerrera and Nicole Bullock, Financial Times Summary: "The planned overhaul of US financial rules prompted Standard & Poor's to warn yesterday it might downgrade the credit ratings of Citigroup and Bank of America on concerns that the shake-up would make it less likely that the banks would be bailed out by US taxpayers if they ran into trouble again."
Feb 10, 2010	A Covered-Bond Comeback - Prabha Natarajan, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Covered bonds could be the ticket to the return of U.S. residential-mortgage securitizations for U.S. investors."
Feb 10, 2010	Bernanke Outlines Exit Strategy - Luca Di Leo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday outlined the likely path the central bank will take to tighten credit once the economy has recovered enough."
Feb 09, 2010	Connecticut’s Blumenthal Urges Senate to Create Consumer Agency - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the U.S. Senate must create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to prevent recurrence of banking-industry excesses that pushed the economy to the brink of collapse."
Feb 09, 2010	SEC Self-Funding Expected In Senate Financial-Overhaul Bill - Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A key priority for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the ability to fund itself based on the fees it collects, is part of a broad financial regulatory-overhaul bill being crafted by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.), according to Senate aides."
Feb 09, 2010	Prominent CFPA Supporters Turn Up Volume - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Several prominent policy makers rallied Tuesday to support the creation of an independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency, as anticipation mounts over the details of legislation that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) is drafting to overhaul financial regulation."
Feb 09, 2010	Frank backs Dodd on financial consumer watchdog - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A senior U.S. lawmaker on Tuesday expressed support for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd's commitment to pursue a proposal to establish an independent financial consumer watchdog agency."
Feb 09, 2010	Fed's Dudley: Financial reform needs global scope - Kristina Cooke, Reuters Summary: "'Although the raging crisis appears to be over, our work is not close to being complete. Making sure this work keeps moving forward and is coordinated internationally is hugely important,' William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said, according to remarks prepared for delivery at the Reserve Bank of Australia's 50th Anniversary Symposium."
Feb 09, 2010	S.E.C. Enforcers Focus on Avoiding Madoff Repeat - Jenny Anderson and Zachery Kouwe, New York Times Summary: "Bernard L. Madoff haunts these corridors like the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named of Wall Street."
Feb 09, 2010	Hitting Goldman Where It Hurts - Peter Lattman and Kate Kelly, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama has taken aim at the world's largest private-equity operation: Goldman Sachs Group Inc."
Feb 09, 2010	Op-ed: Wall Street's Race to the Bottom - Elizabeth Warren, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Banking is based on trust. The banks get our paychecks and hold our savings; they know where we spend our money and they keep it private. If we don't trust them, the whole system breaks down. Yet for years, Wall Street CEOs have thrown away customer trust like so much worthless trash."
Feb 09, 2010	No Exit in Sight for U.S. As Fannie, Freddie Flail . - Nick Timiraos and James R. Hagerty Summary: "When Charles E. Haldeman Jr. became Freddie Mac's chief executive officer in August, the ailing housing-finance giant had already consumed $51 billion of government money to stay afloat. It's likely to need even more."
Feb 08, 2010	Cantwell among few to seek tough bank rules - Les Blumenthal, The Olympian Summary: "To hear Sen. Maria Cantwell talk, another economic bubble is building as the big Wall Street banks – backed by taxpayer bailouts – continue to play the high-risk derivatives markets rather than extend credit to struggling small businesses on Main Street. "
Feb 08, 2010	US Sen Reed Proposes Center To Collect Financial Risk Data - Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D., R.I.) on Monday unveiled legislation to create a National Institute of Finance to help regulators collect and standardize financial and market data so the government can better mitigate economic risk."
Feb 08, 2010	Fed to Bare Tightening Plan - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will begin this week to lay out a blueprint for a credit tightening, to be followed once the Fed decides the economy has recovered sufficiently."
Feb 08, 2010	In a Message to Democrats, Wall St. Sends Cash to G.O.P. - David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times Summary: "If the Democratic Party has a stronghold on Wall Street, it is JPMorgan Chase."
Feb 07, 2010	Editorial: Effective financial reform must protect consumers; Good for BofA for splitting with peers on caring for customers - Charlotte Observer Editorial Board Summary: "Overlooked amid Bank of America's fight with Andrew Cuomo last week was a development that may have a bigger impact on bank customers in the long run: the potential collapse of an effort to protect consumers."
Feb 07, 2010	Editorial: Replace Mae, Mac - Boston Herald Editorial Board Summary: "The Obama administration missed its deadline - when it submitted its budget request - for deciding what to do about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored mortgage packagers. The companies, now under government control, ought to be set on a path to early extinction."
Feb 06, 2010	Column: R.I.P., Consumer Financial Protection Agency - Alain Sherter, BNET blog Summary: "The Consumer Financial Protection Agency is dead. The deceased stopped breathing sometime between outgoing Sen. Chris Dodd’s decision to gild his political legacy by whatever means necessary and congressional Republicans’ resolution to shoot any bill that moves."
Feb 06, 2010	Dodd, Shelby hit impasse, imperiling financial system legislation - Brady Dennis and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "The divide between Republicans and Democrats over how to protect borrowers from abusive lenders continues to jeopardize the prospects for legislation to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system -- a top priority for President Obama."
Feb 06, 2010	Talks With G.O.P. on Financial Bill at ‘Impasse,’ Dodd Says - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Two months of Senate negotiations over legislation to rewrite financial regulations — a top priority of the Obama administration — fell apart on Friday amid wrangling over a proposal to create a consumer financial protection agency that would oversee credit cards, mortgages and other products."
Feb 06, 2010	When Mr. McCain Came to Washington - Henry M. Paulson Jr., Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and I were besieged with questions from all sides. There was no doubt about it—the session wasn't going well. To top that off, my communications adviser Michele Davis passed me a note that said in part, 'If you get a question, just say that you know that both Senators McCain and Obama recognize the seriousness of the situation." I turned around and looked at her, stunned. This was crazy.'"
Feb 06, 2010	SEC Discord Could Stymie Schapiro's Efforts - Kara Scannell, Wall Street Journal Summary: "No one said it would be easy. But one big part of Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro's job—winning the support she needs from the agency's commissioners—is turning into a headache."
Feb 05, 2010	Is Proprietary Trading Too Wild for Wall Street? - Stephen Gandel, Time Magazine Summary: "Back in 2006, Lawrence McDonald, a former Lehman Brothers bond trader, remembers, he asked an intern what he was doing during the winter break at the now bankrupt investment bank. The intern, who was a junior in college, said he was trading derivatives for the firm."
Feb 05, 2010	SEC's Aguilar Calls for Comprehensive Financial Overhaul - Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Policymakers haven't done enough to rein in inappropriate risk-taking in the marketplace, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Luis Aguilar said Friday."
Feb 05, 2010	Dodd Says Finance-Overhaul Talks Reach Impasse . - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) said he had reached an "impasse" with Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) over new financial regulations, and has told aides to begin drafting their own version of legislation."
Feb 05, 2010	Dodd Acknowledges Possibility Of Party-Line Breakdown - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd Thursday dismissed claims that talks over revamping the nation's financial system have broken down with Banking ranking member Richard Shelby, but he acknowledged that it might not be possible to get GOP support on the bill."
Feb 05, 2010	Op-ed: Out of the crash, a better financial services industry - Timothy Ryan, Washington Post Summary: "Recent proposals by the Obama administration have been wrapped in language that suggests financial institutions don't understand our responsibility to American taxpayers or our role in strengthening our nation's economy."
Feb 05, 2010	Column: Who's Killing Financial Reform? - Robert Reich, Robert Reich Blog Summary: "The reason more than a year has passed since the biggest bailout in the history of the world and nothing has been done to prevent a repeat performance... the reason is … what, exactly, Senator? Because the Street has sent an army of lobbyists to Capitol Hill? Call me old fashioned, but I thought Congress was in charge of passing legislation, not Wall Street."
Feb 05, 2010	Goldman Sachs And The Republicans - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "While the principles behind these proposed [Volker rules] are exactly on target – limiting the size of our largest banks and preventing any financial institution backed by the government, implicitly or explicitly, from taking big risks – the specific rule changes would need to be much tougher if they are to have any effect."
Feb 05, 2010	Financial Reform Bill May Be Near Make-Or-Break Point In Senate - Albert Bozzo, CNBC Summary: "Senate banking committee members have made major progress in long-running negotiations over a financial reform bill, but time appears to be running out on forging a consensus package."
Feb 05, 2010	Resolution Issue Makes Comeback With Senators - Stacy Kaper and Chris Dieterich, American Banker Summary: "At a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday, senators turned away from recent hot-button issues like whether proprietary trading should be banned and refocused on a central question: how to resolve big, interconnected fimrs that stumble?"
Feb 05, 2010	Dodd Denounces Pace of Banking Overhaul - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "Executives at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase expressed misgivings on Thursday about the Obama administration’s new proposals to restrict the size and risk-taking of the country’s largest financial institutions."
Feb 05, 2010	Senate Banking panel split on consumer protection options - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Obama administration, many Senate Democrats and consumer advocacy groups strongly support a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) that would regulate financial products, including home mortgages and credit cards...But the proposed agency continues to face fierce opposition in the Senate, forcing Democrats and Republicans to negotiate over other ways to bolster consumer protection."
Feb 04, 2010	In U.S. Congress, Financial Reform Is a Work in Progress - Andrzej Zwaniecki, US State Department Summary: "A comprehensive regulatory overhaul designed to make the U.S. financial system less prone to crisis faces uncertainty as interested parties, policymakers and legislators maneuver for opportunities to push it through Congress, change it or kill it."
Feb 04, 2010	Senate Likely To Trim Volcker Rule - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The Obama administration's proposed 'Volcker rule' ran into continued resistance today as Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd grappled over how to define the kind of trades that the nation's five big banks would be prohibited from conducting under the former Federal Reserve chairman's plan."
Feb 04, 2010	GOP Chases Wall Street Donors - Brody Mullins and Neil King Jr. Wall Street Journal Summary: "Republicans are stepping up their campaign to win donations from Wall Street, trying to capitalize on an increasing sense of regret among executives at big financial institutions for backing Democrats in 2008."
Feb 04, 2010	US Sen Dodd blasts banks at hearing on reforms - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, Christopher Dodd, blasted banks and Wall Street on Thursday for a refusal to work with Congress on financial reforms that "borders on insulting to the American people."
Feb 04, 2010	Former Citi Chairman: Consumer Agency Makes Sense - Michael R. Crittenden, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A separate U.S. agency to regulate the financial products marketed to consumers makes sense, the former head of Citigroup Inc. told lawmakers on Thursday."
Feb 04, 2010	Column: Even Better Volcker Rules - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "This morning the Senate Banking Committee again takes up the issue of the 'Volcker rule.' As put forward by President Obama on Jan. 21, the plan would limit the future growth of our largest banks and prevent big banks from engaging in so-called 'proprietary trading' on their own account."
Feb 04, 2010	Op-ed: Volcker and Reform Defeated - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Wall Street reform died this week. It died Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee from unnatural and illogical causes: the finance lobby, obstruction, fear-mongering and plain ignorance."
Feb 04, 2010	Op-ed: Financial reform: It's the politics - Jonathan Macey, Politico Summary: "The financial crises might be more easily understood if all the economic jargon were in plain English. For a start, here’s a translation of key points from Paul Volcker’s Sunday New York Times opinion piece about financial system reform and his testimony Tuesday before the Senate banking committee."
Feb 04, 2010	Bernanke Vows to Defend Fed Autonomy at Swearing-In Ceremony - Craig Torres, Bloomberg Summary: "Ben S. Bernanke vowed to defend the independence of the Federal Reserve, work harder to explain its decisions to the public and step up supervision of the nation’s banks during his second term."
Feb 04, 2010	Summers’s role questioned as US economic policy shifts - Michael Kranish, Boston Globe Summary: "As President Obama and his team have rolled out a fresh set of strategies to fix the economy, one item on the list - curbing the ability of big banks to gamble in the stock market - has been viewed by some as a repudiation of Lawrence H. Summers, the former Harvard president who is the White House’s chief economic adviser."
Feb 04, 2010	Banks concede reform is inevitable - Patrick Jenkins and Brooke Masters, Financial Times Summary: "Paul Volcker and Barack Obama have either thrown the world into chaos or given the cause of global bank regulation new impetus – it depends on your point of view. But one thing is for certain: the twin US initiatives to derisk banks and tax them according to their size – the Volcker rule and the Obama levy as they have been dubbed – have seized the attention of bankers and regulators around the world."
Feb 03, 2010	U.S. lawmaker to push for crackdown on speculation - Ayesha Rascoe, Reuters Summary: " A key U.S. lawmaker is set to join forces with several business groups on Wednesday to call for Congress to end the "reckless speculation" in commodity markets as the Senate prepares to take on financial reform."
Feb 03, 2010	Fed’s Warsh: Regulatory Reform Needs International Cooperation - Michael S. Derby, Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that reforming the financial regulatory system will require international cooperation, if those efforts are to be successful."
Feb 03, 2010	Op-ed: Focus on ways for banks to fail safely - Kevin Warsh, Financial Times Summary: "This is not only a time of great consequence for financial regulation and the US economy. It is also a time for choosing."
Feb 03, 2010	U.S. headed for another bubble: TARP watchdog - Barrie McKenna, Globe and Mail Summary: "With the spotlight on U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed bank reforms and record-setting deficits it's easy to forget that tackling the root causes of the financial crisis remains unfinished business."
Feb 03, 2010	Dodd Calls Obama Plan Too Grand - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee warned on Tuesday that the Obama administration’s new proposals to rein in Wall Street firms ran the risk of derailing months of delicate negotiations over overhauling financial regulations."
Feb 03, 2010	Dodd Vents Over Handling of Bank Proposal - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd criticized the White House on Tuesday for complicating the effort to overhaul financial-market rules, saying its late addition of a proposal to corral banks' risky behavior had threatened the process."
Feb 02, 2010	US regulator--prop trading not at core of crisis - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "The regulator of the largest U.S. banks said on Tuesday that proprietary trading was not at the root of the financial crisis and warned that excessive limits could impair some of banks' central functions."
Feb 02, 2010	U.S. FHFA defends role overseeing Fannie, Freddie - Corbett B. Daly, Reuters Summary: "The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Tuesday defended the way it has overseen the two mortgage finance agencies since the government took control of the firms a little more than a year ago, including the decision to allow multimillion-dollar pay packages for top executives."
Feb 02, 2010	Volcker Looms Larger as Support for Bernanke Strengthens Ties - Rich Miller, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul Volcker is enjoying increased influence with the Federal Reserve as well as the Obama administration, central bank records show."
Feb 02, 2010	Column: Bankers in Davos Seek a United Message on Volcker Rule - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "The breakthrough did not come until early Saturday morning at a closed-door meeting here in the Swiss Alps."
Feb 02, 2010	MPs fly out to meet American financial leaders - Suzy Jagger, The Times Summary: "Members of the Commons Treasury Select Committee, which is in the middle of an inquiry into whether big banks should be forced to carve themselves up, flew to America yesterday to meet Wall Street financiers, central bankers and the US Treasury."
Feb 02, 2010	Banks Gear Up for a Battle - Kate Kelly, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The showdown over the future of proprietary trading by U.S. banks is about to begin. One likely fight: defining exactly what proprietary trading is."
Feb 02, 2010	Column: Cloudy Future for Fannie and Freddie - Charles Duhigg, New York Times Summary: "The Great Bailout is mostly over for the banks. But for those troubled behemoths of the nation’s housing bust, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the lifeline from Washington just keeps getting longer."
Feb 02, 2010	Curveball Alters Talks on Wall St. Reform - Sewell Chan and David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times Summary: "President Obama’s proposals to tax and curb the activities of Wall Street have thrown an unpredictable element into the debate over financial regulatory reform. They also have touched off an intensive new round of lobbying and raised questions in Congress over whether his plan will add urgency or merely bog things down."
Feb 01, 2010	Obama budget boosts market regulators' funds - Rachelle Younglai, Tom Doggett, Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "The White House proposed giving market regulators more funding to police Wall Street as the government works to hold accountable those responsible for the worst financial crisis in decades."
Feb 01, 2010	Mr. Moynihan Gives Bank of America a Washington Presence - Dan Fitzpatrick and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "One month into his new job, Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Brian Moynihan is putting in as much time in Washington as he does in the bank's hometown of Charlotte, N.C."
Feb 01, 2010	US Banks Face Insider Trading Probe - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Neil Barofsky, the special inspector-general overseeing the US government’s financial rescue efforts, is to probe allegations of insider trading among bank executives and their associates."
Feb 01, 2010	Politicians Can’t Wait for Bankers Urging Caution on Regulation - Christine Harper and Simon Kennedy, Bloomberg Summary: "Politicians under pressure from angry voters to show progress on financial reform are losing patience with bankers waiting to reach global harmony on new rules."
Jan 31, 2010	Op-ed: How to Reform Our Financial System - Paul Volcker, New York Times Summary: "PRESIDENT OBAMA 10 days ago set out one important element in the needed structural reform of the financial system. No one can reasonably contest the need for such reform, in the United States and in other countries as well. We have after all a system that broke down in the most serious crisis in 75 years. The cost has been enormous in terms of unemployment and lost production. The repercussions have been international."
Jan 31, 2010	The CFPA: How a crusade to protect consumers lost its steam - Robert G. Kaiser, Washington Post Summary: "At a time when the country is deeply divided over the proper role of government, what is Capitol Hill's appetite for a new, independent agency with broad power to police the financial industry and protect consumers from the risky lending practices that contributed so much to the financial crash of 2008?"
Jan 31, 2010	Henry Paulson's book offers a glimpse inside the economic crisis - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: The Washington memoir, typically published after a calamitous event or the end of a political campaign, often brings a nugget or two of news. But that's a tall order for Henry M. Paulson Jr.'s 'On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System,' as many authors have already published thick tomes examining the financial crisis of fall 2008."
Jan 30, 2010	N.Y. insurgents stand up for Wall St - Ben Smith, Politico Summary: "With polls that show deep voter anger driving members of both parties into frenzies of populist outrage and President Barack Obama frequently railing against 'fat cats,' some New York Democrats see a political upside in standing up for Wall Street."
Jan 29, 2010	Senate, Weakly, Backs New Term for Bernanke - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The Senate gave Ben S. Bernanke a second four-year term as the head of the Federal Reserve on Thursday after critics excoriated the central bank’s conduct in the years leading up to the financial crisis. The 70-to-30 vote was the weakest endorsement ever extended to a chairman in the Fed’s 96-year history."
Jan 29, 2010	Wall St. Tries to Put a Price on Volcker Rule - Cyrus Sanati, Dealbook, New York Times Summary: "President Obama is pushing hard for stricter financial regulation, promising in his first State of the Union address that he would not sign a bill that 'does not meet the test of real reform.' This has left Wall Street wondering how much Mr. Obama’s regulatory proposal, known as the Volcker Rule, will cut into its profits."
Jan 29, 2010	Despite Call to Action, Speech Fails to Move Reform Ahead - Steven Sloan and Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Despite President Obama's urgent plea to pass regulatory reform legislation, its outlook remained muddy following the State of the Union address. In interviews after the speech, senators were split on whether the president's words helped or hurt the reform effort, and appeared as divided now on key parts of the legislation as they were last year despite two months of bipartisan talks."
Jan 29, 2010	Ben Bernanke wins second term as Fed chairman - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "While the Senate handily approved his nomination, 70-30, Bernanke still drew a record-breaking level of opposition, four years after he skated through the Senate. And the Obama administration can’t feel entirely relieved that its nominee survived the rocky debate, since the distress and anger that fueled such a surge in anti-Bernanke feeling are unlikely to dissipate anytime soon."
Jan 29, 2010	Op-ed: Now confirmed, Bernanke must rebuild confidence - Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post Summary: "Now that the Senate has confirmed him for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke has, or ought to have, a very simple agenda: improve confidence."
Jan 28, 2010	Garrottes and sticks - The Economist Summary: "A RECENT episode of 'Mad Money' on CNBC, a financial-news network, featured the 'Lloyd Blankfein piñata'. Hung from the studio ceiling to symbolise the beating that bankers—not least Goldman Sachs’s boss—have been taking lately at the hands of politicians, the effigy rained down fake gold coins when split apart."
Jan 28, 2010	Elizabeth Warren on the Great Economic Battlefield: Protecting the Middle Class from Financial Predators - Zach Carter and Elizabeth Warren, AlterNet Summary: "A new Consumer Financial Protection Agency can save the middle class. Elizabeth Warren explains how. 'The new [consumer financail protection] agency would put an honest cop back on the beat... It would be an agency headed by someone who cares about consumers and who would be accountable to the people if consumers were being taken advantage of.' "
Jan 28, 2010	Obama's First Veto May Be Over Consumer Protection Bill - Joann M. Weiner, Politics Daily Summary: Peter Wallison, Co-chair of the Financial Reform Task Force, predicts that President Obama "will issue his first veto over the consumer protection measure."
Jan 28, 2010	Op-ed: Global financial regulatory reform falls apart - Felix Salmon, Reuters' Felix Salmon blog Summary: "If the Obama administration is serious about its newest ideas for regulatory reform, especially the Volcker Rule, it would have made a great deal of sense to send Paul Volcker — or at the very least someone like Austan Goolsbee — to Davos, to try to get the rest of the world excited about it. But they didn’t."
Jan 28, 2010	Bernanke vote takes twists, turns - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "At a time when the Senate seems to have reached new heights of partisan squabbling, Thursday’s scheduled vote to end debate on Ben Bernanke’s nomination to a second term marks a notable moment of bipartisan communication and cooperation."
Jan 28, 2010	US Rep. Frank sees global moves on bank regulation - Martin Howell, Reuters Summary: "Barney Frank, chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, said on Thursday international regulators agree they need to work together on tough new rules for global banks."
Jan 28, 2010	Obama's Bank Proposals Not Seen Slowing US Financial Overhaul - Judith Burns, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "New Obama administration proposals to tax some banks and limit their size and risk shouldn't complicate efforts to overhaul U.S. financial regulation, Sen. Jon Tester (D., Mont.), said in a midday speech Wednesday."
Jan 28, 2010	Op-ed: An early warning system for asset bubbles - Charles Roxburgh and Susan Lund, Financial Times Summary: "As policy makers and business leaders gather in Davos this week, much of their conversation will no doubt focus on how to drive a global economic recovery. Yet they should spend just as much time and energy discussing how to prevent the next devastating financial crisis--specifically, how to spot and prick asset bubbles as they are inflating."
Jan 28, 2010	Soros Endorses Obama’s Plan on Banks - Julia Werdigier, New York Times Summary: "The billionaire investor George Soros said on Wednesday that he supported President Obama’s proposal to limit the size of banks. But he warned that it was too early to put such a plan in place and that it did not go far enough."
Jan 28, 2010	Obama Divides Davos With Proposal to Curb Size of Banks - Christine Harper and Aaron Kirchfeld, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan to impose new rules on bank size and risk dominated talk among bankers on the first day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as executives said big banks are essential and rules should be coordinated globally."
Jan 28, 2010	Op-ed: Good for Goldman - James Kwak, Baseline Scenario Summary: "Investment bankers are overpaid. Now, before all the bankers get all indignant on me, let me say that bankers should make more money than average people, at least according to the normal rules of our society; for one thing, they are, on average, better educated than most people."
Jan 28, 2010	Op-ed: The Fed’s Best Man - Alan S. Blinder, Financial Reform Task Force Member, New York Times Summary: "A Senate vote on President Obama’s nomination of Ben Bernanke for a second four-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve is imminent. Rejecting him would be a big mistake, for it would both flog a distinguished public servant who helped avert catastrophe and turn the Fed chairmanship into yet another political football. Washington has plenty of political footballs already."
Jan 28, 2010	Obama job drive earns business plaudits - Martin Howell and Tamora Vidaillet, Reuters Summary: "Wall Street executives welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to create jobs and a softening of his attack on banks, but questioned on Thursday whether proposals in his State of the Union address would become law."
Jan 28, 2010	Davos 2010: the arrogance of bankers risks reversing finance's role in creating prosperity - Jeremy Warner, Telegraph Summary: "This week's meeting of the World Economic Forum is the first opportunity that the world's elite of bankers, financiers, regulators and interested politicians have collectively had to get their teeth into President Obama's dramatic conversion to the cause of structural reform."
Jan 28, 2010	Regulation of banks a question of credibility - David Wighton, The Times Summary: "There are two conferences at Davos: the public and the private. Both kicked off yesterday with the banks lobbying on regulation. But the targets were different. The banks used the public conference to deliver their first on-the-record reactions to President Obama's shock move to curb risk-taking at US banks."
Jan 27, 2010	Frank says Obama bank plan could be law within months - Patrick Jenkins and Gillian Tett, Financial Times Summary: "The chair of the House of Representatives financial services committee, and a lynchpin of US President Barack Obama’s attempts to rein in the banking sector, has argued that the dramatic proposals unveiled by the administration last week to clamp down on banks could be incorporated into legislation already planned by his committee, and thus could be enacted into law within months."
Jan 27, 2010	Op-ed: Volcker has the measure of the banks - John Gapper, Financial Times Summary: "The Volcker rule--that deposit-taking banks would not be able to engage in proprietary trading, or to own hedge funds or private equity firms--is the first time any government has proposed a sensible structural remedy for the problems created by bailing out banks in 2008."
Jan 27, 2010	Column: Is Obama Really Breaking up the Banks? - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "Judging from all the build-up, the one thing tonight’s State of the Union address is sure to include is some presidential feistiness toward Wall Street."
Jan 27, 2010	Op-ed: Volcker’s axe is not enough to cut banks to size - Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summary: "Today, the people see in the financial sector not the skilful hands of erstwhile masters of the universe, but the grabbing hands of greedy ingrates. It is little wonder, then, that a desperate President Obama, battered by the voters in Massachusetts, has turned upon a group even less popular than his party."
Jan 27, 2010	British Central Banker Favors Splitting Big Banks - Landon Thomas Jr., New York Times Summary: "Mervyn A. King, the governor of the Bank of England, is an owlish, self-effacing man who, in contrast to his more outspoken peers in Frankfurt and Washington, strikes a public posture that borders on the demure."
Jan 27, 2010	Dodd Weighs Partisan Reform Strategy - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd is weighing whether to keep negotiating with Republicans on a regulatory reform bill or shift gears and take a partisan path, according to sources on and off Capitol Hill."
Jan 27, 2010	Editorial: Obama and Wall Street: Reforms need a closer look - Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board Summary: "President Obama spent much of his first year in office saving Wall Street from collapse. Now for his second year, he wants to save Wall Street from repeating history."
Jan 26, 2010	Senate panel to hear from Volcker on bank plan - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Paul Volcker, a member of the Obama administration's economic team and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, will testify on February 2 to a U.S. Senate committee on the latest White House bank regulation proposals."
Jan 26, 2010	Op-ed: A better way to reduce financial sector risk - Raghuram Rajan, Financial Times Summary: "Instead of imposing a blanket ban on insitutions growing beyond a certain size, regulators should use more subtle mechanisms such as prohibiting mergers of large banks or encouraging the break-up of large banks that seem to have a propensity for getting into trouble. While there are always concerns about whether regulators will use these sorts of powers arbitrarily, they are no more difficult for legislatores and courts to oversee than are powers based on anti-competitive considerations."
Jan 26, 2010	Davos Too Big to Fail as Bankers Recoil in Political Backlash - Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "For a sign of how the mood has changed at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, consider the speakers at an invitation-only client lunch hosted by Paul Calello, who runs Credit Suisse Group AG’s investment bank."
Jan 26, 2010	Bernanke Gains More Senate Support, Plans Additional Meetings - Scott Lanman, Joshua Zumbrun and Vivien Lou Chen, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke gained more support from U.S. senators for a second term and prepared to work around a two-day policy meeting that starts today to visit lawmakers."
Jan 26, 2010	Column: Still Needed: A Sheriff of Finance - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "'We need a global sheriff.' Those were the words of George Soros, the investor and philanthropist, ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting — not this year, or last year, but in 2008, a little more than a month before Bear Stearns neared collapse."
Jan 26, 2010	Op-ed: How to bypass populism and tackle banking - Arthur Levitt, Financial Times Summary: "Sensing the rising popular anger at Washington's bank bail-outs, Barack Obama, the US President, has now taken a more aggressive approach to financial regulation. He had previously yielded largely to Congress, which dealt with critical issues only at the margins and did little to reassure the public that anything would change."
Jan 26, 2010	Op-ed: Congress Is Politicizing the Fed - Richard W. Fisher, Wall Street Journal Summary: "There are many roadblocks we must overcome to get our economy running again. Businesses must develop sufficient confidence in the future to begin expanding their order books and payrolls. Banks must be willing and able to lend again. And consumers must regain the wherewithal to open their pocketbooks."
Jan 26, 2010	Will the 'Volcker Rule' do anything? - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Summary: "You can’t run a sensible financial system with major quasi-banks getting unconditional support when they need it and, when the pressure is off, going back to taking reckless risks."
Jan 26, 2010	Reform focuses on 'too big to fail' concept - Robert C. Brighton Jr., Miami Daily Business Review Summary: "The phrase 'too big to fail' does not appear in the bill passed by the U.S. House or in any of Senate versions, including draft financial regulation reform legislation introduced by Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd. Yet it pervades the discussion of reforming financial regulation."
Jan 26, 2010	Senate Shake-Ups Unlikely To Affect Fiduciary Standard - Shelly Banjo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Recent shake-ups in the U.S. Senate could influence lawmakers’ efforts to reform the nation’s hobbled financial regulatory system–but probably not the development of a stringent fiduciary standard for certain broker dealers."
Jan 26, 2010	Bernanke and Fed need independence to do their jobs - Michael A. MacDowell, Times Leader Summary: "It appears Bernanke probably will have enough votes in the full Senate to earn himself another term, but the debate that centers around him and the role of the Federal Reserve in general is unlikely to go away soon."
Jan 26, 2010	Sending wrong message - Keith Chrostowski, Kansas City Star Summary: "Under the bill passed by the House to better regulate the U.S. financial system, it’s likely that someday we’ll end up bailing out the big banks — again."
Jan 25, 2010	U.S. Rep. Frank to focus on cooperation - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Barney Frank, the powerful chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, said on Monday that tough financial reforms will not put U.S. businesses at a disadvantage, a message he plans to take to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland."
Jan 25, 2010	Economists React: Should Bernanke Stay at the Fed? - Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Journalists, economists, bloggers and others weigh in on the troubles facing Ben Bernanke’s confirmation as Fed chairman."
Jan 25, 2010	Financial Revamp Hits Opposition - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Obama administration's decision to infuse its overhaul of financial regulations with a populist appeal has run into a wall of Republican senators who believe they can reshape the proposal or potentially scuttle it altogether."
Jan 25, 2010	Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair on Obama's Bank Proposals - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: "After the Democrats' disaster in Massachusetts last Tuesday, President Obama appears to be flailing. Gone is the cool and measured demeanor that made him look presidential when the financial crisis struck during the 2008 campaign."
Jan 25, 2010	Editorial: Restarting Financial Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "In calling for new limits on the size and activities of big banks, President Obama has given the effort to enact serious financial regulatory reform something it lacked: a rational starting point."
Jan 25, 2010	Financial-Crisis Commission Aims to Use Subpoena Power - John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The special commission probing the causes of the financial crisis intends to use subpoena powers to get information it wants from banks and government agencies as it focuses on the role of pay, subprime lending, securitization practices and other issues in the market meltdown, the head of the commission said."
Jan 25, 2010	Backers Rally to Bernanke - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The political winds appear to be shifting in Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's favor, as the White House escalated efforts to win the 60 votes needed in the Senate to confirm him for a second term and Senate Republican and Democratic leaders predicted those efforts would succeed."
Jan 23, 2010	Obama's proposed rules for banks could stall financial reform - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "President Obama's push this week for new rules aimed at reining in the size and scope of the nation's largest banks faces an uncertain future in a Congress already divided over how to reform the financial regulatory system."
Jan 23, 2010	Barney Frank: Kill off Fannie, Freddie - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "U.S. Rep. Barney Frank wants to permanently shut down mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Jan 22, 2010	Europe welcomes Obama bank plan, won't imitate it - Keith Weir and Crispian Balmer, Reuters Summary: "Major European economies offered support on Friday for U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to limit banks' size and trading activities but indicated they had no plans to follow suit."
Jan 22, 2010	Frank Sees Wholesale Overhaul Of GSEs - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be abolished in their public-private structure and their future would lie within an overhaul of the nation's housing finance system, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank announced today."
Jan 22, 2010	Bernanke Meets Reid as Senate Prepares for Confirmation Vote - Scott Lanman and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke met yesterday with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the chamber prepared for a vote on a second term for the central bank chief amid opposition from some lawmakers."
Jan 22, 2010	Op-ed: Banks Need Clear Capital Rules - Judah S. Kraushaar, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Obama administration's announcement yesterday—proposed new rules would restrict bank size and limit their risk-taking ability—will undoubtedly spark a public debate about the role of our banks."
Jan 22, 2010	Op-ed: A Bomb Squad for Wall Street - William D. Cohan, New York Times Summary: "Admittedly, this [O.T.C. derivatives] subject can be tough sledding. But it’s important to keep up — having some understanding of these securities is essential to coming up with a way of regulating them, which in turn is vital to helping to prevent another financial crisis. While President Obama didn’t mention them specifically in his comments on banking reform on Thursday, they should certainly fall under any new legislation."
Jan 22, 2010	Volcker rules again with 'Volcker's rule' - Neal Lipschutz, Washinton Post Summary: "As the president announced two major initiatives that would radically change the world of America's big banks, he was flanked by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and adviser Larry Summers...But importantly, the president had Mr. Volcker, and he had another regulatory veteran who's been a straight shooter unbound by ideological restraints or misplaced party fealty."
Jan 22, 2010	Obama's 'Volcker Rule' shifts power away from Geithner - David Cho and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "For much of last year, Paul Volcker wandered the country arguing for tougher restraints on big banks while the Obama administration pursued a more moderate regulatory agenda driven by Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner."
Jan 22, 2010	Geithner voiced concern on US bank limits-sources - Karey Wutkowski and Steve Eder, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama's newest Wall Street crackdown was met with hesitation from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who voiced concern that politics could sacrifice good economic policy, according to financial industry sources."
Jan 22, 2010	With Populist Stance, Obama Takes On Banks - Jackie Calmes, New York Times Summary: "The tougher approach to financial regulation that President Obama outlined on Thursday reflected a changed political climate, the rebound in big banks’ fortunes after their taxpayer bailout and a shift in power within the administration away from those who had been seen as most sympathetic to Wall Street."
Jan 21, 2010	Obama Bank Plans Could Delay Regulatory Overhaul - Michael R. Crittenden and Sarah N. Lynch, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The Obama administration's proposed new curbs on the country's biggest banks could further stall progress on a broad financial overhaul bill in Congress."
Jan 21, 2010	Dodd: Broad bank reform bill is moving forward - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "A broad bank reform bill responding to the financial system's near collapse in 2008 is moving forward, with votes expected on it in a key committee expected by spring, two key senators said Wednesday."
Jan 21, 2010	US Sen Shelby: Mass Election Result Won't Impact Financial Overhaul Effort - Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee said Wednesday he doesn't believe the changed balance in the Senate will impact the likelihood of an overhaul of the financial industry's regulatory framework being completed in 2010."
Jan 21, 2010	CFTC position limits not moving U.S. OTC bill-Dodd - Tom Doggett, Charles Abbott and Christopher Doering, Rueters Summary: "The U.S. Senate has a lot on its agenda before acting on legislation to put unregulated over-the-counter derivatives under Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight, said the head of the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday."
Jan 21, 2010	Obama to Propose Limits on Risks Taken by Banks - Jackie Calmes and Louis Uchitelle, New York Times Summary: "President Obama on Thursday will publicly propose giving bank regulators the power to limit the size of the nation’s largest banks and the scope of their risk-taking activities, an administration official said late Wednesday."
Jan 21, 2010	In Senate, 59 Votes Can Still Deliver - Naftali Bendavid and Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Republican Scott Brown's election to a Massachusetts Senate seat Tuesday means that Democrats will have to craft proposals for spurring job creation, new financial regulations and other priorities to win at least some Republican votes."
Jan 21, 2010	Proposals set to Curb bank giants - Damian Paletta and Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama on Thursday is expected to propose new limits on the size and risk taken by the country's biggest banks, marking the administration's latest assault on Wall Street in what could mark a return, at least in spirit, to some of the curbs on finance put in place during the Great Depression, according to congressional sources and administration officials."
Jan 21, 2010	Obama to announce Thursday tougher restrictions on size and complexity of banks - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "President Barack Obama, eager to harness and redirect voter anger over bank bailouts, is ramping up his war on Wall Street. Building on his own proposals and the work of the House, the president wants new federal government powers to limit the size and complexity of large financial institutions and to limit their ability to engage in high-risk trades."
Jan 21, 2010	Mass. Upset Could Mean Curtains for Obama's Tax - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Among the many losers in Massachusetts' special election this week: the Obama administration's bank tax...President Obama himself injected the tax issue into the special election, going to Massachusetts over the weekend to campaign for the Democratic candidate, Martha Coakley."
Jan 20, 2010	White House: Financial Overhaul Must Include Consumer Agency - Henry J. Pulizzi, Real Time Economics of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "The White House said President Barack Obama won’t abandon his desire to see a new consumer financial protection agency included in regulatory overhaul legislation, dousing speculation that the proposal may be watered down or eliminated."
Jan 20, 2010	Fed Chief in New York Defends Main Office - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York warned Wednesday against auditing the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decisions and curbing its regulatory powers, as some in Congress have urged. It was his most detailed defense to date of the central bank’s conduct during the financial crisis."
Jan 20, 2010	Progressives call for 'windfall' tax - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "[President Barack Obama] wants to get the taxpayers’ money back from Wall Street, slapping them with a fee to recoup the losses on the 2008 bailout. All well and good, says a group of progressive Democrats and policy activists, but it wants to see more."
Jan 20, 2010	Fed (Re)Makes Case for Supervision - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "As lawmakers return to Capitol Hill, a top Federal Reserve official is once again making the case for preserving and expanding the central bank's oversight of the financial system."
Jan 20, 2010	How Brown's Win Affects Democrats' Agenda - Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Republican victory in Massachusetts imperils, but may not derail, the Democratic agenda in 2010, analysts and congressional aides said Tuesday. Scott Brown's election to the Senate gives Republicans 41 senators, robbing the Democratic bloc of the 60 votes needed to override filibusters and press ahead with legislation."
Jan 20, 2010	Financial reform push shaken as Obama confers - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "As Massachusetts voters handed Democrats a stunning setback, President Barack Obama and U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd met on Tuesday to discuss the future of financial regulation reform."
Jan 20, 2010	Bernanke invites an audit - Don Lee, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, apparently seeking to mollify critics as he awaits Senate confirmation on his reappointment, said Tuesday that he welcomed a government audit of the central bank's role in the intensely unpopular bailout of American International Group Inc."
Jan 19, 2010	Brown's Victory Intensifies Pressure on Dodd, White House on Banking Bill WSJ Blogs - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Washington Wire Summary: "It’s not just health care. Now that Scott Brown has won the Massachusetts special election to become the U.S. Senate’s 41st Republican, Democrats are under increasing pressure to offer Republicans major concessions on legislation to overhaul bank supervision."
Jan 19, 2010	Op-ed: It's Not Too Late: Don't Let The Consumer Financial Protection Agency Die - Elizabeth Warren, The Business Insider Summary: "The story of the financial crisis has a thousand twists and turns, but the basic narrative is easy to follow. The financial industry wrote rules that allowed it to act recklessly."
Jan 19, 2010	Warren Launches Fight To Save CFPA - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The chief proponent of a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency is ramping up efforts to save the proposal as Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd considers slashing its reach."
Jan 19, 2010	Obama Pressing for Protections Against Lenders - Jackie Calmes and Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "President Obama on Tuesday stepped into the middle of a fierce lobbying battle by reinforcing his support for an independent agency to protect consumers against lending abuses that contributed to the financial crisis. The president’s move also signaled a tougher line and a more direct role as Congress weighs an overhaul of banking regulation."
Jan 19, 2010	Op-ed: A bank levy will not stop the doomsday cycle - Peter Boone and Simon Johnson, Financial Times Summary: "The last few weeks of political developments around the American-European financial system make us feel like we are back in the USSR."
Jan 19, 2010	Op-ed: Restoring Faith in Financial Markets - John C. Bogle, Wall Street Journal Summary: "'Investing is an act of faith.' So I wrote in 1999, the very first sentence of my book, 'Common Sense on Mutual Funds.' But as 2009 ended, writing in the updated 10th anniversary edition after the passage of this turbulent decade, I concluded that 'the faith of investors has been betrayed.'"
Jan 18, 2010	Destructive creativity - Paul Krugman, New York Times' Conscious of a Liberal Summary: "[T]here is no reason to take it on faith that cleverness in the financial industry is a net social good. Unless you can provide some clear evidence of productive innovations since regulation began to unravel — and ATMs don’t count — the balance of the evidence suggests that smart people have been devising ingenious ways to concentrate risk and direct capital to the wrong uses."
Jan 18, 2010	Ben Bernanke's term running out as Senate Dems try to set a vote - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Senate Democrats will try to reach an agreement in the next two weeks to hold a vote on Ben Bernanke's confirmation to a second term as Federal Reserve chairman."
Jan 17, 2010	Bank watchdog plans alternative to bail or bust - Jonathan Lynn, Reuters Summary: "International regulators will present plans in July on how major banks can be wound down in an orderly way as an alternative to a state bailout or going bust, the Swiss central bank head was quoted as saying on Sunday."
Jan 17, 2010	Bank bonuses: the people vs Wall Street - James Quinn, Telegraph Summary: "Most of those present on that wintry day in February last year, including Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein and JP Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, were, privately, if not publicly, only too well aware how close the country, and their own institutions, had come to the edge...But wind the clock forward exactly 11 months, to last Wednesday, and much has changed. It might have been a cold, wintry day in Washington, but humility had been replaced by hubris."
Jan 17, 2010	Wall St. Weighs a Challenge to a Proposed Tax - Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "Wall Street’s main lobbying arm has hired a top Supreme Court litigator to study a possible legal battle against a bank tax proposed by the Obama administration, on the theory that it would be unconstitutional, according to three industry officials briefed on the matter."
Jan 16, 2010	Sen. Dodd may drop push for consumer financial protection agency - Brady Dennis and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "Senate banking committee Chairman Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) has discussed jettisoning plans for a standalone Consumer Financial Protection Agency, as part of an effort to secure bipartisan support for legislation to reform financial regulation, said people familiar with the matter."
Jan 16, 2010	Too Big to Regulate? - Peter Fox-Penner, Baseline Scenario Summary: "At present, the debate among economists over whether our financial regulations should protect institutions on the basis that they are 'too big to fail' (TBTF) still rages. Like many other economists, I distrust the reasoning behind the TBTF justification and rue the fact that the measures taken to prop up the U.S. financial system have made the largest banks even larger, while small banks are failing at record levels. In my first guest post I argued patchwork attempts to strengthen financial regulation without a 'clean sheet' review were likely to be inadequate."
Jan 15, 2010	Senate Lawmakers Working to Resolve ‘Resolution’ Powers - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Blog Summary: "There’s some buzz in Washington about a tentative bipartisan deal between two lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee who have been working for weeks to broker a compromise on how to create a 'resolution' mechanism to handle the collapse of large financial companies without forcing taxpayers to bail the companies out."
Jan 15, 2010	Editorial: D.C. Witness Protection Program - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "The greatest oddity of the [Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission] may be that its report is set to arrive after Congress and the Administration hope to pass the most far-reaching reform of financial laws since the 1930s. So prescription first, diagnosis later. Perhaps the commission will surprise us, but the evidence of the first week is that this exercise is less about getting to the truth than about reinforcing Democratic theories about whom to blame."
Jan 15, 2010	Volcker Voices His Views in a Vacuum - Kate Kelly, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In a series of appearances in recent months, the former Federal Reserve chairman has excoriated the conflicts of interest within the nation's biggest banks, criticized the Fed for nearly overstepping its bounds, and railed against financial innovation as a harbinger of doom, telling a panel late last year that 'the most important financial innovation that I have seen the past 20 years is the automatic teller machine.' "
Jan 15, 2010	Volcker: Fed Must Retain Bank Supervisor Role - Michael Casey, Wall Street Journal Real Time Blog Summary: "Paul Volcker, the chairman of President Barack Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, made a forceful case Thursday against moves to reduce the Federal Reserve’s powers."
Jan 15, 2010	Op-ed: Separating investment banks will not make us safer - Marc Lackritz, Financial Times Summary: "But reimposing Glass-Steagall would lock our financial system in the amber of the past. The notion of recycling a solution from three generations ago, created long before globalisation, computers and the internet, and widely regarded as grossly outdated 15 years ago, even by today’s proponents of reimposition, would be laughable were it not advanced by so many otherwise serious people. But it would be a seriously flawed policy."
Jan 15, 2010	Volcker Calls for Support in Fighting Bank Lobby on Reforms - Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman advising the Obama administration, said bank lobbyists are promoting 'reform light' and blocking regulatory changes that would stave off future crises."
Jan 15, 2010	Dodd Said to Weigh Dropping Consumer Agency From Overhaul Plan - Alison Vekshin and Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd has indicated he may consider dropping the Consumer Financial Protection Agency from the financial regulatory overhaul bill he is drafting with members of his panel, according to people familiar with negotiations."
Jan 14, 2010	Taxing Banks for the Bailout - Jackie Calmes, New York Times Summary: "President Obama laid down his proposal for a new tax on the nation’s largest financial institutions on Thursday...with both anti-Wall Street sentiment and the budget deficit running high, Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill welcomed the proposal, which could ultimately raise up to $117 billion to cover projected bailout losses."
Jan 14, 2010	Op-ed: Bankers Without a Clue - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "As Congress and the administration try to reform the financial system, they should ignore advice coming from the supposed wise men of Wall Street, who have no wisdom to offer."
Jan 14, 2010	Bair, Schapiro Make Fresh Push For Council - Juliana Gruenwald, National Journal Summary: "FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair and SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro argued for more regulations, and both embraced the idea of a council of regulators to oversee the systemic risks to the financial system."
Jan 14, 2010	Column: Off the Hook - Michael Hirsh, Newsweek Summary: "What has been missing most of all since the real dimensions of the meltdown became known is a sustained effort to consider our out-of-control financial system as a whole. Both Washington and Wall Street continue to see the financial crisis as a matter of toxic assets, when the entire financial system has become toxic."
Jan 14, 2010	Bernanke Defends Fed’s Oversight Role - Javier C. Hernandez, New York Times Summary: "Facing renewed calls from Washington to limit its authority, the Federal Reserve on Thursday defended its role as one of Wall Street’s chief watchdogs and said being able to monitor the health of banks was crucial to setting sound monetary policy."
Jan 14, 2010	Financial-Crisis Panel Turns Focus to Regulators . - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. policy makers need to consider broad changes to the nature of the nation's economy in order to avoid the excesses that led to the financial crisis, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said Thursday as the U.S. commission investigating the crisis turned its focus to Obama administration officials."
Jan 14, 2010	Obama to Unveil Proposal on Bank Taxes - Damian Paletta, Jonathan Weisman and Deborah Solomon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "President Barack Obama is expected Thursday to propose taxing large banks and other companies based on their exposure to risk, White House officials said."
Jan 14, 2010	Op-ed: Obama needs to cut his Wall Street tag - E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post Summary: "If you held a contest to pick the worst thing a politician could be called at this moment, my nominee would be Wall Street Liberal."
Jan 13, 2010	Frank to hold Financial Services hearings on limiting executive pay - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is mounting a new effort to limit executive compensation as Wall Street prepares this month to pay out huge bonuses."
Jan 13, 2010	Column: The Subsidy That Won't Die - Daniel Gross, Newsweek Summary: "The big bankers are in the news again, and they're steamed. On Wednesday, bank CEOs will testify before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. Meanwhile, the industry is pushing back against plans from the Obama administration to tax large banks as part of an effort to recoup bailout costs."
Jan 13, 2010	Dodd dodgy about reform deadline - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "His announcement not to seek reelection not even a week old, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) says he’d still like to get a financial reform bill ready for committee consideration by the end of the month."
Jan 13, 2010	Financial crisis probe could be too late - Steve Eder and Dan Margolies, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. commission appointed by Congress to probe of the financial crisis held its first hearing on Wednesday but faces doubts about its ability to help prevent future meltdowns."
Jan 13, 2010	Bankers Face Tough Questions at Hearing on Financial Crisis - Sewell Chan, New York Times Summary: "The heads of Wall Street’s largest banks faced skeptical questions on Wednesday about executive pay and the failures of regulation from the bipartisan commission established to examine the causes of the biggest downturn since the Depression."
Jan 13, 2010	Op-ed: Bring Back Glass-Steagall - Thomas Frank, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Last month, Sens. Maria Cantwell and John McCain proposed a measure that would revive parts of the old Glass-Steagall Act, the 1933 law that separated investment from commercial banking."
Jan 13, 2010	FDIC pushes to rein in executive pay at banks - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. advanced a proposal Tuesday to penalize banks for risky compensation practices despite public opposition from other federal banking agencies, exposing tensions among senior officials over the government's proper role in shaping pay practices."
Jan 13, 2010	Barons of Wall Street to face crisis panel - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "With U.S. unemployment near a 26-year-high after the worst recession in decades, public fury is growing over the crisis, taxpayer bailouts and huge bonuses for bankers at firms such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. The CEOs of both firms, and others, will testify at the first hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, created by Congress to examine the roots of the 2008 banking and capital markets debacle that shook the world."
Jan 13, 2010	Depression-era star muckraker shapes Wall Street inquiry - Paul Wiseman, USA TODAY Summary: "After Congress last year appointed Phil Angelides to lead an investigation into the causes of the financial crisis, the former California treasurer tracked down an obscure memoir called Wall Street Under Oath."
Jan 12, 2010	Senators eye ‘too big to fail’ bankruptcy fix - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Senators from both parties are considering ways to bolster the bankruptcy code to deal with large failing financial firms."
Jan 12, 2010	Obama considers new fee on banks - Michael D. Shear and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "The budget that President Obama submits next month is likely to include new fees on financial firms as the White House seeks to recover the full costs of its $700 billion bailout of the banking industry, officials said."
Jan 12, 2010	US Senate panel moves to muzzle consumer watchdog - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration's proposal to create a new U.S. agency to protect financial consumers is fast losing support in the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, said lobbyists and analysts on Tuesday."
Jan 12, 2010	FDIC Weighs Linking Executive Pay Risks, Deposit Fees - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., in a bid to help align bank pay practices with risk management, is considering whether to link compensation with fees the agency charges lenders to support the fund protecting deposits."
Jan 12, 2010	Op-ed: Financial Reform Task Force Member on Executive Compensation in the Wall Street Journal - Alan Blinder, Wall Street Journal Summary: "I hear Gordon Gekko is making a comeback. So is greed. They say markets are alternately ruled by greed and fear. Well, our panic-stricken financial markets have been ruled by fear for so long that a little greed might serve as an elixir. But everybody knows you can overdose on an elixir."
Jan 11, 2010	Obama Administration Considers Fee on Banks to Recoup Bailout Funds - Deborah Soloman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Obama administration is considering levying a fee on banks to recoup more of the taxpayer funds spent to rescue the financial system, according to an administration official."
Jan 11, 2010	Banks Ready To Fight Fee Proposal - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Already on the defensive, banks are gearing up against a reported Obama administration drive to impose fees on banks to recoup money allocated to stabilize the nation's financial system."
Jan 11, 2010	Editorial: Bank On Reform - Hartford Business Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Financial analysts and political observers are predicting that bipartisan banking reform is more likely to happen now that Sen. Christopher Dodd is retiring at the end of his fifth term."
Jan 11, 2010	Special bankruptcy court for banks mulled in Senate - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Key U.S. senators are considering the creation of a special bankruptcy court for troubled financial services firms, a person familiar with the plans said on Monday."
Jan 11, 2010	Op-ed: Financial Reform Task Force Member Rebuttal to Chairman Bernanke - John Taylor, Wall Street Journal Summary: Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke spent most of his speech to the American Economic Association on Jan. 3 responding to the critique that easy monetary policy during 2002-2005 contributed to the housing boom, to excessive risk taking, and thereby to the financial crisis.
Jan 10, 2010	Barney Frank rails against banks - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is threatening to give credit unions more power if banks don’t step up their lending."
Jan 10, 2010	Financial Crisis Inquiry panel investigates meltdown - Paul Wiseman, USA Today Summary: "The Democrat and the Republican leading an investigation into the causes of the financial crisis have vowed to set aside political differences and find answers for a furious and bewildered public."
Jan 10, 2010	Small banks, liberal activists seek to weaken Wall Street - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The community bank lobby and HuffingtonPost are urging people to move their money out of the nation’s biggest banks."
Jan 10, 2010	Op-ed: The Other Plot to Wreck America - Frank Rich, New York Times Summary: THERE may not be a person in America without a strong opinion about what coulda, shoulda been done to prevent the underwear bomber from boarding that Christmas flight to Detroit. In the years since 9/11, we’ve all become counterterrorists. But in the 16 months since that other calamity in downtown New York — the crash precipitated by the 9/15 failure of Lehman Brothers — most of us are still ignorant about what Warren Buffett called the 'financial weapons of mass destruction' that wrecked our economy.
Jan 09, 2010	How Dodd's Retirement Might Impact Wall Street Reform - National Public Radio Summary: "Chris Dodd of Connecticut is one of two senators who announced their retirements this week. As head of the Senate Banking Committee, Dodd has been in charge of rewriting the rules governing Wall Street."
Jan 09, 2010	Bailout Panel Will Question Big Bank Leaders - Sewell Chan and Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "Eight months after Congress established a commission to investigate the causes of the financial crisis, the panel is at last getting its work under way, despite concerns that its report, due on Dec. 15, will arrive too late to influence the debate over regulatory reform."
Jan 08, 2010	Op-ed: Bubbles and the Banks - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "Health care reform is almost (knock on wood) a done deal. Next up: fixing the financial system. I’ll be writing a lot about financial reform in the weeks ahead. Let me begin by asking a basic question: What should reformers try to accomplish?"
Jan 08, 2010	Reform, or “Reform”? - Greg Marx, Columbia Journalism Review Summary: "The upcoming retirement of Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and what it means for financial regulatory reform, presented an interesting challenge this week for political journalists—and helped bring forward some underlying assumptions about what a 'good outcome' is."
Jan 08, 2010	How much debt is too much for 'too-big-to-fail' banks? - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "As the Senate takes up sweeping bank reform after the financial system's near collapse in 2008, a battle is brewing on Capitol Hill over whether legislators should limit the amount of borrowed money that the biggest and most important firms use."
Jan 08, 2010	Financial crisis panel seeks bankers' testimony - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "The commission appointed by Congress to examine the causes of the financial crisis is to hear testimony Wednesday from the heads of four of the nation's largest banks, as the panel begins a year-long investigation that its chairman described as an effort to figure out 'what the heck happened.'"
Jan 08, 2010	Dodd’s status may hurt odds on creating new consumer agency - Michael Kranish, Boston Globe Summary: "Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd’s announcement that he will not seek reelection could imperil prospects for including a stand-alone Consumer Financial Protection Agency in financial regulation legislation, even as it improves the odds for reaching a compromise with Republicans for an overall bill."
Jan 07, 2010	Credit-Card Law Opponent May Lead Senate Bank Panel - James Rowley, Bloomberg Summary: "Tim Johnson of South Dakota, the only U.S. Senate Democrat to oppose legislation Congress enacted to curb credit-card abuses, is in line to become the chamber’s Banking Committee chairman next year."
Jan 07, 2010	That 1930s show - The Economist Summary: "THE battle against the financial crisis may be ending, but the war over why it happened has barely begun. The most ambitious effort yet to settle the story begins next week with the first hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission."
Jan 07, 2010	Could Dodd's Retirement Kill Financial Reform? - Daniel Costello, NPR's Planet Money Summary: "Yesterday, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, announced he won't seek reelection after poll numbers showed he would likely lose his reelection bid. A big question: does Dodd's retirement effectively kill pending financial reform?"
Jan 07, 2010	Editorial: Will the Real Chris Dodd Stand Up? - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Senator Christopher Dodd’s decision to not seek re-election in November could be a fatal blow to meaningful financial regulatory reform — or a desperately needed boost. It depends on what he does now."
Jan 07, 2010	Real U.S. financial reform out of lawmakers' hands - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "As Senator Christopher Dodd attempts to seal his legacy by pushing through sweeping financial reform legislation this year, the real changes that threaten financial firms' bottom lines lie in the ever-shifting hands of regulators."
Jan 07, 2010	Senator's retirement may help banking bill - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "Freed from his liberal base and moneyed donors, retiring Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd can now cast himself as the honest broker in negotiations over a massive Wall Street regulation bill."
Jan 07, 2010	Investing in Independent Financial Regulators - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "One striking aspect of the public debate about the future of derivatives — and how best to regulate them — is that almost all the available experts work for one of the major broker-dealers."
Jan 07, 2010	Dodd's retirement decision may boost chances for financial regulatory overhaul - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "As Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) winds down his 30-year run in the Senate, his top remaining priority -- a landmark piece of legislation that could shape his legacy -- is an effort to enact the greatest overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system since the Great Depression."
Jan 07, 2010	Senator Dodd's exit roils financial reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "How Senator Christopher Dodd handles his final months in office is suddenly the big question surrounding U.S. efforts to tighten bank and capital market regulation as part of a worldwide push for reforms."
Jan 07, 2010	Democrats and Republicans Oppose Obama Move Giving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Unlimited Funding - Karen Schuberg, CNSNews.com Summary: "Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike are blasting the Treasury Department’s Christmas Eve announcement that it will send unlimited tax money to failed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, thereby eliminating the current $400 billion cap on emergency aid that Treasury can give without having to come back to Congress for authorization."
Jan 06, 2010	Key players in reshaping U.S. financial regulation - Reuters Summary: "Key personalities in the effort to overhaul U.S. financial regulation range from a young president who has challenged bankers to accept sweeping reforms to veteran lawmakers trying to balance the anger of voters with the powerful influence of Wall Street and banks."
Jan 06, 2010	Senator Dodd's Exit Could Facilitate a Financial Reform Deal - Robert Schmidt, BusinessWeek Summary: "Nothing is more unpredictable than a politician freed from the burden of reelection. On Jan. 6, Chris Dodd—the senior Senator from Connecticut and chairman of the banking committee—announced that, in the face of an 11% deficit in local polls, he would not seek a sixth term."
Jan 06, 2010	Dodd Unbound - Michael Moran, Roubini Global Economics Summary: "Beyond the political calculations sparked by Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd’s decision to retire, the decision of the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee to relieve himself of electoral considerations a full year before his term is up may carry deep implications for various flavors of financial reform legislation making their way through Congress."
Jan 06, 2010	Johnson seen taking over as Senate banking panel chief - Karey Wutkowski and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "South Dakota Democratic Senator Tim Johnson, a champion of community banks and credit card companies, is expected to take over the chairmanship of the influential U.S. Senate Banking Committee in 2011."
Jan 06, 2010	Dodd Plan to Leave Senate May Help Push Financial Rules Revamp - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Christopher Dodd’s departure from the Senate this year may help the lawmaker push the revamp of U.S. financial rules without being distracted by a tough re-election campaign."
Jan 06, 2010	Dodd to Retire, but What About Financial Reform? - Dealbook, New York Times Summary: "Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the embattled Connecticut Democrat who was facing an increasingly tough bid for a sixth term in the United States Senate, has decided not to seek re-election this year, The New York Times’s Adam Nagourney reported Wednesday, citing Democrats familiar with his plans."
Jan 06, 2010	Eyes on Jack Reed with Dodd retirement - Ted Nesi, Providence Business News Summary: "WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd’s announcement Wednesday that he will leave the Senate in January has revived speculation about the future role U.S. Sen. Jack Reed will play on the powerful Senate Banking Committee currently chaired by Dodd."
Jan 06, 2010	Global financial regulation overhaul seen in 2010 - Kevin Drawbaugh and Huw Jones, Reuters Summary: "Global financial regulation has changed little since the 2008 banking crisis, but that won't be the case much longer."
Jan 06, 2010	Senate panel nears agreement on role of Fed - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "As Congress moves to reform U.S. financial regulation, key senators are nearing bipartisan agreement on stripping the Federal Reserve of its authority to supervise banks, two people familiar with the matter said."
Jan 06, 2010	Column: Fed Missed This Bubble. Will It See a New One? - David Leonhardt, New York Times Summary: "If only we’d had more power, we could have kept the financial crisis from getting so bad."
Jan 06, 2010	US Sen Dodd's Departure Could Set Back Financial Overhaul - Michael R. Crittenden, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd's plans to not seek re-election could damage a push by the Obama administration to enact a meaningful overhaul of U.S. financial markets this year."
Jan 06, 2010	Reforming US financial regulation in 2010? Chances are not so great - Leon Hader, The Business Times Summary: "FEDERAL Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke insists that more effective federal regulation of the financial industry - and not using the central bank's tool of higher interest rates in order to burst potential asset bubbles - is the best defence against future financial crises."
Jan 06, 2010	Rep. Barney Frank: Lenders Fannie and Freddie now a 'public policy instrument' - Michael O'Brien, The Hill Summary: "Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now basically a 'public policy instrument' of the government, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) suggested Tuesday."
Jan 05, 2010	Financial Reform Task Force Member John Taylor Disputes Bernanke on Bubble, Blaming Low Rates - Steve Matthews, Bloomberg Summary: Financial Reform Task Force Member John Taylor disputed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s argument that low interest rates didn’t cause the U.S. housing bubble, according to a Bloomberg article dates January 5.
Jan 05, 2010	Industry Resists Dodd's Consolidation Plan - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "As Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd tries to cobble together consensus to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, he faces significant industry opposition over his proposal to consolidate the duties of four agencies into one national banking regulator, making it likely his idea will be scaled down when it comes to the Senate floor."
Jan 05, 2010	Op-ed: Refocus the Regulatory Debate on Essentials - Nicholas F. Brady, Financial Times Summary: "There is an inexorable drive on both sides of the Atlantic to finalise new rules, regulations and laws to place the financial system on a sounder footing. But in their zeal to act, politicians and regulators are looking through the wrong end of the telescope."
Jan 04, 2010	'Big is bad' catches on in Congress - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The populist angst aimed at Wall Street banks is already spilling into Senate deliberations on regulatory reform, and a powerful new sentiment — big is bad — is being echoed by liberals and conservatives alike."
Jan 04, 2010	Key senators debate bank reform behind the scenes - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Responding to the financial crisis that rattled the world in 2008, a key Senate committee is expected to take up sweeping bank-reform legislation later this month, taking the baton from the House, which approved new rules for financial institutions last month."
Jan 04, 2010	Not So Radical Reform: How New Democrats and Wall Street are watering down financial regulation in Congress - Alison Vekshin and Dawn Kopecki, BusinessWeek Summary: "'I have nothing to say except I know how Britney Spears feels,' said Representative Barney Frank on Sept. 27, 2008, after yet another day in which a pack of journalists followed his every move."
Jan 04, 2010	Fed Chief Edges Closer to Using Rates to Pop Bubbles - Jon Hilsenrath and Luca Di Leo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke cracked the door open a bit more to the idea of raising interest rates if a new financial bubble emerges."
Jan 04, 2010	No Good Deed Goes Unpunished as Banks Seek Profits From Bailout - Christopher Condon and Jody Shenn, Bloomberg Summary: "To understand the meaning of no good deed goes unpunished, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner can look no further than Wall Street where the banks that received the biggest taxpayer bailouts are seeking to reap trading profits from securities rescued by the government."
Jan 04, 2010	Op-ed: Beware the crisis around the corner - Clive Crook, Financial Times Summary: "The US economy is sickly, but the mood of impending doom has lifted. The response of US and other authorities to the emergency is unfinished business and needs continuing attention – but in 2010, if the crisis continues to ease, the danger is that politicians will relax and minds will wander from the need for new financial rules."
Jan 04, 2010	Bernanke Says Regulation Came ‘Too Late’ to Curb Housing Bubble - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said low central bank interest rates didn’t cause the housing bubble of the past decade and that better regulation would have been more effective in curbing the boom."
Jan 03, 2010	Editorial: The Biggest Losers - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Happy New Year, readers, but before we get on with the debates of 2010, there's still some ugly 2009 business to report: To wit, the Treasury's Christmas Eve taxpayer massacre lifting the $400 billion cap on potential losses for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as the limits on what the failed companies can borrow."
Dec 31, 2009	Now stabilized, the U.S. financial system must reform itself - The Washington Post Summary: "This year's annual list of the top national news stories will not include the collapse of one or more big U.S. banks. Contrary to many a dire forecast in the first quarter of 2009, Bank of America, Citigroup and the rest pulled through. And they did so even though the government did not adopt any of the experts' most far-reaching recommendations -- such as nationalization and division into "good" and "bad" banks.'
Dec 31, 2009	U.S. to Lose $400 Billion on Fannie, Freddie, Wallison Says - Betty Liu and Matthew Leising, Bloomberg Summary: "Taxpayer losses from supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will top $400 billion," according to Peter Wallison, Financial Reform Task Member.
Dec 30, 2009	Wall Street Waits as SEC Fails to Bring Madoff-Inspired Reforms - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: "Mary Schapiro, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said she wanted to show that her agency was cracking down after missing Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. In May, she proposed that almost 10,000 money managers undergo surprise inspections to make sure they weren’t ripping off clients."
Dec 30, 2009	Congress takes aim at Fed's autonomy - Patrice Hill, Washington Times Summary: "Investors are increasingly worried by threats in Congress to delay the reappointment of Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and meddle in the Federal Reserve's decisions on interest rates, fearing a politicization of the agency with the greatest reach over the economy and markets."
Dec 29, 2009	Op-ed: Task Force on Financial Reform Co-chair Peter Wallison on GSEs in the Wall Street Journal - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: Task Force on Financial Reform Co-chair Peter Wallison penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on December 29 regarding the GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He writes that the failure to closely regulate these institutions "will rank for U.S. taxpayers as one of the worst policy disasters in our history."
Dec 29, 2009	Task Force on Financial Reform Member Benn Steil on Government Spending in the Wall Street Journal - Op-ed: Benn Steil, Wall Street Journal Summary: Task Force on Financial Reform Member Benn Steil penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal dated December 28 on government spending.
Dec 29, 2009	Financial sector ups lobbying effort over new regulation plan - Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY Summary: "Wall Street, commercial banks and an array of other business interests are undertaking an all-out lobbying effort to shape legislation that imposes sweeping government oversight of the financial services industry."
Dec 28, 2009	Op-ed: The Cloning of Fannie and Freddie - Jonathan GS Koppell, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Now that the nine big banks that received TARP funds have repaid the government, Wall Street and Washington are heralding a return to normalcy. But the status quo ex ante has not been restored. The bailout of failing financial institutions, and the willingness of corporate leaders to slurp up taxpayer handouts, has created a frighteningly familiar dynamic.
Dec 28, 2009	Many Bullets Dodged In Financial Services Reform - Arthur D. Postal, National Underwriter Summary: "As 2009 ended, the outlook was for financial services reform to be potentially far less disruptive to the industry than projected even as late as mid-year."
Dec 28, 2009	What The Senate Must Do Now - Charles S. Gardner, former senior offical at the International Monetary Fund. Posted on Baseline Scenario. Summary: "As Congressional action on financial industry reform shifts to the Senate from the bill passed recently by the House, the urgent need now is to fill the gaps in the piecemeal House approach. Regulators require an airtight scheme giving them clear responsibility plus tools to nip industry abuses early and drain the tendency to crisis out of world finance. This rare opportunity also must be seized to restore the Federal Reserve’s control of the money supply, eroded by decades of expanding credit creation by nonbanks."
Dec 28, 2009	LSE chief urges safeguards on clearing houses - Jeremy Grant, Financial Times Summary: "Clearing houses in Europe should be regulated by central banks to guard against the risk of a catastrophic failure by one of them, the London Stock Exchange‘s chief executive said. Xavier Rolet, a former Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs banker, said that it was “very dangerous” for clearing houses’ capital bases and risk models to differ from country to country."
Dec 28, 2009	After the Bailouts, Washington's the Boss - Bob Davis, Deborah Solomon and Jon Hilsenrath, The Wall Street Journal Summary: "In 2008 and 2009, Washington strove to save the economy. In 2010, Americans will get a clearer picture of how Washington has changed the economy. Only as the recession recedes will it become fully evident how permanently the state's role has expanded and whether, as a consequence, a new, hybrid strain of American capitalism is emerging."
Dec 28, 2009	War on Wall Street as Congress Sees Returning to Glass-Steagall - Alison Vekshin and James Sterngold, Bloomberg Summary: "A one-page proposal gaining traction in Congress could turn back the clock on Wall Street 10 years, forcing the breakup of banks, including Citigroup Inc. Lawmakers in both parties, seeking to prevent future financial crises while soothing public anger over bailouts and bonuses, are turning to an approach that’s both simple and transformative: re-imposing sections of the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act that separated commercial and investment banking."
Dec 26, 2009	How Overhauling Derivatives Died - Randall Smith and Sarah Lynch Summary: Lobbying by Wall Street has blunted efforts to step up regulation on derivatives trading by carving out exceptions or leaving the status quo in place. "Derivatives took blame for some of the worst debacles of the financial crisis. But a year after regulators and critics began calling for an overhaul in the way they are traded, some efforts have been shelved and others have been watered down."
Dec 25, 2009	Op-ed: Sensible financial reform - Nicole Gelinas, Los Angeles Times Summary: "More than a year after the financial industry nearly collapsed, Congress and President Obama are taking up regulatory fixes. But their strategy is a blueprint for the next catastrophe."
Dec 24, 2009	Banks Bundled Bad Debt, Bet Against It and Won - Gretchen Morgenson and Louise Story Summary: "In late October 2007, as the financial markets were starting to come unglued, a Goldman Sachs trader, Jonathan M. Egol, received very good news. At 37, he was named a managing director at the firm. Mr. Egol, a Princeton graduate, had risen to prominence inside the bank by creating mortgage-related securities, named Abacus, that were at first intended to protect Goldman from investment losses if the housing market collapsed. As the market soured, Goldman created even more of these securities, enabling it to pocket huge profits. Goldman’s own clients who bought them, however, were less fortunate."
Dec 24, 2009	Treasury Removes Cap for Fannie and Freddie Aid - The Associated Press, The New York Times Summary: "The Treasury Department said Thursday it removed the $400 billion financial cap on the money it will provide to keep the companies afloat. Already, taxpayers have shelled out $111 billion to the pair, and a senior Treasury official said losses are not expected to exceed the government's estimate this summer of $170 billion over 10 years."
Dec 23, 2009	Key U.S. senators see deal on regulatory reform - Tim Ahmann, Reuters Summary: "The top Democrat and Republican on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee said on Wednesday they hoped to resolve their differences on financial regulatory reforms before the Senate reconvenes in January."
Dec 23, 2009	Obama asks community banks to free up business lending - Binyamin Appelbaum and Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post Summary: "President Obama sought to demonstrate his concern about a shortage of small-business loans Tuesday, meeting with a carefully selected group of community bankers to discuss ways of making more money available."
Dec 22, 2009	U.S. financial crisis panel sets first hearings - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. commission created by Congress to investigate the financial crisis has scheduled its first public hearings for January 13 and 14, more than a year since the crisis shook banks and capital markets worldwide."
Dec 22, 2009	Banks with political ties got bailouts, study shows - Steve Eder, Reuters Summary: "U.S. banks that spent more money on lobbying were more likely to get government bailout money, according to a study released on Monday."
Dec 22, 2009	Op-ed: It’s too late to take the politics out of banking - Philip Stevens, Financial Times Summary: "The storm may be raging about them, but bankers have been locked in a contest to say something truly silly. A year that began with a threatened collapse of the international financial system thus draws to a close with a reminder of why governments cannot again trust the future of their economies to the self-styled titans of finance."
Dec 22, 2009	Community Bankers' Fight Heats Up on Capitol Hill . - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The fight over new financial rules is intensifying within the banking industry as community bankers get their first exclusive meeting Tuesday with President Barack Obama."
Dec 22, 2009	In 2010, Year of the Regulator - Dennis K. Berman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Lots of worries hang over the coming year: the direction of the U.S. dollar, the Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting, sovereign-debt downgrades and relations with China."
Dec 21, 2009	Op-ed: Heed the great stabiliser’s words on banking - William Rees-Mogg, The Times Summary: "How does one give a wake-up call to the Masters of the Universe? Very little progress has been made in the reform of banking regulation, even after the worst banking panic for 80 years. In Britain we will have to wait for the general election before we get a new government, capable of taking new decisions."
Dec 21, 2009	Editorial: Finance reform is overdue - The Roanoke Times Editorial Board Summary: "Washington's taxpayer-funded bailouts of the very financial institutions that caused the near-collapse of the world's financial system had Americans seeing red, whether they thought the bailouts were a necessary evil or just evil."
Dec 21, 2009	Dodd tacks new course on Senate bank bill - Michael Kranish, Boston Globe Summary: "Senate Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd, who one month ago proposed an overhaul of financial regulations that was hailed by many consumer activists, has all but jettisoned that proposal following Republican objections and has initiated talks for a new approach designed to satisfy some of his fiercest GOP critics."
Dec 21, 2009	Fed's approach to regulation left banks exposed to crisis - Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "Foreclosures already pocked Chicago's poorer neighborhoods but the downtown still was booming as the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago convened its annual conference in May 2007."
Dec 20, 2009	Op-ed: Rep. Melissa Bean bucks Obama administration on financial reform legislation - Melissa Harris, Chicago Tribune Summary: "The setting: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Capitol Hill office. In one room, moderate Democratic Rep. Melissa Bean of Chicago's northwest suburbs and Treasury officials. In another room, Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank and Pelosi."
Dec 18, 2009	Agencies in a Brawl for Control Over Banks - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In the darkest days of the financial crisis a year ago, Sheila Bair was hailed for having predicted the housing bust. Today, the chief of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is fighting for her agency's future."
Dec 17, 2009	Bernanke Foes Seek to Curtail Fed - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Ben Bernanke is widely expected to win Senate approval for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman, but opponents are hoping to use the debate on his nomination to curtail his autonomy at the central bank."
Dec 17, 2009	Op-ed: How America let banks off the leash - John Gapper, Financial Times Summary: "Barack Obama came to office with members of his administration quoting the adage of Paul Romer, the economist: 'A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.' But it has wasted the financial crisis."
Dec 17, 2009	Republican Sen. Richard Shelby fights for financial regulatory reform - Robert Kaiser, Washington Post Summary: "It is a rare moment in Washington when a lone politician finds himself at the center of a great legislative battle that he appears to be in a position to resolve. Such a moment might be coming soon for Alabama's Sen. Richard C. Shelby."
Dec 17, 2009	Democrats and Republicans work together on financial regulatory reform - Robert Kaiser, Washington Post Summary: "Four Democrats and four Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee are working in bipartisan pairs on the major issues of financial regulatory reform. It's an unusual arrangement in the Senate, usually sharply divided on partisan lines."
Dec 16, 2009	Dodd pressed for bipartisan bill - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "To get the Wall Street reform bill through the House last week, Democratic leaders had to beat back a strong assault on the political heart of the measure from their own ranks and swallow several changes they’d rather not have made."
Dec 16, 2009	Two bills in Congress to restore Glass-Steagall - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Financial giants such as Goldman Sachs Group could be broken up under two bills introduced in the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, one with the backing of former Republican presidential nominee John McCain."
Dec 16, 2009	Congressman Defends Bid To Reform Credit Agencies - National Public Radio Summary: "Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania has introduced legislation to overhaul the credit rating agencies. Although some experts suggest that the measure needs more teeth, Kanjorski says it should be considered an emergency bill that will suffice for now."
Dec 16, 2009	Op-ed: The Case for Optimism on the Economy - Alan S. Blinder, Wall Street Journal Summary: Alan Blinder, member of the Financial Reform Task force and professor of economics at Princeton University, writes about the economic potential of the US and an optimistic outlook despite current tales of "doom and gloom."
Dec 16, 2009	Banks Said to Get Time to Implement Capital Rules - Finbarr Flynn and Joseph Heaven, Bloomberg Summary: "Banks worldwide will be given more time to adapt to stricter rules on the amount of capital they hold, government officials in Japan and Europe said."
Dec 16, 2009	Person of the Year 2009: Ben Bernanke - Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine Summary: "[Ben Bernanke] is not, in other words, a typical Beltway power broker. He's shy. He doesn't do the D.C. dinner-party circuit; he prefers to eat at home with his wife, who still makes him do the dishes and take out the trash. Then they do crosswords or read. Because Ben Bernanke is a nerd. He just happens to be the most powerful nerd on the planet..."
Dec 16, 2009	Grading Financial Reform - Thomas F. Cooley, Viral Acharya, Matthew Richardson and Ingo Walter, Forbes Summary: "Soon, probably early in the new year, the United States Senate will begin debating the Restoring American Financial Stability Act, a comprehensive financial reform bill that tackles the same issues. Both bills cover many issues and take some different approaches...we have analyzed and commented on the details of the proposed legislation and will continue to do so as it evolves."
Dec 16, 2009	Financial industry takes heat but spends $20M on '09 campaigns - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Lawmakers are lashing out at the financial industry for lobbying against regulatory changes even as they receive millions of dollars in campaign contributions from the same interests."
Dec 16, 2009	Senate Panel Eyes Next Month To Mark Up Regulatory Bill - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee is aiming to mark up its revamp of the nation's regulatory system next month, as the Obama administration has been making a concerted push to get key Republicans on board to help smooth passage in the upper chamber."
Dec 15, 2009	Op-ed: Three steps to a safer financial system - Phillip Purcell, Financial Times Summary: "Americans have grudgingly supported the use of their taxes to save the financail system and economy. Unfortunately, this required rescuing many companies considered 'too big to fail' that individually did not deserve to be saved. Taxpayers resent their money being used to keep these companies out of bankruptcy and, in some cases, protect the multi-million dollar compensation packages of those who caused the crisis. In short, Americans understand the need to protect the financial system, but do not want to events of a year ago to happen again."
Dec 15, 2009	Democrats’ Ads Slam Republicans as Cozy With Wall Street - Bernie Becker, New York Times Summary: "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is starting up an advertising campaign against a group of House Republicans who voted against legislation last week that would overhaul the financial regulatory system."
Dec 15, 2009	House Discussing Glass-Steagall Revival, Hoyer Says - James Rowley and Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. House is considering reinstituting the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act, which barred bank holding companies from owning other financial companies, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said."
Dec 15, 2009	Op-ed: Banks won't change unless laws enforced - Jesse Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times Summary: "[President Obama] has every reason to be irate. The banks, saved from bankruptcy by taxpayers, are gearing up to pay themselves record bonuses, but they aren't making loans to small businesses. And, of course, they've unleashed legions of lobbyists to frustrate the president's effort to reform the finance community."
Dec 15, 2009	Putting Obama on Hold, in a Hint of Who’s Boss - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "President Obama didn’t exactly look thrilled as he stared at the Polycom speakerphone in front of him...that awkward moment on speakerphone in the White House, for better or worse, spoke volumes about how the balance of power between Wall Street and Washington has shifted again, back in Wall Street’s favor."
Dec 15, 2009	'Wake Up, Gentlemen' - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "The guiding myth underpinning the reconstruction of our dangerous banking system is: Financial innovation as-we-know-it is valuable and must be preserved. Anyone opposed to this approach is a populist, with or without a pitchfork.Single-handedly, Paul Volcker has exploded this myth."
Dec 15, 2009	Op-ed: Bankers Support Regulation? Au Contraire - Tim Duncan, Naked Capitalism Summary: "The Wall Street Journal tells us that the banking industry has agreed to push for regulation after Monday’s White House meeting...This is a novel and creative take on reality. For instance, in July, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon pushed back aggressively against reform. It is preposterous to claim that highly-paid lobbyists went on auto pilot and took more aggressive positions than their clients wanted and endorsed."
Dec 15, 2009	Regulators Resist Volcker Wandering Warning of Too-Big-to-Fail - Gadi Dechter and Alan Katz, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul A. Volcker visited nine cities in five countries in the past eight weeks to warn that bankers and regulators 'have not come anywhere close to responding with necessary vigor' to the worst economic crisis in 70 years."
Dec 15, 2009	Op-ed: These fat cats definitely have nine lives - Dana Milbank, Washington Post Summary: President Obama, in an interview broadcast Sunday night, called them 'fat cats' who 'still don't get it.' But after CEOs of the nation's largest banks met at the White House with Obama on Monday morning, they came out purring."
Dec 15, 2009	Fed May Delay Tightening Next Year as Congress Debates Powers - Scott Lanman and Steve Matthews, Bloomberg Summary: "Proposals in Congress to trim the Federal Reserve’s powers and subject it to greater scrutiny mean Chairman Ben S. Bernanke may have to think twice about raising rates in 2010 as long as unemployment stays high."
Dec 15, 2009	Bank CEOs Pledge to Push for Re-Regulation - Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Chief executives of the largest U.S. banks acknowledged Monday the "disconnect" between their expressed support for re-regulating financial markets and the work of their lobbyists to weaken any new rules."
Dec 14, 2009	Editorial: Even Bigger Than Too Big to Fail - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Over the weekend, President Obama summoned the nation’s biggest bankers to Washington, but some of the biggest recipients of taxpayers’ money, including Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, didn’t bother making the extra effort to get there ahead of time to avoid the predictable winter weather that grounded their flights."
Dec 14, 2009	Obama leans on bankers to lend more - Sam Youngman, The Hill Summary: "President Barack Obama sought to reassure his political base Monday by doubling down on his criticism of Wall Street."
Dec 14, 2009	Big Banks Are Back In The Game - Eliza Newlin Carney, National Journal Summary: "Legislation recently approved in the House to overhaul the financial regulatory system includes key concessions to the banking industry, including a measure that bars states from imposing tougher restrictions than the federal government. The bill does include a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency that finance industry lobbyists had sought to kill, but consumer advocates say it's been significantly watered down."
Dec 14, 2009	Not Losing Is New Winning as Wall Street Dilutes Proposed Laws - Alison Vekshin and Michael J. Moore, Bloomberg Summary: "Four Wall Street lobbyists and about a dozen lawmakers huddled over eggs and bacon at Tortilla Coast restaurant on Capitol Hill on Dec. 2 to discuss legislation aimed at strengthening bank regulation."
Dec 14, 2009	Obama Criticizes ‘Fat-Cat Bankers’ - Kate Andersen Brower, Bloomberg Summary: "President Barack Obama said he is frustrated that 'fat-cat bankers' continue to take large bonuses and fight his effort to revamp financial regulation."
Dec 14, 2009	House Strikes at Wall Street - Damian Paletta and Robin Sidel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The House of Representatives, in a display of anti-Wall Street sentiment, passed sweeping legislation Friday that rewrites the rules governing financial markets, aiming to restrict the operations of big banks and the powers of the Federal Reserve."
Dec 13, 2009	Op-ed: We must safeguard the Fed's independence - Mort Zuckerman, Financial Times Summary: "The Fed led the way [back from the chasm of financial ruin] by cutting interest rates aggressively to close to zero. It realized that unconventional policy tools were necessary to keep equity and debt capital flowing, introducing unique lending and asset purchase programmes. The unprecedented measure restored confidence and liquidity without provoking a sharp rise in inflation. The rescue could not have happened without the Fed's credibility and independence from short-term political pressures."
Dec 13, 2009	A Critique of the Banking Reform Bill of 2009 - Deric O. Cadora, Safe Haven Summary: "The recent passage of a financial reform bill by the House of Representatives provides President Obama with a symbolic victory, but how will the elements of this potential new law affect the economic well-being of our country?"
Dec 13, 2009	Op-ed: Financial 'Reform' Preserves Too Big Banks, Too Many Speculators - John Nichols, The Nation Summary: The U.S. House has voted for legislation that is described as 'financial services reform.' But most of the 'reforms' are so mild that the savviest of the nation's big bankers will be breathing sighs of relief, rather than worrying about being regulated into good behavior."
Dec 12, 2009	Conservatives replaced Bachus in the lead on regulatory overhaul - Mike Soraghan, The Hill Summary: "Two junior, ardently conservative Republicans have led the fight against President Barack Obama's Wall Street regulatory overhaul, often stealing the show from the ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Spencer Bachus."
Dec 12, 2009	Sarbox Routed in House - Wall Street Journal Summary: "More than 100 Democrats joined with Republicans in voting down an attempt by Mr. Frank and Paul Kanjorski (D., Pa.) to kill the Garrett-Adler amendment, which saves thousands of companies from the infamous Section 404(b) audits of "internal controls.'"
Dec 12, 2009	House to Wall St.: 'Party is over' - Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "The House passed legislation designed to bring the most sweeping rewrite of financial regulation since the New Deal era following the Great Depression....'We are sending a clear message to Wall Street: The party is over,' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said during a news conference following the historic vote."
Dec 11, 2009	U.S. financial reforms could shrink Fed's role - Reuters Summary: "The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a financial reform bill that would expose the Federal Reserve to more scrutiny, threatening its cherished political independence."
Dec 11, 2009	Op-ed: Moral hazard for Democrats - David Sirota, Salon Summary: "To date, the national discussion about this concept has revolved specifically around financial moral hazard. And, as evidenced by trillions of dollars in public loans, guarantees and subsidies given to speculators to cover their massive losses, leaders in both political parties have no interest in preventing financial moral hazard -- despite stern press releases insisting the contrary. By rewarding rather than punishing Wall Street for losing irresponsibly risky bets and by holding out the promise of similar bailout rewards in the future, politicians have incentivized even more irresponsible risk-taking for years to come."
Dec 11, 2009	U.S. House OKs Fed audit provision, eyes on Senate - Mark Felsenthal, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Federal Reserve on Friday lost the opening round in a battle to defeat a congressional plan to subject its interest rate decisions to audits, and will now look for a comeback victory when the Senate starts to move on regulatory reforms."
Dec 11, 2009	House Tightens Rules for Wall Street Over Opposition - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. House tightened rules for derivatives and created powers to break apart large, healthy financial firms that threaten the economy in legislation passed today over objections from Wall Street and Republicans."
Dec 11, 2009	Both sides dig in as vote nears on Wall St. rules - Michael Kranish, Boston Globe Summary: "Republicans went on the attack yesterday as the House opened floor debate on a sweeping package of new rules for Wall Street banks and traders, calling the legislation an unwarranted intrusion by government that will stifle economic recovery and do more harm than good."
Dec 11, 2009	House Trims State Bank Powers as Vote Nears on Rules - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. House scaled back state power over national banks and tightened rules for derivatives as lawmakers head toward a vote on tougher regulation of Wall Street over objections of Republicans and financial companies."
Dec 11, 2009	Op-ed: Do We Really Need a Systemic Regulator? - Hal S. Scott, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The principal assumption underlying the financial regulatory reform legislation working its way through Congress is that certain financial institutions are 'too big to fail' because of the severe consequences of 'interconnectedness'—a word that entered our lexicon during the financial crisis."
Dec 11, 2009	Minnick Amendment Shapes Up As Key Vote For Business - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Democrats geared up Thursday night to defeat an amendment from one of their own members that would kill a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency and replace it with a council of regulators to protect consumers from abusive financial products."
Dec 11, 2009	Op-ed: Financial Reform, or, Rearranging Chairs on the Titanic - L. Randall Wray, Naked Capitalism Summary: "Congress is nearing completion of its financial reform bill HR 4173 (Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009), which appears to amount to shifting chairs on the deck of the sinking Titanic. The monstrous legislation is too big and too complex to analyze in a short blog. Instead I will discuss three areas in which Congress is failing to address the real issues: dangers posed by derivatives, the folly of bailing-out troubled 'systemically important' institutions, and reformation of credit ratings agencies."
Dec 11, 2009	Bipartisan House coalition scales back reach of proposed Wall Street regulations - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "House Democrats head into the final stretch on a long-awaited Wall Street regulation bill with two crucial and contentious votes looming before they can declare victory on one of President Barack Obama's legislative priorities."
Dec 11, 2009	U.S. House nears passage of financial rules overhaul - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. House of Representatives worked its way closer on Thursday to passage of the most sweeping changes in financial regulation proposed since the Great Depression, voting on key parts of a bill hammered out in response to last year's financial crisis. More amendments will be handled on Friday, with leaders targeting a final vote on the overall bill that day."
Dec 11, 2009	Loopholes Lurk in Bank Bill - Damian Paletta and David Enrich, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Buried in a 239-page amendment to the U.S. House of Representatives' financial regulatory overhaul is a provision that appears to do just one thing: exempts financial-services company USAA from some of the bill's tougher provisions."
Dec 11, 2009	House steps closer to passing financial regulation overhaul - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "House lawmakers on Thursday night inched closer to approving a sweeping overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system, adopting last-minute changes that scaled back parts of the legislation while extending its reach to help struggling homeowners."
Dec 10, 2009	Barney Frank eyes final deals on Wall St. overhaul - Jay Fitzgerald, Boston Herald Summary: "U.S. Rep. Barney Frank yesterday was trying to stitch together last-minute compromises before a final vote on a financial regulatory bill that could have a huge impact on firms in Massachusetts."
Dec 10, 2009	U.S. House Debates Financial Rules Revamp Amid Clash Over Fund - Alison Vekshin and Lorraine Woellert, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. House will resume debate on legislation to toughen rules policing Wall Street today after lawmakers clashed over an industry-supported fund the government would use when unwinding failed systemically important firms."
Dec 10, 2009	Op-ed: The Fed’s lead role in financial regulation - Gerald Corrigan, Financial Times Summary: "A necessary condition in tackling 'too big to fail' involves a move toward a more principles-based approach that provides greater room for case-by-case judgment. Consolidated supervisors of large institutions must also direct greater attention to the economic and financial environment these institutions are operating in. In short, although not easy, prudential supervision must focus more attention on potential sources of contagion and systemic risk."
Dec 10, 2009	Op-ed: Rise of the Fed Bashers - George F. Will, Washington Post Summary: "Rep. Ron Paul, the 2008 presidential candidate who had the zany idea -- as many laughing people thought -- that the Federal Reserve system could become a sizzling political issue. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Fed, who does not laugh promiscuously, knows that it is no laughing matter that Paul has 317 co-sponsors (180 Republicans, 137 Democrats) for a bill to open the Fed's books to 'audit' by the comptroller general."
Dec 10, 2009	Op-ed: For Global Finance, Global Regulation - Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The way global financial institutions have operated raises fundamental questions that we must—and can only—address globally."
Dec 10, 2009	Op-ed: How To Kill OTC Derivatives Reform in Two Sentences - Baseline Scenario, Mike Konczal Summary: "Have lobbyists snuck another major loophole into the OTC Derivatives bill? This week the final touches are being put on Barney Frank’s financial regulation bill – H.R. 4173 – 'Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009.' One of the centerpieces of this reform is Title III: Over-the-Counter Derivatives Markets Act. And one of the goals of this reform would be to get as many derivatives as possible to trade on exchanges."
Dec 10, 2009	Centrist, conservative Democrats delay financial reform debate - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "A group of centrist and conservative House Democrats forced a last-minute delay of a sweeping financial regulatory reform package scheduled for debate on the House floor Wednesday, sparking a flurry of negotiations before a compromise cleared the way for the legislation to move forward."
Dec 10, 2009	Moderates will Wall St. bill changes - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The coalition of moderate Democrats, with an assist from the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, held up consideration of a crucial Wall Street reform bill for several hours Wednesday to protest the way Democratic leadership and the Obama administration’s treated some of their proposals."
Dec 10, 2009	Deal With House Mods Clears Way For Debate To Begin - Bill Swindell, Billy House and Andy Leonatti, National Journal Summary: "House Democratic leadership Wednesday night reached a compromise with moderates on legislation that would revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, striking an agreement over how far a proposed consumer protection agency can go in pre-empting state laws."
Dec 10, 2009	U.S. House to debate financial regulation overhaul - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. House of Representatives will debate on Thursday the most sweeping changes to financial regulation proposed since the Great Depression, including broad new government powers over large banks and tighter regulation of capital markets."
Dec 10, 2009	Houses stalemate on financial overhaul ends - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "The House last night began debating a measure that would overhaul Wall Street regulations, overcoming a last-minute revolt by moderate Democrats that had stalled one of the Obama administration’s priorities."
Dec 09, 2009	Ron Paul’s Fed-Bashing Wins Over Lawmakers Wary of Bank’s Power - Catherine Dodge, Bloomberg Summary: "After fighting for decades to increase scrutiny of the Federal Reserve or abolish it, the Texas Republican [Ron Paul]'s proposal requiring audits of the central bank’s interest-rate decisions is getting traction."
Dec 09, 2009	Is Barney too frank? - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Financial lobbyists — Democrats and Republicans — say privately that Frank’s actions on regulatory reform have grown as volatile as his moods. Even some of his most ardent defenders acknowledge Frank has a thin skin. And they say the usually measured policymaker is being forced into an usual position: making calculations based on political pressure from fellow Democrats in ways he never needed to in the past."
Dec 09, 2009	New Dems Fight For 'Open And Balanced' Rule On Bill - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Members of the New Democrat Coalition Tuesday warned House leaders they will consider voting against a rule for debate on an overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system if Democratic leaders do not allow floor votes on amendments they are backing -- ones which make the measure more palatable to K Street."
Dec 09, 2009	U.S. industry sharpens attack on financial reforms - Andrea Ricci, International Business Times Summary: "U.S. industry is freshening its attack on financial reform, pledging more cash to defeat a new consumer agency and raising concerns over a provision that could force secured creditors to shoulder losses. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday unveiled a new radio and television advertising campaign that portrays the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency as a threat to small business and economic growth. The push comes just one day before the full U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to start debating a massive legislative package that would overhaul financial regulation.
Dec 09, 2009	Volcker: 'No Time for Business as Usual' - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, speaking to the congress of Europe’s center-right political parties in Bonn, said 'this is no time for a return to business as usual' in global finance."
Dec 09, 2009	House Reform Bill Spurs Almost 250 Amendments - Lynn Hume, Bond Buyer Summary: "House Financial Services Committee members and their colleagues have drafted almost 250 amendments that they would like to see added to the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, including one that would prohibit state and local governments and public pension funds from entering into swaps."
Dec 08, 2009	W.H. endorses regulatory bill - Matt Negrin, Politico Summary: "The Obama administration announced Tuesday it 'strongly supports' a House bill that aims to reshape the rules for the country's financial system in order to curb excessive risk-taking."
Dec 08, 2009	Frank Supports Mortgage Cram-Down in Financial Regulations Bill - Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "The mortgage 'cram-down' bill that stalled in Congress earlier this year will be attached to broader legislation and voted on this week, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said."
Dec 08, 2009	House Leaders Weigh Open Debate Vs. Limiting Exposure - Bill Swindell and Billy House, National Journal Summary: "The House Democratic leadership is weighing how much of an open debate it will allow over legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, juggling the demands of moderates who want to placate the business community against the desire by Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank to go into conference with a bill containing strong consumer protections."
Dec 08, 2009	Non-Profit Says It Sees Loophole In US House Ag Swaps Bill - Sarah N. Lynch, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The House Agriculture Committee's version of a bill to shed more light on the pricing of over-the-counter derivatives may actually keep much of it in the dark, according to the Project on Government Oversight, an investigative non-profit group."
Dec 08, 2009	Anatomy Of A Crisis - Elizabeth Leonard, Forbes Summary: "As the financial crisis of 2008 unfolded, Main Street frequently went head-to-head with Wall Street regarding the events which triggered the meltdown, and the public policy that shaped the government's intervention. Both camps will find a common framework for analyzing the crisis in Too Big to Save?: How to Fix the U.S. Financial System by Robert Pozen, chairman of MFS Investment Management and former vice chairman of Fidelity Investments."
Dec 08, 2009	House to vote this week on finance reform - Silla Brush and Jim Snyder, The Hill Summary: "The House is expected to vote this week on a financial regulatory overhaul, a priority of the Obama administration."
Dec 08, 2009	Curbs on Fed Move From Fringe To Forefront - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "Once considered the biggest winner under the Obama administration's regulatory revamp plan, the Federal Reserve Board is likely to lose substantial power if reform legislation is enacted, as expected."
Dec 08, 2009	Rep. Frank Plan Would Further Limit Firms Forced To Pay Into Failure Fund - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A 135-page manager’s amendment to the financial overhaul plan that could see a vote on the House floor this week would require fewer financial companies to pay into a fund that would be used to break up and wind down failing financial companies."
Dec 08, 2009	Financial Bill Hits Big Banks Hardest - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The country's largest banks are emerging as the biggest losers in Congress's effort to overhaul the rules of the road for financial markets."
Dec 07, 2009	Debt Raters Avoid Overhaul After Crisis - David Segal, New York Times Summary: "As Washington rewrites the rules of Wall Street, how is the overhaul of the Big Three coming? It isn’t, finance experts say."
Dec 07, 2009	Op-ed: Fed has too many duties - Chris Dodd, USAToday Summary: "Chairman Ben Bernanke and I agree that the Federal Reserve should be strong, independent and able to perform its core functions: conducting monetary policy, supervising payment systems and acting as lender of last resort."
Dec 07, 2009	Editorial: Our view on blame for the collapse: New recipe for economy — Fry Bernanke, add political spice - USA Today Editorial Board Summary: "Americans are in a distinctly foul mood these days. Some folks are angry that the government has done too much to intervene in the economy. Some are angry that it hasn't done enough. Virtually everyone is peeved at how fat-cat bankers have benefited from a plan to save the world from their own greed and irresponsibility."
Dec 07, 2009	Op-ed: No Fed Independence - John Tamny, Forbes Summary: "Ultimately the question of Fed independence is a constitutional one, and with the Constitution clear about empowering Congress 'to coin Money, regulate the Value thereof,' the Fed cannot be independent. In short, it's time for Congress to fulfill its constitutional mandate without regard to elite opinion on the matter."
Dec 07, 2009	House Looks at Preventing the Next Collapse - Carl Hulse, The Caucus Blog, New York Times Summary: "The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act combines nine major pieces of legislation in an effort to prevent a recurrence of the failures that rocked the international economy and to protect the public from having to bail out institutions for bad business decisions."
Dec 07, 2009	House likely to move on regulatory reform by end of the week - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "President Barack Obama this week will likely see Congress take a major step forward in accomplishing a sweeping financial regulatory overhaul. The full House is expected to vote by Friday on a wide-ranging package to regulate risks across the financial system, impose new curbs on the multi-trillion dollar derivatives market and give the government tools to dissolve failing financial firms."
Dec 07, 2009	Creditors Fear New Resolution Process - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "For weeks, Republicans have argued that creditors would benefit if lawmakers granted government regulators the power to unwind companies that pose a threat to the financial system. But as the House prepares to vote on a massive regulatory reform bill this week, creditors oppose the measure."
Dec 07, 2009	US Sen Dodd to press financial reform ahead-aides - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is ready to push through a controversial financial regulation reform bill with or without Republican support, senior aides said, just days before the House of Representatives votes on its own reform legislation. As momentum builds again behind a push by the Obama administration and Democrats for tighter bank and capital market regulation, analysts said banks, brokerages, insurers and other financial services businesses could face new regulatory burdens and costs.
Dec 06, 2009	Editorial: Fed should be left alone on money decisions - InvestmentNews Editorial Board Summary: "It appears likely that Congress will punish the Federal Reserve for its role in the financial crisis by taking away some of its independence and responsibilities. The legislators are scapegoating...Even Fed critic Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, thinks that that is a bad idea. Sharing his view are former Fed Chairmen Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker; Alice Rivlin, founding director of the Congressional Budget Office; and many other economists."
Dec 06, 2009	States gain in turf war over private placements - Sara Hansard, InvestmentNews Summary: "Thomas Krebs, assistant director and deputy general counsel to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, last week came out in favor of giving the states oversight authority over private placements. That authority was taken away from the states by the National Securities Market Improvement Act of 1996, which harmonized rules and limited states to enforcing anti-fraud laws."
Dec 06, 2009	Himes helps guide Congress on regulatory reform - Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Hearst Newspapers Summary: "As the House begins debating a broad financial regulatory overhaul this week to prevent future meltdowns on Wall Street, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., is uniquely positioned to vet the initiative. As one of a handful of lawmakers with deep experience in the financial sector -- Himes was an executive at Goldman Sachs for more than a decade -- the first-term Greenwich Democrat already has played a role in crafting the measure."
Dec 06, 2009	Senior lawmakers near swaps crackdown consensus - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Senior Democratic lawmakers have agreed on all but a few details of a plan for over-the-counter derivatives regulation, suggesting consensus is near on one of the trickiest parts of the Obama administration's effort to tighten U.S. financial oversight."
Dec 05, 2009	Why Barney Frank is Furious about Financial Reform - Michael Hirsh, Newsweek Summary: "Early versions of Frank's bill allowed many derivatives to continue trading off exchanges. That touched off criticism from reformers on the left, who said that Wall Street had created large loopholes. Frank was outraged when one of his prominent critics was quoted in The Boston Globe as saying that the congressman had adopted the view of business and 'walked away from the concerns of the major unions, consumer groups, and environmental groups.' "
Dec 05, 2009	Measuring The Fiscal Costs Of Not Fixing The Financial System - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: Based on his conference speech, economist Simon Johnson outlines the the problems surrounding the financial industry, proposed solutions toward addressing these problems and possible outcomes if no financial reform is reach.
Dec 04, 2009	House Taking Up Derivatives Amendments - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The House will vote next week on two amendments that were left unsettled between House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson on regulating the over-the-counter derivatives market, as part of Frank's broader financial overhaul effort."
Dec 04, 2009	Fess Up, Ben - Larry Kudlow, National Report Online Summary: "Fed head Ben Bernanke got hammered during his reconfirmation hearing in front of the Senate Banking Committee this week. Jim Bunning was Bernanke’s toughest critic, followed by Richard Shelby, Jim DeMint, and yes, Chris Dodd, the beleaguered committee chair who in all likelihood will be defeated in Connecticut next year."
Dec 04, 2009	CBO: Financial overhaul would hike deficit by $4.5 billion - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "A wide-ranging House bill to crack down on Wall Street and revamp the nation's financial markets will increase the nation's deficit by $4.5 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)."
Dec 04, 2009	Why Congress is Furious at the Fed - Justin Fox, Time Magazine Summary: "Texas libertarian-Republican-obstetrician-Congressman Ron Paul--a man not known for bipartisan consensus-building--has gotten 313 of his colleagues, more than 100 of them Democrats, to back a bill that would subject the Fed to audits by the Government Accountability Office, and the Financial Services Committee has approved a version of it. On the other side of Capitol Hill, Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd is pushing reforms that would strip the Fed of its power to regulate banks."
Dec 04, 2009	Bernanke Says Fed ‘Should Have Done More’ - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "Under fire from Democrats and Republicans alike, Ben S. Bernanke on Thursday defended his record as chairman of the Federal Reserve but conceded that the central bank’s lapses contributed to the financial crisis."
Dec 04, 2009	Op-ed: Greenspan Haunts Room - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday that otherwise went almost entirely according to script, a slip of the tongue by Sen. Jim Bunning offered a telling moment. About halfway through a diatribe about the Federal Reserve's inadequacies, the Kentucky Republican said to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke: 'Now I want to read a quote to you, Mr. Greensp -'"
Dec 04, 2009	Administration Uses Consumer Conference To Push Reform - Andy Leonatti, National Journal Summary: "Obama administration officials used a consumer protection conference on Thursday to push the case for financial services regulatory reform."
Dec 04, 2009	Bernanke May Get Second Term at Fed Shorn of Bank Supervision - Scott Lanman and Craig Torres, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke left a Senate confirmation hearing with support for a second term heading a central bank that may be shorn of its powers to supervise financial firms."
Dec 03, 2009	The Bernanke Record - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke faces his Senate renomination hearing today, amid signs that the confirmation skids are greased. We nonetheless think someone should say that, as a matter of accountability for the financial crisis and looking at the hard monetary choices to come, the country needs a new Fed chief."
Dec 03, 2009	Black Caucus, White House Clash - Damian Paletta and Deborah Solomon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A clash between the Obama administration and the Congressional Black Caucus intensified Wednesday, illustrating how lawmakers' unease about the economy has the potential to derail White House priorities."
Dec 03, 2009	Bubbles and Policy - Tim Duy, Fed Watch Blog Summary: "Is monetary policy or regulatory policy the best mechanism to address bubbles? I tend to favor the latter category, should we have a regulatory environment that is not essentially captured by those policymakers are supposed to regulate. Interest rate policy is a rather blunt weapon that kills indiscriminately."
Dec 03, 2009	Compromise Offered To Settle Derivatives Regulation Dispute - Michael Posner, National Journal Summary: "Democratic leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee proposed a compromise Wednesday to settle a jurisdictional dispute between two federal regulatory agencies over derivatives...The measure, crafted by Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson and Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, will be part of a package on the House floor next week that would revamp the nation's financial regulatory system.
Dec 03, 2009	Bernanke May Defend Fed Powers in Senate Hearing - Craig Torres and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Ben S. Bernanke, who led the most expansive use of the Federal Reserve’s powers in its 96-year history, may fight efforts to curtail its authority and independence during his confirmation hearing today."
Dec 03, 2009	Op-ed: Be fair to Bernanke - Steven Rattner, Washington Post Summary: "Almost since the first cracks in Wall Street's facade appeared more than two years ago, commentators and politicians of all stripes have questioned whether the Fed and, equally, the Treasury made proper decisions as they faced the worst financial crisis in 75 years....But much of the barrage of criticism is unfair, and some of it is simply ignorant."
Dec 03, 2009	In Nod To Credit Unions, Frank Will Revise Legislation - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank will revise legislation to give credit unions parity with community banks over consumer safeguards that will be part of the package to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system."
Dec 03, 2009	Overhaul Measure on the Ropes - Deborah Lynn Blumberg and Matthias Rieker, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A controversial amendment to a bill to overhaul the U.S. financial system that would require secured creditors to take losses in the event of a bank failure may not survive in the final legislation...It would require secured creditors under certain circumstances to take losses of up to 20% should a financial firm fail. The bill cleared the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday by a narrow margin.
Dec 03, 2009	Financial regulatory package heads to House - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "A key congressional committee approved the final pieces of sweeping legislation Wednesday to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system, setting the stage for a vote in the House of Representatives next week on one of President Obama's top priorities."
Dec 02, 2009	Financial bill to rein in Wall Street. Will it be tough enough? - Gail Russell Chaddock, Christian Science Monitor Summary: "A year after a near collapse of the financial system and a historic $800 billion taxpayer bailout, Congress is reworking its terms of engagement with Wall Street."
Dec 02, 2009	Op-ed: Why consumers need a financial protection agency - Arkadi Kuhlmann, The Hill Summary: "Like a lot of young Americans, Bryan Howard took out a credit card and opened a money market account when he went off to college. His family blessed the idea; they thought it would help establish his financial independence."
Dec 02, 2009	A Study in Contrasts in Financial Overhaul - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "Moments after the Senate cast its final vote on a health care bill before recessing on a recent Saturday evening, Senator Christopher J. Dodd convened an unpublicized meeting of the members of the Senate banking committee."
Dec 02, 2009	Senator Moves to Hold Up Bernanke Confirmation - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont said on Wednesday that he would try to block the Senate from confirming Ben S. Bernanke to a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve....The move is unlikely to derail Mr. Bernanke’s reappointment, but it could slow the confirmation process and give the Fed’s critics additional opportunity to press their case."
Dec 02, 2009	Key panel approves broad restrictions on big banks - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "The nation's biggest banks would be hit with a raft of new fees, leverage limits and other restrictions under far-reaching 'too-big-to-fail' bank legislation approved by a key congressional committee on Wednesday."
Dec 02, 2009	Geithner defends derivatives regulation plan - Greg Robb, MarketWatch Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday defended the centerpiece of the administration's plan to increase government oversight of derivatives -- the proposal that liquid and standardized over-the-counter derivative contracts should be cleared through clearinghouses."
Dec 02, 2009	European Banks Growing Bigger ‘Sowing the Seeds’ of Next Crisis - Andrew MacAskill and Jon Menon, Bloomberg Summary: "European banks are emerging from the credit crisis bigger than before, posing more risk to their national economies."
Dec 02, 2009	Fed Debates New Role: Bubble Fighter - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Not so long ago, Federal Reserve officials were confident they knew what to do when they saw bubbles building in prices of stocks, houses or other assets: Nothing."
Dec 02, 2009	Bernanke Has Support of Majority of Senators on Banking Panel - Scott Lanman and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Ben S. Bernanke has the backing of a majority of U.S. senators on the Banking Committee for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman."
Dec 01, 2009	Bernanke faces confirmation grilling - Krishna Guha and Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "Ben Bernanke is likely to face tough questioning when he appears before the Senate banking committee on Thursday seeking confirmation for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman."
Dec 01, 2009	Sen Banking Panel Members Voice Support For Bernanke - Corey Boles and Luca Di Leo, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A pair of Republican members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee said Tuesday they would support Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term at the helm of the central bank."
Dec 01, 2009	Bill Won't Curb TBTF? Not So Fast - Joe Adler and Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Under revised House language expected to be approved by the Financial Services Committee on Wednesday the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. could only lend to a failing company for the purpose of unwinding it. It could not provide the kind of 'open bank assistance' to holding companies that it now can give their subsidiaries."
Dec 01, 2009	OTC Derivative Reform: A Work in Progress - Andrew B. Busch, Stocks, Futures and Options Magazine Summary: "Over-the-counter derivative reform has reached a critical point in the halls of Congress. An unprecedented amount of cooperation among regulatory agencies and between congressional oversight committees is occurring as of this writing in mid-October. The situation is akin to cats and dogs not only living together, but making each other’s beds."
Dec 01, 2009	US Congress nears financial rules reform milestone - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The lead committee on financial regulatory reform in the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to approve the last two of eight major regulatory bills on Wednesday, said House aides."
Dec 01, 2009	A Reader’s Guide to Bernanke’s Preemptive Attack - Robert Higgs, Independent Institute Blog Summary: "Ben Bernanke is taking no chances. With his confirmation hearing for continuation as chairman of the Federal Reserve System only days away, he has written an op-ed for publication in Sunday’s Washington Post. We may interpret this article as a preemptive attack on his congressional critics, some of whom will no doubt take the opportunity afforded by next Thursday’s hearing to attack his management of the Fed and, indeed, the Fed itself."
Nov 30, 2009	Sen. Shelby wants 'living wills' for the country's largest financial companies - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee’s top Republican on Monday said the government should require large firms to have the financial equivalent of 'living wills.'"
Nov 30, 2009	Taxing Wall Street Today Wins Support for Keynes Idea - Yalman Onaran Summary: "John Maynard Keynes proposed a tax on financial transactions in the middle of the Great Depression, and another economist, James Tobin, revived the idea in the 1970s as a way to counter currency market speculation."
Nov 30, 2009	Insurers Brace For Capitol Hill Battles Over Federal Regulatory Reform Proposals - Arthur D. Postal, National Underwriter Summary: "Debate will resume Nov. 30 on a package of bills dealing with a host of financial services reform issues raised by various House committees, leading up to a floor vote on the entire legislative package in early December. At stake is the oversight of firms posing a systemic risk, the regulation of derivatives, investor protection and the creation of two new agencies--a Consumer Financial Protection Agency and a Federal Insurance Office."
Nov 30, 2009	Wall Street Meets Its Match - Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect Summary: "In the showdown over the regulation of potentially toxic securities like credit-default swaps, the savviest and toughest battler for effective legislation turns out to be not Barney Frank or Chris Dodd, who chair the key House and Senate financial committees. Surprisingly, the best informed and most relentless crusader is a back-bench senator from Washington state, Maria Cantwell. If you want to see how one determined junior legislator can make a difference, Cantwell is your woman."
Nov 30, 2009	How Big Is Too Big? - Peter Boone and Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "As legislation on restructuring the banking industry moves forward, attention on Capitol Hill is increasingly drawn to the issue of bank size. Should our biggest banks be made smaller?"
Nov 30, 2009	U.S. Sen Shelby urges nimble 'resolution regime' - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The top Republican on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Monday urged clear government procedures for dealing with large, failing financial firms."
Nov 30, 2009	Bernanke Starts Fed Debate Early - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke positioned himself for a potentially tempestuous congressional hearing this week, declaring that proposals to rein in the central bank would hurt the economy, while a lawmaker shot back that the Fed chief had already failed to prevent an economic disaster."
Nov 30, 2009	In-Geithner-We-Trust Bond Market Gets Lowest Yield - Susanne Walker, Bloomberg Summary: "Less than a week after deflecting calls for his resignation, Timothy Geithner sold bonds on behalf of U.S. taxpayers at the lowest yields on record in a show of confidence in the Treasury Secretary’s policies."
Nov 30, 2009	Editorial: Protect the Fed - Akron Beacon Journal Editorial Board Summary: "n 2008, Ron Paul sought the Republican presidential nomination with a libertarian message. He advocated, among other things, the elimination of the Federal Reserve Board."
Nov 30, 2009	Op-ed: Bring On Fed Transparency - Michael Maiello, Forbes Summary: "By all means, we should let Congress audit our central bank."
Nov 30, 2009	Miller-Moore amendment - James Kwak, Baseline Scenario Summary: "Now that the financial regulatory reform bills are progressing in both houses of Congress, it means that to really be on top of things, you not only have to read the bills, you have to read the amendments. One example is the Miller-Moore amendment (full text here), which passed the committee 34-32, only to run into criticism."
Nov 30, 2009	Op-ed: Fed 'reform' we don't want - Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post Summary: "Ever since its creation in 1913, the Federal Reserve has grappled with a daunting political contradiction. The Fed is charged with preventing the collapse of the banking and financial system, whose health is essential for the 'real economy' of production and jobs. But financial bailouts usually occur when mistakes or misdeeds by bankers and investment professionals make them public pariahs. To do its job, then, the Fed protects -- or seems to protect -- an unpopular, disgraced and undeserving group. We are now witnessing this contradiction in full bloom."
Nov 29, 2009	Federal Reserve under fire - Tom Raum, Associated Press Summary: "At least 307 House members and 30 senators are backing legislation to subject the Fed to intense scrutiny by Congress' Government Accountability Office."
Nov 29, 2009	Op-ed: Senator Corker could be 'dealmaker' on banking reform - Bill Theobald, The Tennesean Summary: "About this time last year, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee found himself in the historic Senate Foreign Relations Room in the U.S. Capitol, negotiating with Senate banking committee Chairman Chris Dodd, auto company executives and labor leaders on a deal to save the ailing auto industry."
Nov 29, 2009	Bankers Say Financial Overhaul Bill ‘Over-reacts to the Crisis’ - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "A trade group of the nation’s largest banks sent a letter to each member of the House Financial Services Committee on Sunday urging them to vote against a bill that would give the government more power to break up a failing financial services firm."
Nov 29, 2009	Op-ed: The right reform for the Fed - Ben Bernanke Summary: "For many Americans, the financial crisis, and the recession it spawned, have been devastating -- jobs, homes, savings lost. Understandably, many people are calling for change. Yet change needs to be about creating a system that works better, not just differently. As a nation, our challenge is to design a system of financial oversight that will embody the lessons of the past two years and provide a robust framework for preventing future crises and the economic damage they cause.
Nov 27, 2009	Editorial: On the Role of Monetary Policy - Congress: Hands off the Fed - San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board Summary: "Congress has a new punching bag for the economic crisis and the ruined economy: the Federal Reserve. Given the events of the last month, it would be easy to think that the Fed is responsible for everything. It's not."
Nov 27, 2009	Editorial: Purge 'too big to fail,' don't institutionalize it - Orange County Register Editorial Board Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Banking Committee, and Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, each have introduced sweeping bills to overhaul regulation of the country's financial system."
Nov 26, 2009	OTS chief says no to merger with Comptroller of the Currency - Daniel Wagner, Associated Press Summary: "A top bank regulator is throwing cold water on a financial overhaul plan the Obama administration wants to see passed quickly."
Nov 26, 2009	Poked by pitchforks - The Economist Summary: "POPULISTS and bankers have been at odds since America’s earliest days. Its first two central banks were shuttered in the 19th century in part because of their perceived closeness to financiers."
Nov 25, 2009	Connecticut to Sue Rating Firms for ‘Reckless’ Work - Caroline Salas and Matthew Leising, Bloomberg Summary: "Connecticut plans to join Ohio in suing credit-rating companies for 'negligent, reckless and incompetent work' in grading debt purchased by state pension funds, according to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal."
Nov 25, 2009	Fed Tightens Rules for Regional Bank Directors - Michael McKee and Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "The Federal Reserve tightened eligibility rules for the directors who choose regional Fed presidents after the central bank came under fire for letting a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. chairman serve."
Nov 25, 2009	U.S. Congress targets Fed for changes - Mark Felsenthal and Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Congress is debating proposals that could change the Federal Reserve's role in the financial system and expose the central bank to more scrutiny, threatening its cherished political independence."
Nov 25, 2009	Op-ed: Public fed up with Wall St. buying Washington - Robert Weissman, Providence Journal Summary: "Wall Street continues to shower money on Congress. And the financial titans do it with purpose. They are investors, after all. With Congress now debating legislation to rein in Wall Street’s abusive practices, the financial-services industry has plied members of the Senate and House banking committees with more than twice as much money, on average, as what the industry gives to other members of Congress, according to a Public Citizen report released last week."
Nov 25, 2009	Op-ed: A race to stand up - Rober Cyran, Breaking News Summary: "With reform in the air and survival in some cases at stake, it's reasonable to believe the various watchdogs want to be noticed - and seen as toughening up their acts. The financial industry lobby could yet defeat even modest reform. But as long as politicians are debating their future, regulators are wise to look busy."
Nov 25, 2009	Op-ed: Bankers making turkeys out of taxpayers - Dana Milbank, Washington Post Summary: "On Tuesday, the American Financial Services Association held a conference call with reporters to update them on its efforts -- successful so far -- to torpedo plans for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would protect people from the sort of lending abuses that led to last year's implosion."
Nov 25, 2009	Op-ed: The Kanjorski Amendment Trojan Horse and Prompt Corrective Action - Edward Harrison, Naked Capitalism Summary: "On page 7 of the Kanjorski Amendment, there is an enormous loophole that virtually eliminates the ability of regulators to take prompt corrective action in seizing and shutting down a bankrupt financial institution."
Nov 25, 2009	Op-ed: Where is the community organizer we elected president? - Robert Scheer, Citizen Times Summary: "Finally, a leading Democrat, in this case Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, has a good idea for monitoring the Wall Street fat cats who all but destroyed the American economy, and the Obama administration condemns it."
Nov 25, 2009	Danger & Opportunity: Staggering Toward Reform - Melanie Waddell, Investment Advisor Summary: "As we enter the final month of 2009, the financial services industry anticipates some type of reform from Washington by year-end, but the consensus is that there won’t be action until 2010 on the overhaul legislation introduced November 10 by Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut), chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. That bill was scheduled for markup the week of November 16, but there is little Republican support."
Nov 25, 2009	Beware the Result of Outrage - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "[Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke] does not want the Fed to be a puppet of Congress. And on that score, he is probably right. Could Paul Volcker have raised interest rates in the early 1980s to nosebleed levels if Congress were pulling strings? What would happen in an election year? Interest rates would invariably go down, only to go up again later."
Nov 24, 2009	How to Solve "Too Big To Fail" - Interview with Rep. Kanjorski - Jennifer Schonberger, Motley Fool Summary: "The failure of Lehman Brothers last year froze the global financial system, causing the government to bail out every major bank on Wall Street (directly or indirectly). Since then, the looming question has been: How do we deal with banks that are 'too big to fail'?"
Nov 24, 2009	Group Blasts Dodd Bill, Eyes Other Dem Allies - Andy Leonatti, National Journal Summary: "The trade group representing financial service companies today blasted a bill by Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, saying the proposed agency will restrict access to consumer credit."
Nov 24, 2009	For Fed and Council, Two Is a Crowd - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "The Obama administration has proposed concentrating this authority in the Federal Reserve Board, while Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd wants to hand the job to a council of regulators. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank tried to find a middle ground and legislation the panel expects to pass next week would split the power....But that hybrid approach is being panned by critics who argue it sets up a confusing system that won't work."
Nov 24, 2009	Proposal to allow breakup of huge banks gains momentum - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "Instead of helping cushion the fall of Wall Street powerhouses through government aid or variations on traditional bankruptcy, there is growing momentum in Congress to cut those firms down to size before they start teetering to limit the damage if they do collapse."
Nov 24, 2009	Morgan Stanley Speaks: Against Relying On Capital Requirements - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "The essential premise of the Morgan Stanley reasoning (heard much more widely on Wall Street) is that the size of our biggest banks cannot be constrained – because it would raise the cost of equity for these smaller units. This misses three points."
Nov 24, 2009	Regulatory Reform Bill Faces Dissent - Andrew Ackerman, The Bond Buyer Summary: "Market participants are increasingly concerned about provisions in Senate and House regulatory reform bills that are designed to address the level of sophistication of states and localities that want to engage in over-the-counter derivatives transactions."
Nov 24, 2009	Could Wall Street Actually Lose in Congress? - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic Summary: "Something strange and a little disorienting is happening in the fight to reform Wall Street: It looks like the reformers are actually starting to win."
Nov 23, 2009	Editorial: No Bondholder Left Behind - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Reading the pending bills to 'resolve' failing financial houses from Representative Barney Frank and Senator Chris Dodd, the challenge is to conceive of someone who is not eligible for unlimited taxpayer funds. The list of potential bailout recipients under both bills runs from bank holding companies to hedge funds to auto makers, consumer retail chains and just about anyone else engaging in finance of one kind or another."
Nov 23, 2009	Fed rage boils over on Capitol Hill - Jennifer Liberto, CNNMoney.com Summary: "Fed watchers say they expect that Bernanke will be confirmed for a second term as chairman. But he may get the fewest favorable votes on record - and end up at the helm of a vastly changed Federal Reserve."
Nov 23, 2009	Analysis: Fed under fire as public anger mounts - Tom Raum, Associated Press Summary: "The chairman of the Federal Reserve Board is always fair game for criticism and second-guessing, usually over interest rate actions. But this year the criticism is much broader as Congress responds to widespread public anger that the Fed bailed out Wall Street but not ordinary Americans, and with unemployment in double digits."
Nov 23, 2009	Congress Grows Fed Up Despite Central Bank's Push - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Reserve's strategy to fend off a barrage of attacks from Congress, largely centered on low-key diplomacy by Chairman Ben Bernanke, isn't succeeding so far."
Nov 22, 2009	Finra to shell out $1M on lobbying efforts - Dan Jamieson, InvestmentNews Summary: "Finra has opened up its checkbook to lobby Congress for authority over investment advisers. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc is on track to increase its lobbying expenditures by about 20% this year — to about $1 million — according to lobbying reports the organization has filed with Congress."
Nov 22, 2009	Planners concerned proposed group would regulate advice - Sara Hansard, InvestmentNews Summary: "Financial planners are worried about being regulated by the proposed consumer financial protection agency when it comes to dishing out advice about mortgages, taxes and estate planning."
Nov 21, 2009	A Primer On Financial Reform - John Maggs, National Journal Summary: "The administration's 'blueprint' for financial regulation left a lot of blanks for Congress to fill in."
Nov 20, 2009	Judd Gregg: 'Political pandering' on Fed - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Sen. Judd Gregg, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, says he’s worried that politicians on Capitol Hill are sacrificing the Fed’s historic independence because the Fed has become unpopular during the economic crisis."
Nov 20, 2009	Op-ed: Unregulated derivatives are holes in our economic boat - Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), The Hill Summary: "If your boat had twelve holes in the bottom, you wouldn’t fix eleven of them, congratulate yourself on a job well done and take it out to sea. Any loopholes in proposed regulatory reform for the derivatives market work much the same way. In derivatives markets, as in boating, one hole can sink the entire vessel."
Nov 20, 2009	Senate GOP blasts financial reform proposal - Sean Lengell, Washington Times Summary: "Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd's proposed overhaul of the financial sector's regulatory system is likely to get little or no bipartisan support, as several Republicans on Thursday blasted the plan as a gateway to more Wall Street bailouts."
Nov 20, 2009	Panel sets fees for large firms - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "Taking aim at Wall Street and the nation’s central bank, a key House committee voted yesterday to assess upfront fees on large financial firms to pay for the failure of their peers and to require a sweeping congressional audit of the secretive Federal Reserve....In a surprise, however, committee chairman Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, delayed final action on the long-awaited regulatory overhaul bill until after Thanksgiving."
Nov 20, 2009	Frank Looking At Multiple Changes To Reform Package - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "As he readies an overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank is already looking at avenues to revise the package before it goes to the floor the week of Dec. 7."
Nov 20, 2009	Op-ed: Threatening the Fed's Independence - Alan S. Blinder, Washington Post Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Alan Blinder discussing the necessity of keeping the Federal Reserve independent in order to establish monetary policy in this op-ed.
Nov 20, 2009	Panel Votes to Broaden Oversight of the Fed - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "In a display of populist anger toward the Federal Reserve, a House panel voted on Thursday to let Congress carry out sweeping new oversights of the central bank’s policy decisions and operations."
Nov 20, 2009	Shelby Opposes Dodd’s Financial Regulatory Bill - Cyrus Sanati, Dealbook, New York Times Summary: "Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said Thursday that he would vote against the financial regulatory bill proposed last week by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat who is the committee’s chairman, setting the stage for what could be a contentious and drawn-out set of negotiations."
Nov 20, 2009	Fed Makes Monitoring Capital Foremost Concern Amid Bubble - Craig Torres and Michael McKee, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve officials are stepping up scrutiny of the biggest U.S. banks to ensure the lenders can withstand a reversal of soaring global-asset prices, according to people with knowledge of the matter."
Nov 19, 2009	Derivatives proposals suit smaller players - Elinor Comlay, Reuters Summary: "The over-the-counter derivatives market is facing potential upheaval as lawmakers seek to increase regulation but while large banks are worried this could harm what has been a lucrative business for them, some niche players see new opportunities."
Nov 19, 2009	Geithner tries to create new urgency for financial reform - Greg Robb, MarketWatch of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "In testimony prepared for delivery to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, Geithner said that lawmakers must meet 'our obligation to the next generation' by reforming the outdated regulatory system."
Nov 19, 2009	Key Republican senator snubs US Senate regulation bill - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A key Republican Senator said on Thursday that he would not support a Democratic bill to overhaul the country's financial regulation."
Nov 19, 2009	Op-ed: Americans Deserve a Transparent Fed - Ron Paul and Jim DeMint, Wall Street Journal Summary: "One puzzling assertion made by the Fed and its supporters is that the Federal Reserve has some sort of independence from the government and independence in undertaking monetary policy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Federal Reserve is a government-created banking monopoly, and its top decision makers are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. If they do not perform satisfactorily in the eyes of politicians, they will not be renominated. "
Nov 19, 2009	Op-ed: Don't Let Banks Hide Bad Assets - Roderick M. Hills, Harvey L. Pitt and David S. Ruder, Wall Street Journal Summary: "During times of financial distress, there is always pressure to change accounting standards in order to inflate the value of assets. Under certain circumstances, there may be a legitimate need to recognize that stresses on large financial institutions may threaten the stability of the U.S. financial system. Banking regulators can ease such stresses by reducing regulatory capital requirements. But it would be a mistake to adopt legislation that would allow financial-services firms to hide their true financial positions from investors."
Nov 19, 2009	Financial reforms grind forward in Congress - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A House committee voted on Wednesday to approve a measure that would empower a new council of government regulators to force divestitures by firms considered 'too big to fail' whose collapse could threaten the stability of the economy."
Nov 19, 2009	Panel Approves Curbs on 'Too Big' Firms - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A divided House Financial Services Committee voted 38-29 to approve an amendment offered by Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D, Penn.) that would allow a council of regulators to determine whether factors including the size or interconnectedness of an individual firm pose 'a grave threat to the United States.' Such a firm could be prohibited from merging with another firm or be required to sell business units or assets."
Nov 19, 2009	Morgan Stanley’s Mack Welcomes Regulation by Fed - Michael J. Moore, Bloomberg Summary: "John Mack, chief executive officer of top-ranked mergers adviser Morgan Stanley, said he welcomes the increased regulation by the Federal Reserve that came after the firm converted into a bank holding company as the financial crisis wiped out 87 percent of its market value."
Nov 19, 2009	Congress' Moral Hazard - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Legislation being considered already contained features that could end up being used to provide taxpayer backing to bank creditors. But Wednesday the House Financial Services Committee went even further by approving a measure that would allow banks to issue government-backed debt in difficult periods."
Nov 19, 2009	Ambitious bills could remake financial regulatory landscape - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "As lawmakers on Capitol Hill inch closer toward overhauling the nation's fractured financial regulatory system, each hour of debate, each tweak of legal language, each tedious roll call carries the potential to generate colossal changes in the relationship between Washington and Wall Street."
Nov 18, 2009	House Dems sharpening "too big to fail" plan - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A key U.S. congressional panel moved toward toughening a plan for dealing with 'too big to fail' financial firms on Tuesday, while rejecting a Republican alternative that is expected to reappear later."
Nov 18, 2009	Task force to take up financial fraud cases - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Top Obama administration officials on Tuesday announced a new federal task force to combat financial fraud after deciding that the number and complexity of investigations linked to the economic crisis require a more coordinated response from government agencies."
Nov 18, 2009	Geithner: Efforts to fix global financial flaws, avoid new crises will fail if US drops ball - Tom Raum, Associated Press Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress on Tuesday that efforts to strengthen the global financial system to prevent another deep crisis will falter if the United States drops the ball on overhauling regulation of its own banking system."
Nov 18, 2009	The Right Way to Regulate - Martha Coakley and Elizabeth Warren, The New Republic Summary: "In the weeks ahead, Congress may finally provide American families with a seat at the financial regulatory table in Washington, D.C. If Congress passes the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) Act of 2009, on which the House Financial Services recently reported favorably, it will establish, for the first time, a federal agency whose sole mandate is to evaluate financial products through the lens of consumer fairness."
Nov 18, 2009	GOP: Zero support for Senate financial reform bill - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Senate Republicans said Tuesday there is no support within the GOP for the financial overhaul plan outlined last week by Democrats, putting on shaky ground a top priority for President Barack Obama."
Nov 18, 2009	Financial reform pushed back into mid-December - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is trying this week to finish marking up several bills he hopes will be considered as one on the House floor. Frank had previously aimed to bring the legislation to the full House immediately after the Thanksgiving recess, but he said House leaders have decided to put off debate until the second or third week of December."
Nov 18, 2009	Keep Bank Regulators Away from FASB: SEC Commissioner - Sarah Johnson, CFO.com Summary: "Commissioner Elisse Walter hopes to squelch a legislative proposal that would make FASB subject to oversight by banking regulators. Other critics say the proposal might allow banks themselves to influence accounting."
Nov 18, 2009	Fed Curbs Advanced by Panel - Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee approved an amendment Tuesday that the committee's chairman said would curtail the powers of Federal Reserve regional bank presidents."
Nov 18, 2009	Top Republican senator slams Dodd's regulation bill - Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that a Democratic bill to revamp regulation of the financial industry must be revised to win support from his side of the political aisle."
Nov 17, 2009	Financial Firms May Pay $200 Billion to Unwind Firms - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. financial companies would pump as much as $200 billion into a fund that would pay to dissolve failed firms whose collapse in bankruptcy could harm the economy, under a measure Congress may take up this week."
Nov 17, 2009	Congressmen oppose making Fed super-regulator - Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "Congress ought to clarify if a proposed super-regulator of the U.S. financial system should be an overlapping overseer of securities and futures exchanges, the chief futures regulator said on Tuesday."
Nov 17, 2009	Dodd challenger: Geithner should go - Ian Swanson, The Hill Summary: "Former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.) on Tuesday called for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to be fired for his “mishandling” of AIG’s bailout."
Nov 17, 2009	House Democrats push largest firms to pre-pay for possible failures - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "House Democrats are looking to tweak financial overhaul legislation so that the largest firms will pay for future failures."
Nov 17, 2009	Report hits Geithner over AIG bailout - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "The government’s watchdog over the bank bailout program is criticizing Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s handling of one of the most sensitive moments of last year’s financial meltdown, questioning decisions he made while heading up the New York Federal Reserve Bank."
Nov 17, 2009	Op-ed: Regulating the Regulators - Dean Baker, Guardian Summary: "We got into this crisis because of a serious failure of the regulators and, more importantly, the economics profession. The failure to come to grips with this reality both means that much of the regulatory reform effort will be misdirected and that we will have done little to prevent the next crisis."
Nov 17, 2009	Banks sense danger, warn Congress on breakup power - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Some of the world's largest financial firms on Monday urged a top U.S. lawmaker not to pursue big bank break-up legislation, an idea attracting interest in Congress and causing alarm on Wall Street."
Nov 17, 2009	Volcker Criticizes Accounting Proposal - Floyd Norris, New York Times Summary: "Paul A. Volcker, a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, said he was concerned that the independence of accounting standards agencies was being compromised by politics. Mr. Volcker has been an outspoken critic of 'mark to market' accounting that forced banks to take large write-downs in asset values, a position cited by banks earlier this year when they persuaded members of the House Financial Services Committee to demand changes in that rule."
Nov 16, 2009	More Defense Of Derivatives - Daniel Costello, NPR Planet Money Summary: "Blue-chip companies including Caterpillar Inc., Duke Energy Corp. and others are raising concerns that Dodd's proposal to strengthen regulation around financial derivatives would unfairly stop them from managing their own business risks."
Nov 16, 2009	Op-ed: The Permanent TARP - Peter J. Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Putting it bluntly, the administration's proposal, and the House and Senate draft bills, would establish too big to fail as national policy. Whether the companies are regulated by the Fed or by a new agency, they will still have been marked as threats to economic well-being—and thus seen by creditors and investors as specially protected by the government. This will give them the same advantages enjoyed in the mortgage business by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with the same result for competitors and taxpayers."
Nov 16, 2009	Money managers join the fight against increased Finra oversight - Doug Halonen, Investment News Summary: "Money managers are fighting legislation that would — for the first time — subject the roughly 4,000 firms associated with broker-dealers to regulation by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority."
Nov 16, 2009	Op-ed: Sen. Dodd takes on the Fed - Arthur I. Cyr, Knoxville News Sentinel Summary: "Some of [Sen. Dodd's] suggestions no doubt have merit, but the very comprehensive nature of the senator's proposals will undercut effective evaluation. As the year draws to a close, Congress faces mountains of proposed legislation, especially the comprehensive health care initiatives."
Nov 16, 2009	Op-ed: Frank, Dodd Will Fix Banking Regulation But Good - Caroline Baum, Bloomberg Summary: "What’s missing from the discussion of creating a 'new architecture' for financial regulation is this: Regulators are human. It matters very little whether you place them in Cell Block 1 or Cell Block 9, call them a council or an agency, or provide them with specific rules or general guidelines."
Nov 16, 2009	Bernanke Signals Support for Letting U.S. Shrink Risky Firms - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said regulators should have power to shrink a bank that poses a risk to markets, signaling support for proposals in Congress that let the U.S. cut the size of financial companies."
Nov 16, 2009	Fights erupt over Chris Dodd's reform bill - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The 1,136-page draft measure the Connecticut Democrat unveiled last week would bulldoze the financial architecture built over the past 80 years, setting up clashes among Democratic chairmen, powerful regulators, small banks and their bigger competitors."
Nov 16, 2009	A New Solution For 'Too Big To Fail'? - Charles Calomiris, National Journal Economy Blog Summary: Charles Calomiris, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, discusses the advantages of requiring contingent convertible bonds, CCCs, to address notions of "Too Big to Fail." He states, "CCCs are a special kind of sub debt, and probably the best kind to require that banks issue."
Nov 16, 2009	Finance panel to debate government power to break up big financial firms - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee next week is set to debate the highly contentious issue of whether the government should have the power to break up large financial firms even if they’re not about to fail."
Nov 16, 2009	Reform Dominates Panel’s Agenda - Kate Davidson, Roll Call Summary: "The Senate started playing catch-up with the House last week when Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) unveiled his version of a bill that would rewrite the country’s financial rules to avoid a repeat of last year’s economic meltdown."
Nov 15, 2009	Editorial: Lay risk responsibility right where it belongs - Business Insurance Summary: "Requiring the establishment of risk committees that number at least one risk management expert among their members represents regulation, pure and simple. But it also lays the responsibility for recognizing and mitigating risk on the companies themselves."
Nov 15, 2009	Editorial: Good and bad in Dodd financial reform plan - The Day Editorial Board Summary: "There is much to like about the financial overhaul plan unveiled this past week by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, chairman of the banking committee....Yet we cannot ignore the political motivations of the banking chairman. Sen. Dodd suffered major political damage over the perception he was too cozy with the financial industry and benefitted from its large campaign contributions. In his attempts to save his political career and remake his image as a populist crusader against the evil financial industry, Sen. Dodd is perhaps pushing the regulatory needle too far."
Nov 15, 2009	Trauma Surgeon of Wall Street - Alan Feuer, New York Times Summary: Rodgin Cohen, Pew Financial Reform member and chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, is featured in the New York Times discussion of his integral role in the high-profile mergers of large banks last fall in order to avert potentially complete financial meltdown.
Nov 15, 2009	Op-ed: Area banks wary of reform - Jim Gallagher, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Summary: "Powerful forces are colliding in the legislative process. The chairmen of the House and Senate banking committees, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., don't see eye to eye on reform, with the administration of President Barack Obama mainly on Frank's side....There are more than 70 small and mid-sized banks based in St. Louis. Their executives have a common cry: 'Regulate the big boys — they caused this mess — but leave us alone.' "
Nov 15, 2009	Editorial: It had to be written by someone inside the banks - The National Editorial Board Summary: "The Obama administration promised to reform the financial system and make it safe for the rest of us, but recent Congressional action is more likely to reset the fuse for another explosive calamity. The time bomb in this case is that arcane financial instrument known as derivatives."
Nov 14, 2009	Congress brews plans bank's regulatory authority - Star-Ledger Wire Services Summary: "The Federal Reserve has over the decades viewed its independence from political influence as crucial for its ability to guide the U.S. economy. But the central bank’s activist response to the financial crisis has exposed the Fed to immense political fallout."
Nov 14, 2009	Obama Administration Bashes Dodd Financial Reform Bill - Alain Sherter, BNet Blog Summary: "Austan Goolsbee, a top economic adviser to President Obama, said at a conference in Washington today that Dodd’s plan of transferring the Federal Reserve’s and FDIC’s bank supervisory powers to a new regulatory agency would cause confusion.
Nov 13, 2009	US Treasury's Wolin: Fed best equipped to supervise - Emily Kaiser, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Federal Reserve is best equipped to supervise the largest, most complex firms, a top U.S. Treasury official said on Friday."
Nov 13, 2009	Goolsbee Says Dodd Single-Regulator Plan Could Create Confusion - Sandrine Rastello, Bloomberg Summary: "Austan Goolsbee, a White House economic adviser, said Senator Christopher Dodd’s proposal to strip the Federal Reserve of its authority to oversee banks and create a single regulator could lead to confusion in a future crisis."
Nov 13, 2009	Op-ed: Hedge Funds Can’t Mess Up Worse Than Bob Rubin - David Reilly, Bloomberg Summary: "Buried deep within the 1,136-page, financial-reform legislation unveiled this week by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd...is a proposal to let shareholders nominate directors to corporate boards. The draft bill goes on to say votes for these positions shouldn’t resemble a Soviet-era election."
Nov 13, 2009	Op-ed: No more 'too big to fail' - Jamie Dimon, Washington Post Summary: "The goal should be a regulatory system that allows financial institutions to meet the needs of individual and institutional customers while ensuring that even the biggest bank can be allowed to fail in a way that does not put taxpayers or the broader economy at risk."
Nov 13, 2009	Dodd consumer groups love isn't the Dodd from last year - David Lightman, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "Consumer advocates love the new consumer protection agency included in the financial industry overhaul that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., proposed this week."
Nov 13, 2009	Bank Breakup Plan, Still Unseen, Draws Wall St. Ire - Cyrus Sanati, Dealbook, New York Times Summary: "A legislative amendment set to be proposed by Representative Paul E. Kanjorski, Democrat of Pennsylvania, is creating quite a stir on Wall Street, even though a completed version has yet to be seen."
Nov 12, 2009	Big business tells Congress: 'Frightening' new proposal could 'destroy' Wall Street - Silla Brush and Kevin Bogardus, The Hill Summary: "Some of the world’s most prominent CEOs will press New York lawmakers next Thursday to oppose legislation they argue would undermine the Big Apple’s economy and its reputation as a world financial hub."
Nov 12, 2009	Senate Panel To Start Debating Fin Reg Bill Next Week - Michael R. Crittenden and Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee is slated to start formal consideration of legislation to overhaul the financial industry's regulatory landscape next week, according to a notice sent by committee staff to member offices Thursday."
Nov 12, 2009	Op-ed: Could Chris Dodd Ally Democrats With The Tea Party Right? - Max Fisher, The Atlantic Summary: "The sweeping new regulatory reforms proposed by Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd would impose a number of big changes on the way government regulates the economy, which the Wire covers here. What about the plan's political implications?"
Nov 12, 2009	Wall Street Faces ‘Live Ammo’ as Congress Aims to Unravel Banks - Alison Vekshin and Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "Seven Wall Street lobbyists trooped to Capitol Hill on Nov. 9, hoping to convince Representative Paul Kanjorski’s staff that his plan to dismantle large financial firms was a bad idea."
Nov 12, 2009	FHA Report Could Spark Political Battle Over Housing - Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal Blogs Summary: "A report released Thursday morning should show just how close the Federal Housing Administration has come to burning through its capital reserves—and provide a clearer picture of whether or when taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the government mortgage insurer’s efforts to stabilize the housing market."
Nov 12, 2009	Editorial: Financial sector reform has dubious champion - The Oklahoman Editorial Board Summary: "Dodd, D-Conn., is in the fight of his life for re-election next year, so it might not be coincidence he has chosen now to propose sweeping regulatory reform for the financial services sector with which he has been cozy most of his 28 years in the Senate. A tough re-elect can make a populist out of anyone."
Nov 12, 2009	Bankers doubt Dodd bill will pass - Naomi Snyder, The Tennessean Summary: "The Senate Banking Committee chairman's proposal, unveiled earlier this week, is perhaps one of the most far-reaching proposals to address some of the ills uncovered by last fall's financial meltdown that threatened banks' balance sheets and shattered some Wall Street giants."
Nov 12, 2009	Fed's role makes its next move key - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "The Federal Reserve has over the decades viewed its independence from political influence as crucial for its ability to guide the U.S. economy."
Nov 12, 2009	Dodd embarks on an age-old quest - Brady Dennis and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) this week joined the generations of dreamers who have advocated for eliminating the nation's muddle of bank regulators, arguing that a single agency would be more efficient and would end the ability of banks to choose the most lenient supervisor."
Nov 11, 2009	Op-ed: A comprehensive solution to combustible markets - Barney Frank, Boston Globe Summary: "In many ways, AIG represents the poster child for the combination of reckless behavior and failed oversight, and thus gives us a window through which to look at the impact of the committee’s response."
Nov 11, 2009	Corker: Financial regulatory reform bill has seeds of compromise - Tony Romm, The Hill Summary: "The financial regulatory reform bill working its way through the Senate Banking Committee offers great potential for bipartisan compromise, one of the panel's top Republicans said Wednesday."
Nov 11, 2009	Chanos Condemns ‘Monstrous Idea’ That Banks Love - David Reilly, Bloomberg Summary: "Famed hedge-fund manager James Chanos,...who has flagged numerous accounting frauds over the years including the one that ultimately brought down Enron Corp., is concerned investors will quickly forget this and other warnings from the implosion of the financial system."
Nov 11, 2009	Chris Dodd on bank regs: ‘Not time for timidity’ - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Chris Dodd’s financial reform legislation would fundamentally change the financial landscape in this country, and is the most sweeping proposal to date to address last year’s financial crisis."
Nov 11, 2009	Skeptical centrists greet Senator Dodd’s sweeping financial regulatory reforms - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sen. Chris Dodd on Tuesday unveiled sweeping legislation to overhaul the financial system that must gain support from wary centrists in both parties to make it through the Senate."
Nov 11, 2009	Fed Faces Biggest Blow to Independence, Powers in Dodd - Scott Lanman and Craig Torres, Bloomberg Summary: "The Federal Reserve faces the biggest blows to its authority and independence in five decades under legislation championed by its lead overseer in the U.S. Senate."
Nov 11, 2009	Sen. Christopher Dodd proposes single watchdog for banks - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "The plan by Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) would shatter the existing regulatory structure, installing a new federal banking authority to take the place of four agencies, a bold step the Obama administration declined to take."
Nov 11, 2009	Dodd's reform plan takes aim at the Fed - David Cho, Brady Dennis and Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday unveiled a sweeping regulatory reform bill that would strip the Federal Reserve of nearly all of its power to oversee banks, setting up a possible clash with the Obama administration, which has argued for the central bank to play a pivotal role in addressing financial threats."
Nov 11, 2009	Dodd's super bank cop faces tough battle - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "A Senate proposal to create a federal super cop to police banks faces formidable opposition from the industry, current regulators and a senior House lawmaker who recently blasted the idea."
Nov 11, 2009	Senate Plan Would Expand Regulation of Risky Lending - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "The chairman of the Senate banking committee proposed a financial overhaul on Tuesday that included consolidating bank regulators, creating a consumer financial protection agency and imposing new restraints on exotic financial instruments and credit rating agencies."
Nov 11, 2009	Under Attack, Fed Chief Studies Politics - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "With the Federal Reserve under more intense attack than at any time in decades, Ben S. Bernanke, the professorial chairman of the central bank, was schooled last month in how to handle the increased political demands of his job."
Nov 11, 2009	Dodd's overhaul goes well beyond other plans - Binyamin Appelbaum and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "A regulatory bill that Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) introduced Tuesday would create three agencies aimed at policing threats to the economy, preserving banks in good health and protecting borrowers from abuse."
Nov 11, 2009	Op-ed: The Real Danger of 'One Big Regulator' - Thomas Frank, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Our current way of regulating the financial system is dysfunctional. Oversight is dispersed among numerous confusing bodies that at times have seemed to be racing each other to the bottom. Setting up One Big Regulator would end that problem."
Nov 10, 2009	Derivatives End-Users Get Few Exemptions in Dodd Bill - Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "A draft bill proposed today by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, doesn’t match legislation in the House of Representatives that exempts most end-users from proposed rules reining in the $592 trillion over- the-counter derivatives market."
Nov 10, 2009	Military credit unions, advocates make case for carve-out in finance reform bill - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Credit unions and associations representing military members are urging lawmakers to oppose a provision in a broad financial services bill that they argue amounts to a tax on troops and their families."
Nov 10, 2009	Credit Unions Lobby To Be Exempt From Resolution Authority - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The credit union industry is ramping up efforts to exclude its institutions from paying into a fund to rescue too-large-to-fail firms whose collapse would threaten financial markets."
Nov 10, 2009	Financial Overhaul Lets SEC Fund Itself - Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Several provisions aimed at boosting the rights of shareholders are part of a broad financial regulatory overhaul bill to be unveiled Tuesday by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd... Under Mr. Dodd's bill, shareholders would be given a nonbinding, advisory vote on executive compensation packages, a concept often referred to as 'say on pay.'"
Nov 10, 2009	He'll propose a law against being too big - Joseph N. DiStefano, Philadelphia Inquirer Summary: "Think there ought to be a law against companies' getting so big and complicated that taxpayers end up bailing them out? Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski (D., Pa.), the No. 2-ranking power on the House Financial Services Committee, tells me he's going to write one."
Nov 10, 2009	Curbing Size of Big Firms - Damian Paletta and Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Democrats are advancing proposals in Congress designed to limit the size and complexity of financial companies so that any collapse wouldn't damage the broader economy, a sign that lawmakers are responding to anti-Wall Street sentiment by toughening the administration's rewrite of finance rules."
Nov 10, 2009	Fed's Tarullo: Don't break up big banks - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "Prohibiting big commercial banks from owning investment-banking institutions would be unlikely to limit the 'too big to fail' problem with big banks, a key Federal Reserve regulator said Friday."
Nov 10, 2009	Op-ed: After health care, financial reform will be the tough part - David Sarasohn, The Oregonian Summary: "Tuesday, the chairman of the Senate banking committee, Chris Dodd of Connecticut -- who recruited the freshman Oregon senator [Jeff Merkley] to his committee to help with redesigning the entire financial system --- announces the first draft of his financial reform bill, the one that's supposed to prevent meltdowns like the one last fall. Assessing the complications and difficulty of this, Merkley explained in his Senate office Monday, 'It's at least on a par with health care.' These days around here, that is not an encouraging phrasing."
Nov 10, 2009	Bill gives Fed new power to police risk - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The Federal Reserve stands to gain substantial new authority under financial reform legislation, despite increasing skepticism from lawmakers in both parties over the central bank’s unchecked powers over the U.S. economy."
Nov 10, 2009	Dodd set to unveil financial reform bill - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd will unveil long-awaited draft legislation on financial regulation reform on Tuesday, his office said on Monday."
Nov 09, 2009	Op-ed: A Secret List Of Giant Banks - Daniel Indiviglio, The Atlantic Summary: "There's some criticism around the idea that the list of large financial institutions that will be subject to heightened regulatory requirements under new systemic risk regulation should be kept secret...I'm not sure I even see the point, given the purpose of the list."
Nov 09, 2009	Financial Regulation: Way Easier Than Health Care - Massimo Calabresi, Time Magazine Summary: "While a health care bill crawls through the Senate, bills of equal significance are speeding through the Banking and Finance Committees of both chambers of Congress and will share the spotlight this week on Capitol Hill. And because of the odd politics of finance, and an aggressive behind the scenes push by the Administration, real financial reforms have a better chance of becoming law by the end of the year than an overhaul of health care."
Nov 09, 2009	Federal Reserve opposed as big bank savior by odd allies - Patrice Hill, Washington Times Summary: "An unusual alliance of conservatives and liberals is pushing to break up or downsize banks deemed "too big to fail," rather than create a new regulatory regime led by the Federal Reserve to try to keep them from getting into trouble again."
Nov 08, 2009	Op-ed: How we can restore trust in financial institutions - Gordon Brown, Financial Times Summary: "While our regulatory changes are designed to reduce moral hazard, any new contract between our financial institutions and our society now needs to reflect the wider costs to the economy and society of potential failure."
Nov 08, 2009	Reform should protect consumers by demanding more of planners - Chris Walden, Investment News Summary: "As Congress prepares to debate financial services reform, one critical issue pits Wall Street against Main Street, and the outcome could affect clients' wallets."
Nov 08, 2009	Op-ed: Consensus Rises for Breaking Up Big Banks - Dean Baker, Epoch Times Summary: "Those who like banks that are too big to fail will love the latest financial reform proposal in the House. The bill put forward by House Finance Committee Chairman Barney Frank does little to change the current structure of the financial system."
Nov 07, 2009	Op-ed: Reform efforts need to bare teeth - Aaron London, Flagler County News Summary: "Finding a way to keep the failure of systemically important firms from taking the rest of the economy down with them is a good idea, and it is possible to create regulations that will do just that...Harsh regulation will simply keep firms from become that large to begin with so their failure would not have as great of an impact."
Nov 07, 2009	Editorial: Nightmare On Wall St. - Investor's Business Daily Editorial Board Summary: "Washington is quietly preparing a hostile takeover of Wall Street with a new bill that would put regulators in control of managing asset prices. While all eyes are fixed on the cobra poised to strike the health care industry, a python is wending its way through Hill banking panels that would squeeze the life from the whole economy."
Nov 07, 2009	Fed losing support on bank oversight - Brady Dennis and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "Key Democratic lawmakers are threatening to dismantle the Obama administration's plans to place the Federal Reserve at the heart of efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system."
Nov 07, 2009	Turner: 'Efficient Markets' Debunked - Bruce Stokes, National Journal Summary: "Jonathan Adair Turner is Britain's chief banking watchdog. He chairs the Financial Services Authority and is rapidly developing a reputation in international financial circles as the skunk at the garden party for his outspoken advocacy of a smaller financial sector with greater capital reserve requirements, for proposing a tax on financial transactions, and, most audaciously, for questioning the efficiency of financial markets."
Nov 06, 2009	Editorial: Investors Beware - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Things turned Orwellian in the House Financial Services Committee this week when members — with the backing of the White House — passed an investor protection bill that would make it all too easy for thousands of publicly traded companies to cook their books."
Nov 06, 2009	Bill makes 'too-big-to-fail' bank names public - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "Controversial aspects of the legislation, such as the mechanism for funding a special insurance fund that would cover the cost of safely dismantling an insolvent too-big-to-fail bank so it does not damage the markets, was left until next week to be considered. Frank's Senate counterpart, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., is expected to introduce 'too-big-to-fail' legislation in his committee next week."
Nov 06, 2009	Securities firms hire derivatives pro to lobby - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Obama administration and congressional Democrats are pushing forward on legislation aimed at imposing a series of new regulations on what is a largely unregulated and opaque market."
Nov 06, 2009	No Financial Firm Should Be Too Big to Fail, Senators Say - Lorraine Woellert, Bloomberg Summary: "No large financial firm should be too big to fail, said two members of the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee."
Nov 06, 2009	Frank Aims To Finish Markup By Nov. 20 - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee today continued its markup of regulatory overhaul legislation, but it decided to hold off on debating the more contentious provisions until the week of Nov. 16."
Nov 06, 2009	Op-ed: Goodbye to Reforms of 2002 - Floyd Norris, New York Times Summary: "It took just five weeks after the WorldCom accounting scandal erupted in 2002 for Congress to pass, and President George W. Bush to sign, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. That law required public companies to make sure their internal controls against fraud were not full of holes."
Nov 06, 2009	Frank Vows to Curb Planned Fed Powers - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said he would make major changes in a systemic-risk reform bill before moving to a final vote in two weeks..."
Nov 06, 2009	Was it "Nobody Saw It Coming" or "Everybody Who Saw It Coming Was a Nobody"? - Richard Alford, Naked Capitalism Summary: "Numerous people, including well respected economists and officials saw the grounds for economic and financial crises being laid. Furthermore, these warnings were brought to the attention of US policymakers."
Nov 06, 2009	Dodd Charts Risky Course on Reg Reform - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "When Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd finally unveils his regulatory reform bill next week, the first gauge of pressure points in the Senate will emerge — and a flurry of deal-cutting will commence."
Nov 05, 2009	Treasury's Barr cool on piecemeal financial reform - Mark Felsenthal, Reuters Summary: "A senior Treasury Department official on Thursday urged Congress to pass a single comprehensive revamp of financial rules, and said he expects lawmakers to move forward shortly on strong bills."
Nov 05, 2009	Sen Dodd to build off Obama financial reform base - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Senator Christopher Dodd, chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, will introduce a financial regulation reform bill within days based on the Obama administration's mid-June proposal, with some key differences."
Nov 05, 2009	Bank Crackdown Draws Criticism - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Politicians are putting pressure on regulators to ease up on small community banks across the U.S., a move some say could increase the cost of cleaning up the financial crisis."
Nov 05, 2009	US Comptroller eyes wait on increased capital standards - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Regulators should wait to impose more stringent capital standards for banks until the economy improves, U.S. Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said on Thursday."
Nov 05, 2009	Op-ed: What's Lost, Gained If Giants Get Downsized - Heather Landy, American Banker Summary: In an article discussing the benefits and disadvantages of winding down large banks, Pew Financial Reform task for member, Charles Calomiris, indicates that the opportunity cost of downsizing large banks is too great and should not be done. The article reports, "As the politicians and regulators fret about how to handle big banks, it is worth asking whether we really even need them — big banks, that is."
Nov 05, 2009	Shelby Is Not On Board Dodd's Timeline For Overhaul - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd is planning to release his draft for revamping the financial regulatory system on Monday without the support of Banking ranking member Richard Shelby, who is complaining that Dodd is getting pressure from the White House and liberals to move ahead without a bipartisan consensus."
Nov 05, 2009	State Oversight of Some Hedge Funds Raises Flags - Kara Scannell, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Pending legislation aimed at tightening regulation of financial services would give state authorities significant clout in overseeing hedge funds, a move some regulators fear could undermine Congress's goal."
Nov 05, 2009	Clash Looms on Banks - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A key Senate lawmaker is readying legislation that would dramatically redraw how the financial system is regulated, setting the chamber on a collision course with both the House of Representatives and the Obama administration, which have championed markedly different approaches."
Nov 05, 2009	Op-ed: 'Too Big To Fail' Revisited - Nouriel Roubini, Forbes Summary: "The problem of banks being too big to fail is even bigger now than it was before the crisis: 'Why don't we go to a system where they're not too big to fail to begin with? The true solution to the too-big-to-fail problem requires more radical choices. In addition to an insolvency regime, such institutions should be broken up, and unsecured creditors of insolvent institutions should have their claim automatically converted into equity.' "
Nov 04, 2009	House Lawmaker Plans Measure to Break Up Large Firms - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "A U.S. House Democrat will propose letting the federal government break up large financial firms whose failure could threaten the economy by adding a provision to legislation that would end taxpayer-funded bailouts."
Nov 04, 2009	Global view key to US role on failing banks-official - Emily Chasan, Reuters Summary: "The proposed U.S. financial resolution authority, which would empower the government to deal with large, failing financial firms, must take care not to alter international competitive balance, a key U.S. Treasury Department official said on Wednesday."
Nov 04, 2009	Op-ed: Rep. Walt Minnick: We need financial reform, but we need to do it right - Rep. Walt Minnick, Member, House Financial Services Committee Summary: "Throughout my decades as an Idaho business leader, I always made sure I could look my associates in the eye and explain every decision."
Nov 04, 2009	House Panel OKs Small-Business Exemption on Accounting Rules - Fawn Johnson, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A bill expanding investor protection powers of the Securities and Exchange Commission cleared a key House panel Wednesday after members narrowly approved an exemption for small- and mid-size companies from audits required under the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate-reform law."
Nov 04, 2009	Rep. Frank Plans Two Key Changes to Derivatives Bill - Sarah N. Lynch, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) said Wednesday he may tighten his over-the-counter derivatives bill to prevent companies from finding clever ways to skirt the clearing and trading rules."
Nov 04, 2009	Bankers, Chamber At Odds On Oversight - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The banking lobby is splitting with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over a key battle to revamp the nation's financial regulatory structure, with the two sides differing over whether a council to monitor systemic risk throughout the financial markets should also oversee accounting rules."
Nov 04, 2009	Unresolved Issues Haunt Systemic Bill - Cheyenne Hopkins and Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "A House Financial Services Committee vote on a bill to create a systemic-risk regulator is likely to be a long, painful slog, given the myriad unresolved issues still outstanding."
Nov 04, 2009	U.K. Breakups Could Point to Big-Bank Dismantling in the U.S. - Heather Landy, American Banker Summary: "The push to dismantle big U.S. banks gathered fresh momentum Tuesday as the British government forced the breakup of two institutions as a condition of their continued support by taxpayers."
Nov 04, 2009	Obama in favour of bolder consolidation of regulators - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The Obama administration could support a bolder consolidation of bank regulators, an official said yesterday, as the US Senate prepared legislation to streamline financial supervision."
Nov 04, 2009	U.S. Rules Revamp Gains as Frank Sets Vote, Senate Bill Readied - Robert Schmidt and Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The Obama administration’s push for overhauling financial regulation gained ground as Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said the U.S. House will vote on legislation by December and a long-awaited Senate measure was readied."
Nov 04, 2009	Financial reform fight heats up House - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank is fighting off attacks from the right and left on his legislation. He’s priming for a House floor showdown with another Democratic chairman, Henry Waxman. And his timeline on overhauling Wall Street regulations has slipped again and again."
Nov 04, 2009	Obama admin praises early Senate financial bill - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee is poised to release a draft bill on financial regulatory reform that meets many of President Barack Obama's core goals, but it is unclear if it will gain any Republican support, an administration official said on Tuesday.
Nov 04, 2009	Small Business Gets Breaks in House Financial-Overhaul Bill - Kara Scannell and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Lawmakers are adding sweeping exemptions to financial-regulation legislation that would benefit small businesses, a move that is irking some consumer groups and liberal lawmakers who contend that could compromise the effectiveness of the overhaul."
Nov 04, 2009	House bill to go after any large financial firm - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "In a sharp rebuke of Wall Street after a string of hefty bailouts last year, House Democrats are considering legislation that would let the government break up even healthy firms if regulators think they've grown too big."
Nov 04, 2009	Dodd to go alone with draft for financial reform - David Cho and Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) plans to circulate a draft bill of sweeping financial reforms as soon as next week that breaks with the Obama administration and the House on two key issues, officials said."
Nov 04, 2009	Editorial: Protection for Investors - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "The Investor Protection Act of 2009, which faces final votes on Wednesday in the House Financial Services Committee, would make much-needed changes to protect individual investors from fraud and manipulation."
Nov 03, 2009	Frank: Big banks must pay systemic fee in advance - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Large banks should be required to pay fees in advance into a special insurance fund that would cover the cost of safely dismantling an insolvent too-big-to-fail bank, said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee."
Nov 03, 2009	Frank Says Measure Will Require Naming Risky Firms - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said he wants to make public the firms deemed to be systemically risky as part of legislation being considered to prevent taxpayer-funded bailouts."
Nov 03, 2009	Panel set to approve audit exemption for small businesses - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Legislation to permanently exempt smaller public corporations from outside audits of their internal controls over financial reporting, a requirement that dates from the post-Enron Sarbanes-Oxley Act, was set to be approved Tuesday by a congressional committee."
Nov 03, 2009	Chairwoman of FDIC raises concerns about new federal regulatory panel - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Sheila Bair has been a consistent critic of the Obama administration’s financial regulatory plans, and she is now urging lawmakers to limit the Treasury Department’s influence in a key part of the overhaul."
Nov 03, 2009	FDIC's Bair pushes for regulatory changes - David Twitty, Associated Press Summary: "The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Monday said Congress needs to provide regulators greater tools to control the risky financial behavior that helped trigger the recession and to unwind major firms on the verge of collapse."
Nov 03, 2009	Dodd's Power of Persuasion - Stacy Kaper and Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Senator Chris Dodd's concerted push to create a single banking regulator is driving a growing debate over whether consolidated supervision would threaten the dual banking system."
Nov 03, 2009	British plan breakup of bailed-out banks - Anthony Faiola, Washington Post Summary: "The British government is moving to break up parts of major financial institutions bailed out by taxpayers, with a restructuring plan expected to be unveiled as soon as Tuesday. The move highlights a growing divide across the Atlantic over how to deal with the massive banks partially nationalized during the height of the financial crisis."
Nov 03, 2009	Banks Find Consumer Protection Too Big to Fail With Congress - Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg Summary: "While [Assistant Treasury Secretary Michael] Barr asked the banks for their opinion of the consumer agency during meetings in March and April, their objections weren’t heeded, according to people familiar with the discussions. He also asked consumer groups and community organizations to weigh in, an unprecedented move when the government considers financial regulation, according to lobbyists."
Nov 02, 2009	Dem leaders, lobbyists still at odds on systemic risk regulator - Silla Brush and Kevin Bogardus, The Hill Summary: "The panel is slated to mark up legislation regulating 'systemic risk' that would create a new system for providing aid to failing financial firms. The Obama administration has strongly pushed for the new 'resolution authority' powers that would let the government take over the ailing firms, break them up and sell their assets."
Nov 02, 2009	Op-ed: A better answer - William A. Isaac, WebCPA Summary: "We do not need more concentration of regulatory power and more centralized decision-making; we need more checks and balances and stronger watchdogs. One of the most important reforms we could make is creating an independent Systemic Risk Council to monitor the financial, regulatory and accounting systems and report publicly on developing risks."
Nov 02, 2009	Don’t nibble around the edges of financial reform - James Lardner, The Hill Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee has taken up the question of the credit rating agencies. These are the quasi-regulatory bodies that gave Wall Street permission to pump trillions of dollars in toxic assets out into the arteries of global finance, with consequences familiar to us all."
Nov 02, 2009	Democrats stiff arm administration; they want big firms to pay before, not after, a failure - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "House Democrats are balking at an Obama administration plan that would put taxpayers on the hook for up to five years to dismantle any giant financial firm whose failure could repeat last year's Wall Street collapse."
Nov 02, 2009	Rough road ahead for financial reform in Senate - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachel Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Key U.S. senators are still deeply divided on basic financial regulation reforms, making it unlikely a bill expected soon from Senate Democrats could become law this year, analysts said on Monday."
Nov 02, 2009	U.S. Sen Shelby sets down financial reform markers - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The top Republican on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee wants a bipartisan deal on financial regulation reform, but sees numerous basic issues as still open to debate, an aide told Reuters on Monday."
Nov 02, 2009	Is Wall Street really so sorry? - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Wall Street keeps saying it’s sorry. It’s sorry for those bad bets on subprime mortgages. Sorry about the stock market crash. Sorry for needing those bailouts. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has admitted his industry 'made its share of mistakes.'"
Nov 02, 2009	Editorial: New bank agency bad idea - Deseret Morning News Editorial Board Summary: "The strength of America's banking industry lies in its ability to foster competition and innovation. That's the strength of the free market in general. It's also a strength that comes with inherent risks. Congress and the president have the preposterous notion they can remove risks and keep the economy strong."
Nov 02, 2009	Op-ed: Mortgage crisis shows why financial regulation is needed - Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "Why didn't Wall Street firms tell potential investors that the bonds they were selling them were rotten? Why did their business partners, including subprime mortgage lenders, ignore glaring evidence that borrowers weren't qualified and give loans to virtually anyone with a heartbeat? The answer is simple: Because they could."
Nov 02, 2009	Op-ed: Congress misses the point of reform - Clive Crook, Financial Times Summary: "Last week, a committee of the House of Representatives... released a draft bill. It has some good ideas, such as creating an early resolution regime for non-bank financial institutions. It has some crazy ideas, such as aiming to keep secret a list of institutions subject to special oversight. Above all, it has plenty of material to get Congress riled up – especially the proposals to enlarge the supervisory role of the Federal Reserve."
Nov 02, 2009	House panel to revisit reach, powers of new federal insurance office - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "House lawmakers this week will attempt to alter legislation creating a new federal insurance office after lobbying interests clashed over its proposed powers."
Nov 02, 2009	Op-ed: Systemic risk bill would boost federal oversight powers - Mark A. Hofmann, Business Insurance Summary: "Ironically, it was the financial products unit of the holding company controlling the nation's largest commercial property/casualty insurer, American International Group Inc., that led to a record bailout of AIG and helped bring about calls for systemic risk regulation of financial institutions."
Nov 01, 2009	Editorial: Moral hazards, No one has a sure fix for the 'too big to fail' dilemma - Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "The problem of 'too big to fail' is at the heart of the current crisis, in a double sense. Despite government disavowals, the perception that the feds would bail out the likes of Bear Stearns or Fannie Mae permitted such firms to pile on risk without corresponding discipline from the market, thus hastening the ultimate collapse. And, once the downward spiral began, the Federal Reserve and Treasury, armed with uncertain legal authority, faced a series of ad hoc choices as to which institutions to bail out and how."
Nov 01, 2009	US Senate to introduce draft financial bill - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The US Senate is close to producing draft legislation on financial regulation – but in a form that complicates the Obama administration’s own plan for dealing with future crises and that may end the chances of a bipartisan law passing this year."
Oct 31, 2009	As change threatens, small banks wield powerful lobby - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Hundreds of small-town bankers had converged on Washington for their annual conference five months ago when Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, addressing them in the chandeliered ballroom of the Grand Hyatt, gave notice that the financial industry was about to change."
Oct 31, 2009	Financial bill under attach over loopholes - Michael Kranish and Alan Wirzbicki, Boston Globe Summary: "As Representative Barney Frank nears his goal of pushing a massive financial regulation package through the House Financial Services Committee, parts of the legislation are coming under blistering assault from consumer groups as well as key Democrats, who say it contains loopholes that could set the stage for another financial meltdown."
Oct 31, 2009	Editorial: Minnick takes the lead — on the wrong side of reform - Idaho Stateman Editorial Board Summary: "You would think this crisis would persuade Congress to look beyond the convenient big-government-vs.-small-government prism. Their failure to do so is disappointing."
Oct 31, 2009	Op-ed: Opposition Splitting on Finance Overhaul - Brody Mullins, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Opposition to congressional proposals to tighten regulation of the financial-services industry is starting to fracture, as interest groups make their own deals to avoid the new rules."
Oct 31, 2009	Frank Splits With Obama on Fund, May Face Fight With Some Firms - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Barney Frank, chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, reversed course on paying to unwind failed financial firms, splitting with the White House and setting up a possible fight with the biggest companies."
Oct 31, 2009	Another Misstep on the Road to Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Draft legislation to regulate too-big-to-fail financial firms hit a wall of well-deserved dissent at a hearing on Thursday in the House Financial Services Committee."
Oct 31, 2009	New tack on fund to dissolve failed firms - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, indicated Friday his willingness to change gears and support a provision that would require financial companies to pay ahead of time into a fund that the government could use to wind down large, troubled financial firms."
Oct 31, 2009	Both sides scrutinize bailout-deterrent bill - Sean Lengell, Washington Times Summary: "Lawmakers from both parties are concerned that an Obama administration-backed bill intended to deter future taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailouts would have the opposite effect and give the White House too much power over the nation's financial sector."
Oct 30, 2009	Dodd and Shelby still haggling - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The fate of financial reform has always hinged on whether Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd and Republican Richard Shelby could cut a deal."
Oct 30, 2009	Retail brokers fear new law could bring sea change - Joe Rauch, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. House Financial Services Committee is discussing a bill aimed at holding brokers and advisers to a single standard of fiduciary responsibility to clients, amid a public and political backlash at an industry seen as preying upon investors."
Oct 30, 2009	Fed’s Regional Chiefs ‘Fight’ for Monetary Policy Independence - Scott Lanman Summary: "Federal Reserve regional bank presidents are trying to ward off congressional efforts to weaken their clout, saying the moves may jeopardize monetary policy independence."
Oct 30, 2009	Financial plan questioned - Jim Kuhnhenn and Anne Flaherty, The Associated Press Summary: "An Obama administration plan to dissolve large, struggling financial firms rather than bail them out is encountering Republican resistance, Democratic doubts and only qualified support from regulators."
Oct 30, 2009	Op-ed: First Step: Prevent Crisis - Steven Syre, Boston Globe Summary: "[US House Financial Services Committee Chairman Frank's] committee recently took small steps in the right direction by advancing bills that would impose some regulation on financial derivatives, tighten restrictions on credit rating agencies, require the registration of hedge funds, and create a financial consumer protection agency. Some measures, such as the one regulating derivatives, are far from perfect but at least a start."
Oct 30, 2009	Op-ed: End taxpayer-funded bailouts - Jeb Hensarling, USAToday Summary: "As any good doctor will tell you, if you get the diagnosis wrong, you get the remedy wrong. The proposal from the Obama administration and Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank to deal with systemic risk in our economy certainly confirms the wisdom of that statement."
Oct 30, 2009	Op-ed: The Great Depression And The Great Recession - Bruce Barlett, Forbes Summary: "By fingering the Fed's mistakes as the root cause of the Great Depression, Friedman rescued capitalism from blame. Today, I think most economists accept this explanation, although they differ on the appropriate response to the decline in the money supply."
Oct 30, 2009	Geithner Leads a Fresh Charge on Financial Reform - Massimo Calabresi, Time magazine Summary: "On Wednesday, Geithner and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel met with House Democrats on the Financial Services Committee, pushing them to accept the deal Geithner had negotiated with committee chairman Barney Frank, which includes new powers for regulators and the Federal Reserve to limit risk among the nation's biggest financial institutions, and to dissolve those institutions in an orderly way if they fail."
Oct 30, 2009	Rating firms should suffer fines, clawbacks -study - Walden Siew, Reuters Summary: "Current rating practices are fraught with conflicts of interest that often put pension funds and investors at risk, according to professors Joseph Mason and Charles Calomiris, authors of the report."
Oct 30, 2009	Frank Won't Consider Fed Structure Overhaul This Year - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank said Thursday he would take up an overhaul of the Federal Reserve's structure next year instead of moving changes within legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system."
Oct 30, 2009	Geithner: Proposal to dismantle big firms won't lead to bailouts - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday that giving the government the power to dismantle mammoth financial firms like Lehman Brothers will prevent future bailouts."
Oct 30, 2009	Doubts greet Obama's financial oversight plan - Brady Dennis and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration on Thursday ran into skepticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as a key regulator, as it pushed for broad new powers to monitor risks throughout the financial system and to wind down large, troubled financial firms whose failure could endanger the economy."
Oct 30, 2009	F.D.I.C. Chief Criticizes Reform Plan - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "Senior regulators and some lawmakers clashed once again with the Obama administration on Thursday, finding fault with central elements of the White House’s latest plan to unwind large financial companies when their troubles imperil the financial system."
Oct 29, 2009	Why Do Financial Crises Happen in the Fall? - Catherine Rampell, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "The 80th anniversary of the Wall Street crash of 1929 is now upon us. But this time of year brings the anniversary of a few other infamous financial panics, too: 2008 (September and October, roughly), 1987 (Black Monday, Oct. 19), 1907 (began in October) and 1873 (began in September). Autumn seems to beget a disproportionate share of American financial crises. But why?
Oct 29, 2009	Column: Three Theories on Solving the 'Too Big to Fail' Problem - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The biggest financial crisis in 70 years has bequeathed a to-do list of overwhelming length for bankers, regulators and politicians. Somewhere near the top is the 'too big to fail' (TBTF)problem: The existence of financial institutions so large, so interconnected, so leveraged or so complex that the government dare not let them fail for fear of endangering the whole economy."
Oct 29, 2009	Bernanke on Banking - Peter Boone and Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix blog Summary: "Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, has stayed carefully on the sidelines while a major argument has broken out among and around senior policy-making circles: Should our biggest banks be broken up, or can they be safely re-regulated into permanently good behavior?"
Oct 29, 2009	Geithner Endorses Frank’s Bill for Tougher Financial Oversight - Rebecca Christie, Bloomberg Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said congressional proposals for overseeing big financial firms would give the U.S. government 'constrained power' to protect the financial system without putting taxpayers at undue risk."
Oct 29, 2009	Op-ed: A Financial Super-Regulator - Jagadeesh Gokhale, Forbes Summary: "In light of the recent asset price implosions and failures of large investment banks, should the Fed try to pre-emptively prick asset price bubbles? Furthermore, should the Fed be vested with the responsibility of regulating all financial institutions? Short answer: 'no' and 'no.'"
Oct 29, 2009	Reform Spotlight Takes Systemic Shift - Steven Sloan and Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "For all the invective directed at the Federal Reserve Board over the financial crisis, the central bank still emerged as the big winner under draft legislation to rein in systemic risk."
Oct 29, 2009	Obama seeks new powers to dismantle nonbank firms - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "The Obama administration is pressing Congress for the power to dismantle other nonbank firms considered so large and influential that they could bring down the entire economy."
Oct 29, 2009	SEC search for ways to peer into fast trades - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "At a congressional hearing to examine high-frequency trading and other market developments such as so-called 'naked access' and 'dark pools,' the Securities and Exchange Commission said it seeking ways to secure better information about the fast traders."
Oct 29, 2009	Reps. Frank, Waxman square off over new consumer agency - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman and Barney Frank, powerful committee chairmen, are clashing over a bill that creates a consumer financial protection agency."
Oct 29, 2009	FTC's Powers Would Grow Under Financial Overhaul - Brody Mullins and John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Trade Commission would get new powers to oversee and punish companies that run afoul of its rules as part of a financial-services oversight bill currently before Congress, a further step in the Obama administration's beefing up of the U.S. regulatory machinery."
Oct 28, 2009	Op-ed: How to avoid a repeat of the Great Crash - Peter Clarke, Financial Times Summary: "Ben Bernanke...as chairman of the Fed, his record already deserves more plaudits than those prematurely heaped upon his predecessor. How lucky for us that a Great Depression buff was running the Fed when a second Great Crash came along!"
Oct 28, 2009	Dimon sees need for systemic regulator - Greg Morcroft, MarketWatch Summary: "The government needs to construct a reliable, systematic regulator to dismantle large financial institutions that are failing and subsequently threaten the global economy, J.P. Morgan Chase chief Jamie Dimon said Tuesday, but he rejected the idea that any institution be deemed 'too big to fail.' "
Oct 28, 2009	Op-ed: Obama's executive pay move is bad policy - Charles Calomiris, Financial Times Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force member, Charles Calomiris, questions the Obama administration's approach to executive compensation in an op-ed appearing in the Financial Times.
Oct 28, 2009	Regulators Debate Pros, Cons Of 'Too Big To Fail' - John Ydstie, NPR Summary: In a radio interviewed aired on NPR morning edition, Pew Financial Reform Task Force member Charles Calomiris and Simon Johnson respond to questions about "too big to fail" regulation.
Oct 28, 2009	US Sen Shelby: Won't Support New Consumer Financial Regulator - Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee said Tuesday he would not support any overhaul of the financial regulatory landscape that includes the creation of a stand-alone agency mandated to protect consumers."
Oct 28, 2009	Familiar Flavor To Financial Reform Bill - Brian Wingfield and Joshua Zumbrun, Forbes magazine Summary: "More than a year after the U.S. government began bailing out the nation's biggest financial firms, a key congressional committee has unveiled a bill to prevent companies from becoming too big to fail."
Oct 28, 2009	Fiddling Over Reform - Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes magazine Summary: "Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, suggested last week that separating core aspects of banking from riskier activities could reduce the chance that a bank failure could put the whole financial system at risk. He also said that banks should not be allowed to become 'too important to fail,' a view held by many--even those who don't think a modern Glass-Steagall is the answer."
Oct 28, 2009	Op-ed: Efficient Market Theory and the Crisis - Jeremy J. Siegel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Is the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) really responsible for the current crisis? The answer is no. The EMH...states that the prices of securities reflect all known information that impacts their value. The hypothesis does not claim that the market price is always right. On the contrary, it implies that the prices in the market are mostly wrong, but at any given moment it is not at all easy to say whether they are too high or too low. The fact that the best and brightest on Wall Street made so many mistakes shows how hard it is to beat the market."
Oct 28, 2009	Bill Seeks to Shift Rescue Costs to Big Banks - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "The Obama administration and the head of an important House committee unveiled legislation on Tuesday to give the government broad new powers to shift the cost of rescues of big, troubled financial institutions from taxpayers to other large companies."
Oct 28, 2009	Obama financial reforms advance in Congress - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration made gains on Tuesday in its push for U.S. financial reform, unveiling a landmark bill to tackle systemic risk in the economy and winning congressional committee approval for a measure to expose hedge funds to more government scrutiny."
Oct 28, 2009	Deal Reached on Bank Crackdown - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A proposal circulated Tuesday by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) would give the government multiple tools to crack down on companies that could pose a threat to the broader economy, part of an effort by the administration to prevent financial firms from becoming too big to fail."
Oct 27, 2009	Dem bill urges new powers over financial firms - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. government would gain far-reaching new powers to regulate, and even shut down, large financial firms that threaten economic stability under a draft bill released in Congress on Tuesday."
Oct 27, 2009	Congressional panel backs new rules for hedge funds - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee voted 67-1 to require advisers to hedge funds, private equity and offshore funds to register with regulators to bring more transparency to a segment of the financial world that is only loosely policed."
Oct 27, 2009	Assessing the House's financial-legislation agenda - Joseph N. DiStefano, Philadelphia Inquirer Summary: "As Barney Frank, the Massachusetts congressman and chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, pushes President Obama's consumer and derivatives bills, Frank's lieutenant, Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D., Pa.), is wrestling the rest of the financial agenda toward the House floor."
Oct 27, 2009	AFL-CIO president calls for new financial regulations - Jordan Fabian Summary: "AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Tuesday called for the creation of a new agency to specifically address systemic risk in the nation's financial system."
Oct 27, 2009	Op-ed: We must overturn the status quo in derivatives - Kenneth Griffin, Financial Times Summary: "Following the collapse of Long Term Capital Management more than 10 years ago, a government report called for derivatives market reform. The report, issued by the President’s Working Group in April 1999, noted that “market history indicates that even painful lessons recede from memory with time”. Sure enough, once the LTCM headlines disappeared, the impetus for reform vanished."
Oct 27, 2009	Panel Nears Approval Of Hedge Fund Bill - Bill Swindell and Andy Leonatti, National Journal Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee moved closer today to approving legislation to require private pools of capital to register with the SEC, fighting off most attempts to increase exemptions under the measure."
Oct 27, 2009	Hedge and private funds to register, open up books to SEC - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Managers of hedge funds and private-equity funds would be required to shed some light on their investments by registering with and opening their books to the Securities and Exchange Commission under legislation expected to clear a powerful congressional committee. "
Oct 27, 2009	New Cop on Bank Beat? Not the Fed, Try Treasury - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Under various proposals being weighed in Congress, the Treasury could end up overseeing systemic risk, deciding when the government exercises unprecedented resolution powers over giant companies and gaining veto power over what is now the Fed's free hand to aid failing firms."
Oct 27, 2009	Lawmakers said to be scaling back financial overhaul - Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "The chairman of a key congressional panel yesterday scaled back important parts of the Obama administration's plan to dismantle financial institutions that are deemed 'too big to fail.' "
Oct 27, 2009	Finance Talks Hit Thorny Issues - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) could release early this week draft legislation -- comprising several complementary bills -- with potentially broad implications over financial regulations, congressional aides said."
Oct 27, 2009	Bill in works to let U.S. dissolve failing firms - David Cho, Brady Dennis and Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "House Democrats and the Obama administration are preparing to introduce major legislation aimed at eliminating the devil's choice the government faced last fall, when officials felt forced to decide between spending billions of dollars to rescue some of the nation's most powerful financial firms or letting their failures sink the economy."
Oct 26, 2009	Financial Reform: The Legislative Logjam - Liz Moyer, Forbes Summary: "Despite a year of high-minded rhetoric, President Obama has actually changed almost nothing--aside from cutting a few bankers' pay--about America's financial system. For better or worse, Congress again takes up the issue this week. But don't expect much to happen until the Democrats charged with moving the ball synchronize their efforts to craft new legislation."
Oct 26, 2009	US regulator sees big reform ahead, cautions bankers - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "U.S. bankers need to prepare for sweeping financial regulation changes that are gaining momentum in Congress, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said on Monday."
Oct 26, 2009	Bernanke Says Financial Firms Should Pay for Closings - Craig Torres and Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke called on Congress to ensure that the costs of closing down large financial institutions are borne by the industry instead of taxpayers."
Oct 26, 2009	Bernanke's trillion-dollar decision - Eamon Javers, Politico Summary: "The biggest decision of the economic recovery will be made in the next six months, and Barack Obama will have almost nothing to do with it. Forget the debate over TARP, and never mind the questions about a second stimulus. This decision is about when to pull out $1 trillion that’s propping up the U.S. banking system. And it will be Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his Fed colleagues who make the call.
Oct 26, 2009	Op-ed: Too Big to Manage? - Julian Birkinshaw and Suzanne Heywood, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Too big to fail. That became the mantra during the recent economic crisis. As markets and public confidence plunged, political and financial leaders agreed to pump billions of taxpayer dollars into major financial institutions, insurance and auto companies, keeping them on life support until someone could figure out how to save them for the long term."
Oct 26, 2009	U.S. Considers Reining in "Too Big to Fail" Institutions - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "Congress and the Obama administration are about to take up one of the most fundamental issues stemming from the near collapse of the financial system last year — how to deal with institutions that are so big that the government has no choice but to rescue them when they get in trouble."
Oct 25, 2009	How much oversight is too much, or not enough? - Angela Carter, New Haven Register Summary: "Now that the Great Recession and the financial sector meltdown have stripped American consumers and corporations of trillions of dollars in wealth, a battle ensues over the next wave of regulatory shifts."
Oct 25, 2009	Op-ed: Do not ignore the need for financial reform - George Soros, Financial Times Summary: "I contend that financial markets always present a distorted picture of reality. Moreover, the mispricing of financial assets can affect the so-called fundamentals that the price of those assets is supposed to reflect. That is the principle of reflexivity."
Oct 25, 2009	Op-ed: Six Steps to revitalize the Financial System - Sanford I. Weill and Judah S. Kraushaar, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The debate over financial services reform has meandered for weeks without a clear sense of urgency. It would be a huge opportunity lost if our political, regulatory and business leaders cannot craft a credible new regulatory foundation for one of America's pre-eminent industries. It's time to set politics and regulatory infighting aside and establish the new rules of the road for this critically important business."
Oct 24, 2009	Op-ed: Less Talk, More Action Needed by Fed - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In a speech Friday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke gave new emphasis to the idea of charging the financial industry for the costs of any bailout....He gave no details and was skeptical about either capping a bank's size or forcing a split between commercial and investment banks. Both ideas have recently gained support from prominent banking figures."
Oct 24, 2009	Consumer agency, weaker than Obama sought, faces even tougher slog ahead - Jim Kuhnhenn Summary: "Legislation to establish President Barack Obama's proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency cleared a key hurdle this week. But it's already been watered down from what Obama proposed and will likely become even weaker when it comes up against higher hurdles on the House floor and in the Senate. It may even die along the way."
Oct 24, 2009	Some Lessons from the Regulated Non-Financial - Peter Fox-Penner, Baseline Scenario blog Summary: "Improving the regulation of the financial sector is a prime topic of conversation amongst financial economists, and appropriately so. Most agree that massive failures of financial regulation were one, if not perhaps the largest, cause of the 2008 meltdown."
Oct 24, 2009	Editorial: The State of Financial Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Bankers’ compensation must be structured in a way that makes them think twice before they place bets that could lead their institutions (and the rest of us) over the cliff again. Their guidelines unveiled last week are a good start. But we fear they may still give banks too much leeway."
Oct 23, 2009	Editorial: On financial reform, listen to Paul Volcker - Dallas Morning News Editorial Board Summary: "The only financial player in Washington who publicly agrees with King is Paul Volcker, the former Fed chairman advising President Barack Obama, though Volcker's successor at the Fed, Alan Greenspan, recently startled observers by waxing favorably about busting up the banks. Reports, however, indicate that Volcker is mostly ignored within the Obama administration, where financial policy is largely guided by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and senior economic adviser Larry Summers, both highly sympathetic to Wall Street."
Oct 23, 2009	U.S. House panel to hear Geithner on reforms-aide - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other regulators will testify next Thursday before a House of Representatives committee on systemic risk and other financial reform issues, said a House aide. Geithner will be joined by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Chairman Sheila Bair, Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan and Federal Reserve Governor Daniel Tarullo at a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee, the aide said.
Oct 23, 2009	Kohn Warns Against Rushing Reform - Michael S. Derby, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn argued Friday against rushing the pace of financial regulatory reform."
Oct 23, 2009	Bernanke Calls for Action on Reform - Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com Summary: "Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday that the turmoil in the financial system is 'abating,' but urged lawmakers to enact comprehensive reforms to help prevent future crises."
Oct 23, 2009	Frank: No reasonable chance of consolidated bank regulator - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Financial Services Committee on Thursday approved the creation of a controversial Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which will write rules and enforce complaints related to mortgage and credit card products."
Oct 23, 2009	New US bill on "too big to fail" fix seen Monday - Reuters Summary: "The administration plans to send Congress on Monday new draft legislation that would give the government authority to dismantle large financial companies that get into crises, U.S. Representative Barney Frank said on Friday."
Oct 23, 2009	Crisis shows need for strong regulation: Blinder - Rolfe Winker, Reuters Summary: According to Pew Financial Reform member Alan Blinder, the free market, non-regulation concept has now been proven weak by the recent financial crisis. He says, "Regulation of financial businesses is readily justified by the needs to protect consumers from being duped, to protect taxpayers from shouldering large bills, and to protect citizens from the dangers of financial and macroeconomic instability."
Oct 23, 2009	Wall Street Steps Up Political Donations, Lobbying - Brody Mullins and TW Farnam, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp., Morgan Stanley and other large financial-services firms stepped up their political donations in September to members of Congress, for many the first time this year they have joined the fray."
Oct 23, 2009	House panel backs new protections for consumers - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "A key congressional panel voted Thursday to create a federal agency aimed at protecting Americans from the predatory lending practices and other abuses that hastened the financial crisis."
Oct 23, 2009	Op-ed: Preventing the Next Financial Crisis - Allan H. Meltzer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The United States is headed toward a new financial crisis. History gives many examples of countries with high actual and expected money growth, unsustainable budget deficits, and a currency expected to depreciate. Unless these countries made massive policy changes, they ended in crisis. We will escape only if we act forcefully and soon."
Oct 23, 2009	Judiciary Members Skeptical Of Resolution Authority Plan - Juliana Gruenwald, National Journal Summary: "House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and other members of his panel voiced strong reservations Thursday about the Obama administration's proposal to create a new process to restructure, sell or liquidate troubled institutions seen as 'too big to fail.'"
Oct 23, 2009	Dan Tarullo Gets New Talking Points - Simon Johnson, The Baseline Scenario Blog Summary: On Wednesday, Dan Tarullo, a governor of the Federal Reserve and distinguished law school professor, dismissed breaking up big banks as "more a provocative idea than a proposal" and instead put almost all his eggs in the "creation by Congress of a special resolution procedure for systemically important financial firms".
Oct 23, 2009	Op-ed: Everyman’s Financial Meltdown - Ron Chernow, New York Times Summary: "FOR connoisseurs of financial mayhem, the stock market crash of October 1929, which started 80 years ago this week, still holds pride of place. Like a tautly directed drama, it unfolded with graphic horror at the corner of Broad and Wall Streets, captured in grainy black-and-white newsreels."
Oct 22, 2009	Banks blasted by Congress, regulators in U.S., UK - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. House of Representatives committee voted in favor of setting up a new financial consumer watchdog agency, a key Obama administration financial reform initiative."
Oct 22, 2009	Treasury official seeks bankruptcy alternative for big banks - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Congress must allow bank regulators to swiftly replace the board and management of an insolvent megabank as part of an effort to limit collateral damage to markets of a Lehman-style collapse, a Treasury official said Thursday."
Oct 22, 2009	GOP Sen. Shelby: Reorganize the Fed - Ryan Grim, Huffington Post blog Summary: "The directors of the Federal Reserve regional banks are selected by the very banks that the Fed is supposed to regulate. It's a bizarre entanglement of interests that helps explain the poor state of regulatory affairs on Wall Street."
Oct 22, 2009	The pyramid principle - The Economist Summary: "JUDGED by their giant compensation bills, Wall Street’s banks are in fine fettle. But pay is one of the few numbers in their accounts it is easy to make sense of. The investment banks may be booming but they remain black boxes. Both Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which reported a third-quarter profit of $498m on Wednesday October 21st, continue to take high levels of trading risk."
Oct 22, 2009	Consumer Agency Passes Key Hurdle in House - Michael R. Crittenden and Jessica Holzer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A House panel voted Thursday in favor of a new consumer financial protection agency, giving the Obama administration an early boost in its effort to overhaul regulation of the financial-services industry."
Oct 22, 2009	Compromise Bill Could Block States on Bank Rules - Stephen Labaton and Daivd Stout, New York Times Summary: "Reaching a compromise on an issue that threatened to derail financial regulatory legislation, the House Financial Services Committee voted on Wednesday to give the federal government the power to block the states from regulating large national banks in some circumstances."
Oct 22, 2009	In Banking, Bigger is Not Better - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: In response to the op-ed by Charles Calomiris, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, discussing the risks associated with breaking up "too big to fail" large institutions, Simon Johnson states, "Competition between banks is good. On this Professor Calomiris and I agree. We differ with regard to whether allowing large quasi-monopoly banks to dominate the landscape (e.g., Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase today) is helpful to competition in any sense."
Oct 22, 2009	Op-ed: Scope remains to circumvent derivatives bill - Robert Engle, Financial Times Summary: "The House financial services committee approved a bill...[that] goes far in reducing counterparty risk in the OTC derivatives market and the systemic costs of bankruptcy of a large sector participant."
Oct 22, 2009	Peterson Panel A Bit Tougher Than Frank's On Derivatives - Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "The House Agriculture Committee by unanimous voice vote Wednesday passed an over-the-counter derivatives regulation bill that is slightly tougher than one approved by the House Financial Services Committee last week but does not contain a provision requiring all derivatives contracts involving big banks to go through clearinghouses."
Oct 22, 2009	Consumer protection hurdles remain - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank is on track to deliver the White House a key victory on financial reform Thursday with a committee vote to create an independent consumer watchdog agency."
Oct 22, 2009	House Panel To Vote On Controversial New Consumer Protection Agency - Kris Alingod - All Headlines News Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee is expected to vote on Thursday on legislation creating a new agency to protect consumers of financial products. A compromise was approved on Wednesday to allow states to enforce their own banking laws, with the caveat that there would be federal preemption if these regulations interfere how banks operate."
Oct 22, 2009	Congress moves to expand financial oversight - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Congress wants another government regulator to cut through the red tape and protect your pocketbook. But there's plenty of fine print that will limit the new agency's reach."
Oct 21, 2009	Op-ed: Goldman should be allowed to fail - John Gapper, Financial Times Summary: "So, if Goldman Sachs took on more risk when its equity was held by outsiders than with its partners’ own money, what can we expect now that the government implicitly accepts that it is 'too big to fail'? Goldman has an even bigger incentive to risk other people’s money."
Oct 21, 2009	Czar to substantially cut pay: Summers - Caren Bohan and Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "[Top White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers] said he was still hopeful that legislation to broadly rewrite U.S. financial regulations would pass by the end of the year."
Oct 21, 2009	With Dodd as wild card, bankers choose to be safe - Bill Connell, Dealscape blog Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd's re-election vulnerability back home in Connecticut is proving to be a wild card in the financial reform debate."
Oct 21, 2009	Regulating Venture Capital: OK For Now, "Far From Finish Line" - Spencer Ante, Business Week's Tech Beat blog Summary: "Earlier this year, Silicon Valley freaked out when U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress that large venture capital firms should be declared as systemic risks and put under tight restrictions as part of the broader re-regulation of financial firms."
Oct 21, 2009	Consumer Watchdog nears U.S. House panel approval - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. congressional committee is likely on Wednesday to endorse the creation of a financial watchdog agency to protect consumers, with large banks likely to feel its bite worst."
Oct 21, 2009	Volcker Fails to Sell a Bank Strategy - Louis Uchitelle, New York Times Summary: Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve Chair, "wants the nation’s banks to be prohibited from owning and trading risky securities, the very practice that got the biggest ones into deep trouble in 2008. And the administration is saying no, it will not separate commercial banking from investment operations."
Oct 21, 2009	Gensler: Bill Should Oversee Hedge Funds - Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler today called for scrutiny of hedge funds that would go beyond language in a bill recently approved by the House Financial Services Committee."
Oct 21, 2009	Op-ed: A crisis in search of a narrative - Daniel Yergin, Financial Times Summary: "Now that capitalism’s worst crisis since the 1930s is ebbing away, what about capitalism itself? Three decades ago the world began moving towards markets and an increasingly open world economy. Is that over?"
Oct 21, 2009	No Deal Visible as Preemption Debate Begins - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Lawmakers launched a much-anticipated debate Tuesday over how much leeway national banks and federal thrifts should have to preempt state consumer protection standards, but no resolution appeared in sight."
Oct 21, 2009	Finance panel at odds over preemption - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "Members of the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday continued to wrangle over a provision that would allow state governments to protect bank customers by imposing restrictions that go beyond existing federal laws."
Oct 21, 2009	Op-ed: Who's Afraid of the free market - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post Summary: "As everybody knows, the two biggest battles on Capitol Hill -- reforming health care and regulating Wall Street -- have unleashed massive campaigns from the enemies of free markets. The Obama administration and congressional liberals, right? Guess again."
Oct 20, 2009	Geithner: Toughen "Too big to fail" fix - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration is planning to send lawmakers a fresh, tougher proposal that would give the government more tools to wind down troubled financial firms and reduce the idea of 'too big to fail,' U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday."
Oct 20, 2009	Obama digs at Wall Street while in NYC - Carol E. Lee, Politico Summary: "President Barack Obama swept into Manhattan Tuesday evening where he was set to appear at a trio of high-brow fundraisers and rake in as much as $3 million for the Democratic Party in a matter of a few hours."
Oct 20, 2009	Bill to tighten rules on ratings agencies has big loopholes - Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "A key House of Representatives committee is set to vote soon on legislation that would overhaul financial regulation and produce greater transparency for investors, but as it's now written it fails to address many of the credit-rating agency missteps that helped fuel the global financial crisis."
Oct 20, 2009	Frank gets moderates to relent - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: Politico writes today that "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has persuaded a bloc of moderates to withdraw an amendment that would have watered down a consumer protection agency bill and shield banks from tougher state laws." In other news, the House Committee has decided to delay until next week consideration of financial regulatory legislation on hedge-fund registration, credit-rating agencies, a national office of insurance information and investor protections." The same article also had a quote from Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) of the Senate Banking Committee, who during a hearing on Tuesday with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said that, "You have, in my opinion, very little chance of getting this consumer protection agency past this committee."
Oct 20, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Charles Calomiris Op-ed in the Wall Street Journal - Charles Calomiris, Wall Street Journal Summary: Charles Calomiris, member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, wrote an op-ed, "In the World of Banks, Bigger Can Be Better," which appeared in today's The Wall Street Journal. In it, he argues that limiting the size of large, multinational banks, in order to combat the too-big-to-fail problem is misguided: "There are sizable gains from retaining large, complex, global financial institutions-and other ways to credibly protect taxpayers from the cost of government bailouts.
Oct 20, 2009	U.S. Congress waters down credit agency bill - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachel Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. House draft bill to rein in credit rating agencies has been watered down and will no longer include a measure to remove references to the ratings in federal laws, according to documents obtained by Reuters on Tuesday."
Oct 20, 2009	Activists hit compromises on U.S. financial reform - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The watering down of U.S. financial regulation reform in Congress drew questions on Tuesday from consumer advocates wondering what will be left of the Obama administration's plan once lawmakers are done."
Oct 20, 2009	Consumer Agency Won't Pass Banking Panel, Bunning Says - Jessica Holzer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A U.S. Republican senator predicted an Obama proposal to create a new agency to protect consumers wouldn't pass the Senate Banking Committee."
Oct 20, 2009	Democratic tweaks to federal consumer agency fail to calm banks, credit unions - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "House Democrats are attempting to tweak the proposed new federal regulatory agency over consumer financial products, but their efforts have yet to assuage lobbyists’ concerns."
Oct 20, 2009	Consumer Groups Face Fire On CFPA - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Consumer groups could suffer another setback today on legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, not at the hands of New Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee but by someone more liberal."
Oct 20, 2009	Next: Who Will Resolve the 'Too Big' Banks - Joe Adler, American Banker Summary: "After Congress wraps up debate on creating a federal agency to police consumer financial products, lawmakers will focus on what to do when systemically risky firms falter."
Oct 19, 2009	Op-ed: Fed should focus on macro, not micro - Martin Baily, Politico Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair Martin Baily discusses the focus the federal government should take by saying, "The current financial regulatory landscape is littered with a veritable New Deal-like lexicon of regulatory agencies, which is ironic given that their collective failure has landed us in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression."
Oct 19, 2009	Banking reform should focus on 'what' not just 'who' - Michael Collins, Knoxville News Sentinel Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker agrees there are too many regulatory agencies watching over the nation's banks, but he's not sure a single regulator is the answer."
Oct 19, 2009	Obama Administration Pushes Back at Bank Lobbying on Regulation - Michael A. Fletcher and Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "Top Obama administration officials sharply criticized Wall Street firms planning to pay big bonuses, pointedly contrasting the soaring profits some financial companies have recorded in recent days with continuing high jobless rates across the country."
Oct 19, 2009	Big financial firms losing power on Capitol Hill - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "Large banks are on the verge of losing a key legislative battle over the shape of financial reform, an unusual setback that reflects the continued political backlash over their role in creating the financial crisis."
Oct 19, 2009	Senator Grassley opposes new Fed powers - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Charles Grassley, the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, said the Federal Reserve should focus on monetary policy and should not necessarily get new powers to police risk across the financial system."
Oct 19, 2009	Senator Carl Levin sees financial reform in 2009 - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Senator Carl Levin said the Senate has strong momentum to complete the broad reform, which is expected to include the creation of a new consumer protection agency, increased regulation of derivatives and empowering regulators to police risks to the financial system."
Oct 19, 2009	Blue Dogs quiet on financial overhaul - Jared Allen and Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Blue Dog Democrats have been largely silent on financial regulatory reform as House leaders advance one of President Barack Obama’s highest priorities."
Oct 19, 2009	TBTF: What Should Be Done About Bank Size? - National Journal Economy Blog Summary: In discussing 'whether the Obama plan for financial regulation goes far enough to curb institutions that become "too big to fail," ' Pew Financial Reform Task Force members Charles Calomiris and Robert Litan explain the difficulty and risks involved in dividing up large banks.
Oct 19, 2009	Dodd, Shelby lead way on unified finance reform - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "[Financial reform] is a process that is notably different from the partisan path of health care reform. It’s also distinct in that the White House has led, rather than lagged behind, the legislative writing process. Rep. Barney Frank, Dodd and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, for instance, put their heads together from time to time, as they did Sept. 22 in Dodd’s Senate hideaway office."
Oct 19, 2009	Summers Tells Finance Executives to Stop Fighting Tougher Rules - Alison Fitzgerald and Gadi Dechter, Bloomberg Summary: "White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers told leaders of top financial companies last month the Obama administration 'will not be lectured' by opponents of a proposed consumer-protection agency."
Oct 19, 2009	Agencies Seek Changes to Derivatives Bill - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "Regulators charged with overseeing derivatives markets said Friday that they would need Congress to grant them powers beyond those they stand to gain through a derivatives bill that the House Financial Services Committee passed earlier last week."
Oct 18, 2009	Op-ed: The Banks Are Not Alright - Paul Krugman, New York Times Summary: "Administration officials are furious at the way the financial industry, just months after receiving a gigantic taxpayer bailout, is lobbying fiercely against serious reform. But you have to wonder what they expected to happen."
Oct 18, 2009	Banks Failing To Disclose Derivatives Risk - Rakesh Saxena, Seeking Alpha Blog Summary: "Some on Wall Street call it a 'sensible' approach. 'The more you disclose, the more you get Washington’s lawmakers excited, and there is more talk of regulation,' a Geneva-based hedge fund manager told his partners at a conference last week. 'Without trades in over-the-counter currency forwards, interest rate swaps, commodity swaps, structured products and equity puts, the share-price outlook for all major banks will remain subdued, recovery regardless.' "
Oct 17, 2009	Op-ed: Don’t Let Exceptions Kill the Rule - Gretchen Morgenson, The New York Times Summary: "Derivatives aren’t going away. In the right hands, they help parties manage risk. In the wrong hands, they are among the most destructive financial products ever invented. So reforming the $42 trillion market for credit swaps is crucial if taxpayers are to be protected from future rescues of institutions deemed not only too big but also too interconnected to fail."
Oct 16, 2009	Summers: 'Time has come' for deep change for banks - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "White House senior economic adviser Lawrence Summers challenged U.S. financial institutions Friday to think about what they can do for their country by stepping up and accepting the regulations imposed upon them in the wake of the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression."
Oct 16, 2009	SEC, CFTC Issue Oversight Recommendations - Bill Swindell and Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "The SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission today issued a report recommending 20 steps to expand their oversight over exchanges to bolster the nation's financial system, including some that would require congressional action."
Oct 16, 2009	Op-ed: ALL BUSINESS: Lobbyists influence financial reform - Rachel Beck, Associated Press Summary: "Wall Street bankers make too much money. The latest example: Goldman Sachs says it has set aside $16.7 billion so far this year for compensation — or about $530,000 per employee. Not bad for a company that a year ago received $10 billion in federal money as well as $12.9 billion from the government's bailout of American International Group Inc."
Oct 16, 2009	Little banks get a big exemption - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street firms have the big bucks and the hired-gun lobbyists, but they’ve got nothing on local banks and credit unions in the raging battle over financial reform."
Oct 16, 2009	Obama wins first financial reform victory in months - Kevin Drawbaugh and Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "In a 43-26 decision, the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee voted in favor of slapping new rules on the largely unpoliced $450-trillion OTC derivatives market, widely blamed for amplifying last year's financial crisis."
Oct 16, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair Peter Wallison Op-ed in the Wall Street Journal - Peter Wallison, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Recent reports that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will suffer default rates of more than 20% on the 2007 and 2008 loans it guaranteed has raised questions once again about the government's role in the financial crisis and its efforts to achieve social purposes by distorting the financial system."
Oct 16, 2009	Shelby Proposes Fed Bank Reform - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, said Thursday that he will push for revisions to the Federal Reserve Act that would end the practice of bankers choosing the leadership of regional Fed banks."
Oct 16, 2009	Hedge fund leaders gain clout - Michael Kranish, Boston Globe Summary: "Hedge fund managers - a secretive, lightly regulated group portrayed by some as villains in last year’s financial meltdown - appear to have a new degree of clout on Capitol Hill in shaping legislation that will determine how they will be regulated."
Oct 16, 2009	Bill Shields Most Banks From Review - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "Bowing to political pressure from community bankers, the House Financial Services Committee approved an exemption on Thursday for more than 98 percent of the nation’s banks from oversight by a new agency created to protect consumers from abusive or deceptive credit cards, mortgages and other loans."
Oct 16, 2009	Editorial: Sen. Richard Shelby taking the right course - Birmingham Business Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Sen. Richard Shelby deserves praise for his willingness to put smart policy above politics when it comes to reform of federal financial regulation."
Oct 16, 2009	House Panel Clears Derivatives Bill, Debates Plan for Consumer Agency - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration won its first major victory Thursday in its effort to overhaul the nation's financial system as a key House committee passed a bill to regulate exotic financial instruments known as derivatives."
Oct 15, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member John Taylor Op-ed in Fortune: Fuel for the Financial Fire - John Taylor, Fortune Summary: "Conventional question: did the government's quick intervention on Wall Street last year save us from another Great Depression? Alternative question, one that I prefer: Did government intervention make matters worse? As facts about the crisis roll in, more people are beginning to answer the second question in the affirmative."
Oct 15, 2009	House Panel OKs New Derivatives Oversight - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee today approved, 43-26, legislation that would regulate the over-the-counter derivatives market, which came under scrutiny last year after the collapse of American International Group and resulting government bailout."
Oct 15, 2009	Pretty nitty-gritty - The Economist Summary: "IF YOU thought derivatives were hideously complex, try following the battle to regulate them. The Obama administration’s reform blueprint, which was released in August, foreshadowed a huge shake-up to the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market."
Oct 15, 2009	Panel To Take Up Fight Over State Pre-Emption - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee is expected to debate this afternoon a compromise on whether states can fashion stronger rules than those of a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, an issue that has divided Democrats on the panel."
Oct 15, 2009	House Panel to Vote On Derivatives Bill - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "A House committee is set to vote [today] on a bill that would regulate for the first time the vast and opaque market of exotic financial instruments known as derivatives, marking the first major advance in Congress of a key piece of legislation to remake the nation's financial regulatory system."
Oct 15, 2009	OTC derivatives rules backed by US Congress panel - Kevin Drawbaugh and Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "A key U.S. congressional committee approved new rules for the largely unpoliced $450-trillion derivatives market on Thursday in a win for the Obama administration."
Oct 15, 2009	US Sen Dorgan:Lawmakers Should Revisit 1999 Deregulation Law - Fawn Johnson, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "As Congress struggles to craft a new regulatory framework for the country's financial-services industry, one liberal lawmaker thinks hearkening to the past may be the best course of action."
Oct 15, 2009	You Call This Financial Reform? - Nancy Cook, Newsweek Summary: "In the past four months, President Obama has talked extensively about creating a new federal agency to protect the financial rights of consumers, monitoring everything from the terms of home loans to credit-card contracts to bank accounts. But so far, the president's talk hasn't translated into reform."
Oct 15, 2009	US House Panel Approves Landmark Derivatives Legislation - Sarah Lynch, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The U.S. House Financial Services Committee on Thursday approved landmark over-the-counter derivatives legislation that closely tracks the Obama administration's proposal by moving some products traded by financial institutions onto exchanges or electronic platforms."
Oct 15, 2009	In Surprise, Frank Seeks Tougher Derivatives Bill - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank unexpectedly sought Wednesday to toughen a bill to regulate derivatives, pushing an amendment that would require many major financial institutions to trade their derivatives contracts over exchanges."
Oct 15, 2009	Editorial: To fix financial system, protect consumers first - Boston Globe Editorial Board Summary: "The new Consumer Financial Protection Agency proposed by the Obama administration is needed to correct obvious flaws in the financial system and to prevent a repeat of last year’s economic collapse."
Oct 15, 2009	Sens. Warner, Corker Organize Sessions on Financial Regulation - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "They are outranked by nearly everyone on the Senate Banking Committee, particularly its chairman, Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), and ranking member Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), whose views are likely to dominate the committee's version of legislation. But by joining forces, Corker and Warner...have positioned themselves to exert influence beyond their junior rank as the Senate tackles regulatory reform in the coming months."
Oct 14, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member John Taylor - Q&A with the Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog - Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member John Taylor was featured in a Q&A by the Wall Street Journal's Real Time Economics blog regarding his 'Taylor Rule' and insights it can give the US central bank.
Oct 14, 2009	Lobbyists Mass to Try to Shape Financial Reform - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: "Since virtually every imaginable company could be touched by the comprehensive legislation proposed by the Obama administration, the surprisingly broad array of lobbyists trooping to Capitol Hill...want to make sure any new oversight of the financial system does not lead to tighter regulations of their businesses or make it more expensive for them to finance their operations or hedge their risks."
Oct 14, 2009	House panel begins push on financial overhaul - Anne Flaherty and Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "A key House panel moved to tighten rules on previously unregulated financial instruments Wednesday, a long-awaited step toward governing the obscure and complex transactions at the heart of the troubles that befell some of Wall Street's most well-known financial houses."
Oct 14, 2009	CFTC, SEC Can’t Ban Abusive Swaps Under Frank Plan - Tina Seeley and Dawn Kopecki Summary: "Representative Barney Frank said his proposal to regulate the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market won’t give the government sweeping authority to ban 'abusive swaps.'"
Oct 14, 2009	Op-ed: Too Proud to Learn? - Thomas F. Cooley, Forbes Summary: "As the worst phase of the Great Recession eases and some confidence returns about the future of economy and the banking system, we seem to have forgotten what caused our economic woes in the first place. While Washington is paying appropriate lip service to the need for regulatory reform and the dangers of having financial institutions that are 'too big to fail,' progress has been glacial. And the government still doesn't know what to do about systemically risky firms."
Oct 14, 2009	House Starts Financial Regulatory Overhaul With Derivatives - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee will begin marking up legislation today to revamp the over-the-counter derivatives market, with lawmakers expected to tussle over whether to give end-users such as airlines, manufacturers and farmers more flexibility in conducting trades."
Oct 14, 2009	NYSE Adds Lobbying Power - Kara Scannell, Wall Street Journal Washington Wire Blog Summary: "With momentum building for tougher regulations for financial markets, the NYSE Euronext is building up its Washington lobbying office with two new hires."
Oct 14, 2009	Editorial: Bank on protection - Akron Beacon Journal Editorial Board Summary: "The House Financial Services Committee gathers today to consider improvements in the way the federal government regulates financial services. The task stems from the bursting of the housing bubble, much of the trouble driven by subprime and predatory lending."
Oct 14, 2009	Editorial: That Promised Financial Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Pretty much everyone agrees on the causes for the country’s desperate financial mess: predatory lenders, weak regulations, even weaker regulators, and risky nigh unto incomprehensible financial instruments."
Oct 14, 2009	Op-ed: Who'll Rein In Wall St.? - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post Summary: "The deliberations of the Senate Finance Committee on health-care reform -- which, understandably, have monopolized the public's attention to Capitol Hill -- have concluded not a moment too soon."
Oct 14, 2009	Shedding light on derivatives - Congress tackles investment vehicles that have long been on shady side of the street - Paul Wiseman and Pallavi Gogoi, USA Today Summary: "For more than a decade before derivatives brought down insurance giant American International Group and caused a global financial panic last fall, law professor Lynn Stout was one of the lonely voices warning that disaster was looming."
Oct 13, 2009	Geithner endorses Frank's consumer, derivatives legislation - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday expressed support for changes made to major legislation expected to come to a vote Wednesday to create a 'sweeping' Consumer Financial Protection Agency and impose new transparency requirements on derivatives."
Oct 13, 2009	Deal-maker Shelby ready to bargain - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Democrats’ best hope for passing the biggest overhaul of the nation’s financial laws since the Great Depression may rest with an unpredictable, anti-bailout conservative who’s skeptical of Big Government."
Oct 13, 2009	No Easy Answer to ‘Too Big to Fail,’ Nobelist Williamson Says - Vivien Lou Chen, Bloomberg Summary: "There’s no easy way to deal with the question of institutions whose failure might pose a threat to the financial system, said Oliver Williamson, co-winner of this year’s Nobel Economics Prize."
Oct 13, 2009	Silicon Valley Lives - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "In a rare bit of good news from Washington, the investment model that created Intel, Apple and Google will be allowed to exist. According to his draft legislation, Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank has rejected a Treasury plan to subject venture capital firms to 'systemic risk' regulation.
Oct 13, 2009	New OTC Plan Surfaces in House - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "Another draft bill to regulate over-the-counter derivatives emerged Friday, adding a wrinkle to the contentious debate over mandatory central clearing."
Oct 13, 2009	'Unbanked' but No Longer Ignored - Ylan Q. Mui, Washington Post Summary: "[A]s the financial crisis sparks a new wave of consumer protections, lawmakers and the private sector alike are training their sights on an industry that caters to the most vulnerable of populations: the estimated 40 million households on the margins of the nation's financial system, with limited, if any, access to banks or credit."
Oct 13, 2009	Risk and reward in Dodd's reform push - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "[Senator Dodd] may have problems with his House counterpart Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who opposes creation of a single banking super-regulator, which would strip power from the Federal Reserve and other regulators."
Oct 13, 2009	Op-ed: To avoid crises, we need more transparency - Lloyd Blankfein, Financial Times Summary: "One lesson from the crisis is the need for more effective systemic regulation. There has been a focus on who should exercise this responsibility. But the most critical question is what the systemic regulator should do, and what responsibilities will make it effective – not who, so much as how?"
Oct 12, 2009	US Rep hopes to kill state plan in consumer bill - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A Democratic lawmaker hopes to derail congressional efforts that would allow states to adopt stricter laws for firms offering mortgages and other financial products, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday."
Oct 12, 2009	The Baseline Scenario Blog on Pew's Financial Reform Project NPR Event - James Kwak, Baseline Scenario Blog Summary: James Kwak of the Baseline Scenario Blog wrote an entry about big banks, and brings up the Pew's Financial Reform Project's August event with NPR in which Alice Rivlin proposed the idea of breaking up big banks.
Oct 12, 2009	Hopes run high for consumer protections in Congress - David Migoya, The Denver Post Summary: "A proposed federal agency to protect consumers from the financial practices that contributed to today's economic crisis should be approved by year's end and ready for business by mid-2011, federal officials say."
Oct 12, 2009	Financial Reform, Round 1: Obama, Progressives vs. Wall Street, Centrist Dems - Art Levine, In These Times blog Summary: "Just over a year after the financial meltdown spurred government bailouts, loans and guarantees worth a staggering $17.5 trillion to the financial industry, as author Nomi Prins reports, leaders in the field are finally paying consumers back. How? They're fighting hard against a Consumer Financial Protection Agency and gutting what reform advocates say is any meaningful oversight of the wild-and-wooly $450 trillion "derivatives" market that sunk the world economy."
Oct 12, 2009	A New Push for Obama's Consumer Finance Agency - Jane Sasseen and Phil Mintz, BusinessWeek Summary: "With support flagging, the President lashes out at financial-industry opponents of his plan for a new regulator to protect the public."
Oct 11, 2009	Lawmakers to tackle key financial reform - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "House lawmakers will hold markups this week on two key parts of President Barack Obama's proposal to overhaul the financial regulatory system."
Oct 10, 2009	Obama Takes Bully Pulpit to Push Agency For Consumers - Brady Dennis and Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "President Obama on Friday scolded business groups that have fought his plan to create a new federal agency to oversee mortgages, credit cards and other consumer financial products, casting the debate as a battle between his administration and Wall Street."
Oct 10, 2009	Have Banks No Shame? - Joe Nocera, New York Times Summary: "A few months ago, I asked Simon Johnson, the former International Monetary Fund economist, now a prominent critic of the banking industry, what he thought the banks owed the country after all the government bailouts."
Oct 10, 2009	Pelosi backs financial protection agency over objections from Blue Dogs - Jared Allen, The Hill Summary: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is backing the creation of a consumer protection agency ahead of the final round of committee debate on a bill to overhaul the regulation of the financial services industry. But the Speaker’s endorsement could put her at even further odds with the conservative wing of the Democratic Caucus just as she is grappling with how to win enough of their votes to pass a major healthcare reform bill out of the House.
Oct 09, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Charles Calomiris on NPR: Rewriting The Rules Of The Financial System - NPR Summary: Charles Calomiris, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force, was interviewed for National Public Radio's Morning Edition.
Oct 09, 2009	Republicans Seek Delay on Markup of Frank’s Derivatives Bill - Benton Ives, CQ.com Summary: "Two high-ranking Republican members of the House Financial Services Committee want to postpone a markup of financial derivatives legislation set for next week, saying members need more time to review expected changes to the bill."
Oct 09, 2009	Obama defends Consumer Protection Agency - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "President Obama made the case Friday for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, arguing it that it was necessary to both supervise banks as well as write rules for mortgages and credit cards in response to the financial crisis."
Oct 09, 2009	Op-ed: OTC derivatives modernisation deserves support - John Kemp, Reuters Summary: "Prominent banks and some business groups have warned policymakers their efforts to force standardised over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives transactions onto futures exchanges and into the clearing system will drive trading offshore and raise the cost of genuine risk-hedging for non-financial firms."
Oct 09, 2009	F.H.A. Problems Raising Concern of Policy Makers - David Streitfeld and Louise Story, New York Times Summary: "A year after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac teetered, industry executives and Washington policy makers are worrying that another government mortgage giant could be the next housing domino."
Oct 09, 2009	Obama Takes The Offensive With Financial Reform - Albert Bozzo, CNBC Summary: "President Obama has not been one to use the bully pulpit and in the rare times that he has he’s taken a “speak-softly but carry a big stick” approach. That seems to be the case he's about to take with the creation of a consumer protection agency as part of his regulatory reform plan one year after the financial crisis."
Oct 09, 2009	Wall Street speed dial gets Tim Geithner directly - Matt Apuzzo and Daniel Wagner, Associated Press Summary: "As the federal government propped up the housing market and braced for the collapse of General Motors this spring, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner capped a busy week with phone conversations with three men."
Oct 09, 2009	Derivatives Lobby Links With New Democrats to Blunt Obama Plan - Dawn Kopecki, Matthew Leising and Shannon D. Harrington, Bloomberg Summary: "As President Barack Obama vowed in a Sept. 14 speech in New York’s Federal Hall to correct 'reckless behavior and unchecked excess' on Wall Street, Mike McMahon and Barney Frank sat in the audience discussing how to ease proposed rules for the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market."
Oct 09, 2009	Republicans Cast GSEs as a Key to Reg Overhaul - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "During the Senate Banking Committee's first hearing this year on the role of the GSEs, several GOP members criticized the Obama reform plan for punting on the issue, and said Congress should not do likewise."
Oct 09, 2009	How a map can prevent the next financial crisis. - Daniel Altman, The New Republic Summary: "But all the talk of regulation misses a key point: If we don't know which institutions are doing what--if we don't actually monitor what we've regulated--then that regulation won't work."
Oct 09, 2009	Op-ed: We need financial reform, and we need it fast - Jay Hancock, The Baltimore Sun Summary: "Maybe we'll get financial reform this year after all. Obama administration officials are invading Capitol Hill to get Congress off its behind."
Oct 08, 2009	Sens. Dodd and Shelby Push Ahead With Deal on Financing Rules - Phil Mattingly and Benton Ives, CQ.com Summary: "The top two members of the Senate Banking Committee have accelerated their efforts to reach a deal on rewriting the nation’s financial rules, amid pressure from the Obama administration, Senate Democratic leadership and a fast-moving House."
Oct 08, 2009	Dems, GOP clash over reform timeline - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "They say they're working together, but Senate Democrats and Republicans are clashing over just how soon the upper chamber can pass sweeping legislation overhauling the nation's financial rules."
Oct 08, 2009	Op-ed: We need an orderly way to let institutions fail - Arthur Levitt, Financial Times Summary: "Financial policymakers focused on rewriting the rulebook for financial markets have spent months debating issues related to consumer protections, systemic risk regulation and regulatory co-ordination. But none of these is as important as what to do when a large financial institution is failing."
Oct 08, 2009	Panel Debates Future Of Fannie, Freddie - Otto Kreisher, CongressDaily Summary: Peter Wallison, co-chair of the Pew Financial Reform Project, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs telling the Committee that the mortage business should be privatized, terminating government sposorship.
Oct 08, 2009	Corker skeptical on financial reform this year - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Sen. Bob Corker, who has emerged as a powerful GOP voice on the Senate Banking Committee, says any plans to vote on financial reform legislation by early November are "totally impractical."
Oct 08, 2009	Dodd: No Obstacles With Shelby On Overhaul - Bill Swindell and Dan Friedman, National Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd said today he has no current sticking points with Banking ranking member Richard Shelby that could derail an agreement to revamp the nation's financial regulatory structure."
Oct 08, 2009	Fannie, Freddie outlook still troubled - FHFA chief - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The outlook for mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remains shaky and the two may need more aid from the U.S. Treasury on top of the almost $100 billion they have already received, their chief regulator said on Thursday."
Oct 08, 2009	Fed Moves Will Shape GSEs' Future - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "The mortgage market could lose vital support from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac early next year if the Federal Reserve Board goes forward with plans to stop buying government-sponsored enterprise securities and debt."
Oct 08, 2009	Obama team pushes Wall Street reforms - Sean Lengell, Washington Times Summary: "As Congress labors to overhaul the government's financial regulatory system, the Obama administration has taken an active role in helping draft legislation -- a sharp contrast to the White House's more hands-off approach in the health care battle now consuming Capitol Hill."
Oct 08, 2009	Securities Experts Call For Transparency For Ratings Firms - Michael Posner, National Journal Summary: "The market for mortgage-backed securities like those that contributed to the collapse of the housing bubble, mass foreclosures and an international financial crisis is now dead, financial experts told the Senate Banking Securities Subcommittee Wednesday."
Oct 08, 2009	Plan to Let States Set Bank Rules Splits Democrats - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A White House proposal for a new federal agency to police mortgages and credit cards has triggered a clash among House Democrats and threatens to complicate the Obama administration's effort to overhaul financial-market rules."
Oct 08, 2009	Frank's Plan Criticized As Too Lax - Sarah N. Lynch, Wall Street Journal Summary: Two federal regulators criticized parts of Rep. Barney Frank's proposal to overhaul financial regulation, saying it will let large companies escape restrictions on the types of financial products that contributed to last year's crisis.
Oct 08, 2009	SEC vs. House on OTC Derivatives - Andrew Ackerman, The Bond Buyer Summary: "A Securities and Exchange Commission official asked a congressional committee yesterday to strengthen its draft bill to regulate over-the-counter derivatives so that all securities-based swaps are treated as securities. However, the request was met by resistance from the panel’s chairman and another regulator."
Oct 08, 2009	Bair: Delay on Reg Reform Offers Critical Opportunity to Explore Causes of Crisis - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair predicted that reform of the financial services system would likely not be completed this year, but said that was not necessarily a bad thing."
Oct 07, 2009	The Side Effects of Financial Reform - Ben Levisohn and Mark Scott, Business Week Summary: "Lawmakers and regulators across the globe are scrambling to corral banks and other culprits of the financial crisis. But companies and small investors may find themselves ensnared, too, because proposed and new rules could crimp corporate profits and investment returns."
Oct 07, 2009	Warner: ‘You Can’t Just Punt’ on Financial Regulatory Overhaul - Michael R. Crittenden and Corey Boles, Wall Street Journal Blogs Summary: "First-term Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.) has becoming a leading voice in the Senate on efforts to overhaul regulation of the financial services industry. Along with Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), Warner has been hosting a series of briefings with top industry and government voices -– Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was a recent guest — as the Senate prepares to roll out its plan to revamp regulation."
Oct 07, 2009	Frank’s Derivatives Plan May Leave ‘Gaps,’ CFTC Says - Dawn Kopecki and Tina Seeley, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. Representative Barney Frank said he will 'tighten up' his plan to revamp oversight of derivatives after regulators said it left loopholes."
Oct 07, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Rodgin Cohen on the State of Bank M.&.A.s - Cyrus Sanati, New York Times DealBook Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Rodgin Cohen writes in the New York Times' DealBook about the current state of bank mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Cohen characterizes the the current state of affairs as: "[d]ismal and nonexistent."
Oct 07, 2009	Op-ed: The Inevitability of Finance - Steven M. Davidoff, New York Times DealBook Summary: "Every year, I show the students in my law school corporations class the movie 'Wall Street.' They don’t get the fine points. They find the technology quaint. The students laugh when Gordon Gekko brags about owning a black-and-white, hand-held television. They find stock-broking, the world the main character, Budd Fox, inhabits, to be particularly mysterious and alien."
Oct 07, 2009	Wall Street Regulation Won’t Be Completed This Year, Bair Says - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. Congress won’t approve an overhaul of Wall Street regulation this year because lawmakers disagree on the plan and need time to weigh proposals, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said."
Oct 07, 2009	Bills splitting role of chairman and CEO shifting in Capitol - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch of the Wall Street Journal Summary: "As Congress takes post-crisis steps to expand the power of shareholders, legislators are beginning to consider controversial bills that would separate the position of corporate chairmen and CEOs while ensuring that investors have a greater say in how directors are elected to company boards."
Oct 07, 2009	Op-ed: Local banks serve consumers - Camden R. Fine, USA Today Summary: "[N]o doubt policymakers should establish tough measures to prevent unregulated and unscrupulous non-bank financial services firms — and the giant Wall Street firms that enabled them — from ever again taking advantage of consumers."
Oct 07, 2009	Lawmakers voice division over consumer-protection proposal - Marcy Gordon, Associated Press Summary: "Regulators and investor advocates voiced support yesterday for a proposal that addresses consumer protection and would bring investment funds under government supervision as part of Congress’ efforts to revamp the US financial rule book."
Oct 07, 2009	Trade Groups Seek More Limited Plan to Regulate Derivatives Market - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "An alliance of business trade groups is pushing to scale back the Obama administration's efforts to regulate the multitrillion-dollar derivatives industry, arguing that the proposed changes could have consequences well beyond Wall Street."
Oct 07, 2009	Op-ed: Big bumps lie ahead on the road to recovery and reform - Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summary: "A year ago, the world economy fell into a deep recession. Now, happily, we see financial stabilisation and economic recovery. But we must not declare victory. The world could still make two mistakes: first, we might withdraw stimulus too soon; second, we might lose the opportunity for reform."
Oct 06, 2009	Taking it to the Hill: Congress urged to unify standards for advisers and brokers - Associated Press Summary: "Regulators and investor advocates voiced support Tuesday for a proposal that addresses consumer protection and would bring investment funds under government supervision as part of Congress' efforts to revamp the U.S. financial rule book."
Oct 06, 2009	Financial Reform Package Picking Up Steam In Congress - Alex Bozzo, CNBC Summary: "The Obama administration’s regulatory reform package is back on the front burner in Congress and will soon be coming to a boil."
Oct 06, 2009	House to act on financial reform in November - Donna Smith and Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The House of Representatives is expected to debate financial regulatory reform next month, Democratic leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday."
Oct 06, 2009	A Blueprint for More Bailouts: An influential liberal questions the Obama plan for banks - Albert Bozzo, CNBC Summary: "The Obama administration’s regulatory reform package is back on the front burner in Congress and will soon be coming to a boil. Powerful House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has scheduled a series of committee voting sessions for key parts of the reform package, according to Congressional sources."
Oct 06, 2009	Hard to 'harmonize' on Wall St. reform - Jeanne Cummings, Politico Summary: "To grasp the intensity around the congressional efforts to rewrite the regulatory rules for Wall Street, consider this: The final bill will be hundreds of pages, and, already, just one word in one clause has prompted its own discrete lobbying campaign."
Oct 06, 2009	House Panel Wrangles Over SEC Structure - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Committee members tussled today over the best way to revamp the SEC in the aftermath of the agency's failure to spot Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme and Allen Stanford's alleged $7 billion swindle of investors."
Oct 06, 2009	Treasury blitzes Hill for regulatory reform - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and top deputies are blitzing Capitol Hill this week with a heavy lobbying effort on regulatory reform, hoping to mold the biggest overhaul for the financial industry since the Great Depression."
Oct 06, 2009	Hoyer: Financial reform hitting House floor next month - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Legislation overhauling the nation’s financial rules is expected to hit the House floor in November, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday."
Oct 06, 2009	Caterpillar, Duke, Apple Are Winners in Frank Derivatives Plan - Dawn Kopecki and Asjylyn Loder, Bloomberg Summary: "Apple Inc., Caterpillar Inc. and Duke Energy Corp. are among companies that come out ahead in draft derivatives legislation offered by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank."
Oct 06, 2009	Op-ed: How Do We Avoid Another Crisis? - Jonathan A. Knee, New York Times' Dealbook Summary: "The preoccupation with the technical details, politics and personalities of the financial crisis has diverted attention from the most pressing question: Could it happen again? The proposals encompassed in President Obama’s financial reform plan are mostly well conceived and address almost every link in the chain of events that led to the market meltdown. This mammoth regulatory package is nothing if not well earned by the financial services industry."
Oct 06, 2009	Banks Face Pressure to Bend on New Agency - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "As bankers continue to oppose a bill to create a consumer financial protection agency, lawmakers are turning up the pressure by targeting specific reforms."
Oct 06, 2009	More Wiggle Room in New Derivatives Bill - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "A House Financial Services Committee version of a bill to regulate derivatives would allow banks and others more leeway to use derivatives for hedging purposes."
Oct 05, 2009	Regulation: Doubts over political resolve for reform - Norma Cohen, Financial Times Summary: "But just one year later, as the world’s economy begins to emerge from a severe recession and some big banks once again appear profitable, it is not clear that the political resolve remains as strong."
Oct 05, 2009	Op-ed: Huffington: Will Reform Just Be for Show? - Arianna Huffington, Roll Call Summary: "Even with Wall Street’s lobbyists fighting it tooth and nail, financial reform seems inevitable. So the question becomes: Are we going to get real reform or are we going to get the D.C. version of "reform" - i.e., reform in name only?"
Oct 05, 2009	Op-ed: Extra Regulation Won't Work - Michael Oxley, Roll Call Summary: "There is understandable anger at the sectors of the financial services industry responsible for taking us, if not to the brink, then entirely too close to it. For many, the logical resolution of that anger is federal regulation. Nonetheless, given the realities of time constraints and federal resources, there are very real limitations about what new federal efforts at regulation will be able to accomplish. Good intentions are not enough: Whatever is put in place has to work in the real financial marketplace now and for decades to come."
Oct 05, 2009	Op-ed: Public Demands Disclosure - Susan K. Weinstock, Roll Call Summary: "In the years leading to our current economic crisis, consumers found themselves between a rock and a hard place. States wanted to rein in a number of financial abuses, but couldn’t, because federal regulators had pre-empted much of their authority. Yet at the same time, federal regulatory agencies have often treated consumer protection as less important than or even in conflict with their mission to ensure the safety and soundness of financial institutions."
Oct 05, 2009	History Lessons - Brian Hoyt, World Bank's Crisis Talk Blog Summary: "As the crisis enters its second year, the economic history books have already begun publishing an early account of first stages of the crisis. In particular, two articles have been released this week that serve as essential reading. First, this month's Vanity Fair features an excerpt from Andrew Ross Sorkin's upcoming book, Too Big to Fail. Sorkin's piece gives a thrilling, minute by minute account of the chaos within the halls of Wall Street during the aftermath of the Lehman collapse. The article offers a view of the day's events through the perspective of the most important players in finance, including Timothy Geithner.
Oct 05, 2009	Op-ed: How the Fed Can Avoid the Next Bubble - Ian Bremmer and Nouriel Roubini, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve face a number of very difficult challenges in the years ahead."
Oct 05, 2009	What about Savings? - Charles Calomiris, National Journal Economy Blog Summary: Charles Calomiris, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, contributed an entry on the National Journal's Economy blog commenting on savings in a credit crisis and recession.
Oct 05, 2009	Commodity Swaps Would Be Regulated by U.S. Under Plan - Asjylyn Loder and Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "Legislation aimed at tightening oversight of the $592 trillion derivatives market would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission new authority to police over-the-counter commodity swaps as well as derivatives traded on foreign exchanges."
Oct 05, 2009	Regulators Will Excuse Venture Firms From Rules, Patricof Says - Tim Mullaney, Bloomberg Summary: "The Treasury Department is likely to drop plans to regulate venture firms as part of new rules that rein in financial risk, venture capitalist Alan Patricof said."
Oct 05, 2009	Op-ed: Banking Panics: Déjà Vu All Over Again - Gary Gorton, The New York Times Dealbook Summary: "In the movie 'It’s a Wonderful Life,' shown each year on television around Christmastime, there is a bank run on the Bedford Falls Savings and Loan. For most people, this is the only reference point for understanding a banking panic, unless you happen to have lived through the Great Depression and experienced firsthand the bank runs of the 1930s."
Oct 05, 2009	Peterson Working On Own Derivatives Bill - Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "Following House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank's release Friday of a discussion draft to regulate over-the-counter derivatives, a spokesman for House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson said today Peterson is working on his own bill."
Oct 05, 2009	Could Single Agency Kill Dual System? - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "The push to create a single bank regulator is driving a growing debate over whether consolidated supervision threatens the dual banking system."
Oct 04, 2009	FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair Reiterates Call for Muscular Council - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair on Sunday in Turkey reiterated her call for the creation of a council of regulators, empowered with the ability to set capital, liquidity, and leverage requirements 'when individual regulators fail to act.' Ms. Bair was speaking to a group from the International Institute of Finance."
Oct 04, 2009	Op-ed: Why the Fed will struggle to stay above the fray - Sylvester Eijffinger and Edin Mujagic, Financial Times Summary: "Much has been written lately on the decision by President Barack Obama to nominate Ben Bernanke for a second term as chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Some argued that had Mr Obama chosen otherwise, it would have signalled that the political independence of the Fed was under threat. However, we feel that the dangers for the Fed are not over yet."
Oct 04, 2009	The crash could not kill our faith in capitalism - Irwin Stelzer, The Sunday Times Summary: "A funny thing happened on the way to the collapse of market capitalism in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. It didn’t."
Oct 03, 2009	Op-ed: The Fight for Financial Reform - Katrina Van den Heuvel, The Nation Summary: "These next few months are a time of reckoning. Every so often in American political history, a window for change opens, and the combination of crisis, leadership, and political movement makes big, positive reforms possible."
Oct 03, 2009	Finance Lobby Still Opposed To New Agency - Peter H. Stone, National Journal Magazine Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., has scaled back legislation sought by the Obama administration to create a consumer financial-protection agency after months of intense lobbying by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business and banking groups."
Oct 03, 2009	‘Abusive Swaps’ Would Be Banned Under Frank’s Derivatives Plan - Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "Legislation tightening oversight of the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market would give regulators authority to ban so-called abusive swaps."
Oct 03, 2009	Lobbyists stress industrial impact of derivatives rules - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: Lobbyists opposed to new curbs on the multi-trillion dollar market for financial derivatives are trying to shift lawmakers' attention away from Wall Street to the impact the rules would have on big industrial businesses."
Oct 03, 2009	Recession, You Look Familiar - Devin Leonard, New York Times Summary: "[A]ny well-informed person should have seen the Great Recession coming. The essence of their book is that while financial crises come in different varieties, they are not mysteriously born of undersea earthquakes, but frequently occurring events that can be spotted and even controlled if politicians and regulators know what to look for."
Oct 02, 2009	Lawmakers would curb Federal Reserve's power, not expand it - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: Alice Rivlin, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force and senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, "said it would be a mistake to increase the Fed's regulatory powers because it would distract from the central bank's monetary policy role" while discussing the role of the regulatory authority of the Fed.
Oct 02, 2009	The Heritage Foundation: Bernanke Makes The Right Call On Systemic Financial Risk - David John, The Heritage Foundation Summary: "One of the larger mistakes in the Obama financial regulatory reform package was its attempt to give the Federal Reserve additional powers so that it could in theory protect the economy from risks such as the housing bubble that could endanger the entire financial system."
Oct 02, 2009	Who should pay to dismantle 'too-big-to-fail' institutions? - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "When it comes to super-sized financial institutions, who should pay to dismantle the 'too-big-to-fail' banks that are in danger of default?"
Oct 02, 2009	Senate’s Warner Urges Goldman Sachs to Watch ‘Optics’ on Pay - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Goldman Sachs Group Inc. must be cautious about handing out record bonuses while the banking industry is still under distress or risk spurring an outcry from Congress, U.S. Senator Mark Warner said."
Oct 02, 2009	Chris Dodd's Extreme Makeover - Nick Baumann, Mother Jones Summary: "Something very strange has happened to Sen. Chris Dodd. As Washington finally moves to address problems in the financial system, the White House is proposing only a modest shakeup of the existing regulations. The legislation that Rep. Barney Frank is spearheading in the House isn't much more ambitious. But Dodd, the Democratic chair of the Senate Banking Committee and long known for his deep Wall Street ties, is suddenly pushing for reforms that sound like a populist's wish list."
Oct 02, 2009	U.S. policymakers leaning toward Canadian model - Paul Vieira, National Post Summary: "Key policymakers in Washington, among them Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, are having a change of heart when it comes to regulating the financial system, and now appear inclined to mimic the Canadian approach."
Oct 02, 2009	Bernanke Backs Limited Finance Council - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told lawmakers Thursday that a new council of regulators created to oversee systemic risks to the economy should be limited in power and not be 'involved in micromanaging any part of the system.' "
Oct 02, 2009	Bernanke Welcomes Oversight, Says Fed Can Corral Giant Firms - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke told a congressional panel Thursday that his agency is 'well suited' to oversee the nation's largest financial firms but also addressed reservations about granting the Fed broad new powers, saying he welcomes a proposed council of regulators to monitor risks threatening the entire financial system."
Oct 01, 2009	Death warmed up - The Economist Summary: "PROFESSIONAL negotiators recommend against making empty threats. Yet sometimes it seems that is all governments and regulators have left to throw at the banking industry. However bloodcurdling the political rhetoric, financial markets think banks will be bailed out again."
Oct 01, 2009	Financial Reform: Lessons from 1929 - Frank Partnoy, Business Week Summary: The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, set up by Congress to tell us who killed the banks and what to do about it, has just held its first meeting. Established by law in May, the 10-member panel gathered on Sept. 17 to appoint its executive director: Thomas Greene, a longtime California prosecutor. In the interim, the major banks, reincarnated by government bailouts, have sprinted ahead with near-record profits and new financial products. Will the commission catch up in this tortoise-and-hare race and propose solutions before another crisis hits? As usual, history is our best guide.
Oct 01, 2009	Geithner Pushes Hard on Hill for Regulations - Phil Mattingly, CQ.com Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner has become something of a fixture on Capitol Hill lately, talking up the administration’s plan to overhaul financial industry regulations and trying to keep lawmakers from putting it off until next year."
Oct 01, 2009	Bernanke, in Nod to Critics, Suggests Board of Regulators - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "The chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben S. Bernanke, told skeptical lawmakers on Thursday that the Fed should be put in charge of regulating the nation’s biggest financial institutions."
Oct 01, 2009	Editorial: Protecting the Credit Raters - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "This morning we had hoped to be able to praise House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank, who seemed ready to break up the credit ratings racket that did so much to inflame the financial panic. But just when you think Barney will free up competition, he reinforces the cartel."
Oct 01, 2009	US to take flexible course on bonuses - Krishna Guha, Financial Times Summary: "The US intends to take a flexible approach to interpreting global guidelines on bankers’ bonuses, a move likely to frustrate European nations that want clearly defined standards to be applied globally."
Oct 01, 2009	Kanjorski Proposal For Collective Liability Takes Fire - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "A proposal by House Financial Services Capital Markets Subcommittee Chairman Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., for credit-rating agencies to be collectively liable for their ratings was attacked Wednesday by his panel and the industry for potentially lowering the quality of ratings and hampering entrants to a field where three firms have 95 percent of the business."
Oct 01, 2009	Op-ed: Wall Street Needs More Skin in the Game - Peter Weinberg, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The debate about bonuses and Wall Street pay rages on, and for good reason. Compensation is a complex issue that is essential to managing systemic risk. The asymmetrical structure of pay packages—a 'heads I win, tails I win less' approach—was wrong. But overly prescriptive government intervention to solve the problem poses its own challenges and might not help us get the incentives right, either. So what can we do?"
Oct 01, 2009	Bernanke Calls for Council of Regulators - Maya Jackson Randall, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A council of U.S. regulators -- rather than the Federal Reserve alone -- should be charged with monitoring threats to the U.S. financial system, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said in prepared testimony to a congressional panel Thursday morning."
Oct 01, 2009	Battle Waged Over Consumer Agency - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "For more than three hours Wednesday, supporters and opponents of a new federal agency that would oversee mortgages, credit cards and other consumer financial products dug deeper into their trenches in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building."
Sep 30, 2009	How Canada runs its own consumer finance protection agency - Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers Summary: "Doom and gloom warnings from U.S. banks that a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency would raise borrowing costs for consumers and restrict access to credit for small businesses haven't played out in Canada, which has had a similar agency since 2001."
Sep 30, 2009	Geithner: Reform Making "Progress" - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner continued to push for his regulatory restructuring plan, arguing that the administration is making progress."
Sep 30, 2009	Key senator sees vote on financial reform delayed - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "A key U.S. senator reiterated on Wednesday that full Senate consideration of a bill to overhaul financial regulation may not come until early next year."
Sep 30, 2009	Frank: No Case For CFPA To Pre-Empt States - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank today cast skepticism on calls for a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency to pre-empt state laws, noting business lobbyists have not made the case that higher state standards would create confusion in the marketplace."
Sep 30, 2009	Op-ed: Clearing up the future of futures - John Gapper, Financial Times Summary: "A year after the failure of Lehman Brothers, banks still make big profits from derivatives, particularly complex ones traded over the counter. US banks gained revenues of $15bn in the first half of this year on trading cash and derivatives, while the notional value of their holdings rose to $203,000bn."
Sep 30, 2009	Meltdown 101: Why do we have so many different bank regulators, and what do they do? - Daniel Wagner, Marcy Gordon, Associated Press Summary: "The financial crisis has renewed the focus on bank regulation. Critics contend the patchwork system contributed to the crisis by allowing some banks to slip through the cracks and others to seek weaker oversight."
Sep 30, 2009	Saving $4 Billion Interest Seen in Fannie-Freddie Debt Void - Jody Shenn, Bloomberg Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair Peter Wallison comments on the supply void in bond markets that may have saved U.S. taxpayers $3.8 billion and corporations $230 million in borrowing costs.
Sep 30, 2009	Two U.S. House panels take aim at credit raters - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "A U.S. congressional panel is expanding its probe of credit rating agencies to look at why securities regulators ignored warnings from former Moody's Corp (MCO.N) executives about the company's weak compliance department and ratings process."
Sep 30, 2009	U.S. House inches ahead on watchdog, OTC derivatives - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday edged closer to voting on proposals to establish a financial consumer watchdog and to regulate the over-the-counter derivatives market."
Sep 30, 2009	Prepaid Card Indus Fears Impact Of US Consumer Agency Bill - Jessica Holzer, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The U.S. prepaid card industry fears that legislation to create a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency will wind up shutting down a key distribution channel for prepaid reloadable cards."
Sep 30, 2009	Less Regulation, Better Credit Ratings? - Richard Beales, New York Times Summary: "Overregulating of credit ratings might just have a happy ending."
Sep 30, 2009	Op-ed: Jamie Dimon Misses Own Too-Big-to-Fail Threat - David Reilly Summary: "It was surprising to hear JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon say, 'It would be a very bad long-term policy error to have banks that are too big to fail.'"
Sep 30, 2009	S&P Lawyer Abrams Says Ratings Bill Would Deter Competition - Caroline Salas, Bloomberg Summary: "Proposed U.S. legislation to make credit-ratings companies liable for one another’s missteps would discourage competition, according to Floyd Abrams, an attorney representing Standard & Poor’s."
Sep 30, 2009	Pro-Business ‘New Democrats’ Try to Shape Financial Regulations - Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "After traveling to Manhattan this month to rally support for overhauling financial regulations, President Barack Obama invited several lawmakers to fly with him back to Washington on Air Force One. Among the chosen few: Jim Himes, a first-term congressman from Connecticut."
Sep 30, 2009	Banks, Civil Rights Advocates To Spar Over New Agency - Jessica Holzer, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Civil rights advocates and banking industry representatives were set to spar over draft legislation to create the Consumer Financial Protection Agency in a U.S. House hearing Wednesday."
Sep 30, 2009	Op-ed: Most Financial Reforms Won't Pass, Aren't Needed - Gina Passarella Summary: "It doesn't take a risk-averse general counsel to stay away from betting on how financial reform regulation will unfold, but that doesn't mean all eyes aren't on what might be coming down the pike."
Sep 30, 2009	Editorial: Signs of Life in Financial Reform - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Financial regulatory reform, which seemed to be lagging one year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, has gotten a new boost of energy. Unfortunately, Americans still cannot be sure it will produce real reform."
Sep 30, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Co-Chair and Member on 'Systemic Importance' And Moral Hazard - Peter Wallision and Charles Calomiris, National Journal Economy Blog Summary: Peter Wallison and Charles Calomiris, co-chair and a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force respectively, contributed an entry on the National Journal's Economy blog commenting on 'systemic importance' and moral hazard.
Sep 30, 2009	Worries About Fresh Regulatory Burdens - Katherine Kane, American Banker Summary: "The written responses in this quarter's Financial Services Executive Forum survey on regulatory issues hit on several themes but found an overall wariness of being saddled with overwhelming new regulations."
Sep 30, 2009	Moderate Democrats draft proposal that would shield major banks from tighter state regulation - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Moderate House Democrats are drafting a proposal that would continue to shield big banks from potentially tougher state regulations when it comes to selling products such as credit cards, mortgages and savings accounts."
Sep 30, 2009	Legislation may boost consumer protections - Patricia Sabatini, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Summary: "Consumer groups yesterday strongly backed legislation to create an independent regulatory agency whose sole mission would be protecting consumers from financial abuses."
Sep 29, 2009	Looking back at the G20 - Clive Crook, The Atlantic blog Summary: "The G20 is a far better forum for international economic co-operation than the G8. That is an important symbolic change, and it is good to see it formalised. Even so I think that Simon Johnson is right to say that if you ask people in a month what was accomplished in Pittsburgh, you'll get a blank stare."
Sep 29, 2009	Dodd Presses Case for Single Banking Regulator - Jessica Holzer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd pressed his case Tuesday for creating a single regulator to oversee U.S. banks."
Sep 29, 2009	Gibbs warns Congress not to soften consumer financial protection plan - Michael O'Brien Summary: "The White House is concerned by lawmakers' moves to scale back the size and reach of it proposed consumer financial protection agency, press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday." Gibbs chided House Democrats who have weakened the proposed consumer watchdog, but stopped short of issuing a veto threat for the bill as it's currently drafted.
Sep 29, 2009	Geithner says the Federal government needs more power to prevent bailouts - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Obama administration is taking steps to defend its financial reform plan against critics who are arguing that it enshrines a long-term role for Washington to bail out Wall Street."
Sep 29, 2009	Did Weak Lending Standards Really Drive the Crisis? - Zublin Jelveh, The Stash Blog, The New Republic Summary: "Many commentators assume so. But the role of declining lending standards may be overstated."
Sep 29, 2009	Op-ed: Why narrow banking alone is not the finance solution - Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summary: "Today’s concentrations of state-insured private wealth and power must surely go. At present, the official sector believes tighter regulation, particularly higher capital requirements, can contain these risks. But this is likely to fail. If it does, we will need to be radical. Yet narrow banking would still not be enough. We would need to rule out quasi-banking. Otherwise, we would soon return to the world of fragility and bail-outs. Funds that replace banks would have to pass the risks directly on to the outside investors.
Sep 29, 2009	Beware the bull market in derivatives - Matthew Goldstein, Reuters Summary: "There’s one statistic, however, that should give investors pause: the growth in the total dollar value of derivative contracts at the top too-big-to-fail banks in the United States."
Sep 29, 2009	Dodd defends his super-bank regulator proposal - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Responding to the financial crisis, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd on Tuesday refuted criticism that a plan of his to create a mega- bank regulator would be 'politically difficult.'"
Sep 29, 2009	Treasury Pushes For Resolution Authority - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Against a congressional backdrop of bailout fatigue, the Obama administration is ramping up its outreach to pass legislation to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, especially over the issue of unwinding financial firms whose collapse would threaten the broader economy."
Sep 29, 2009	Clamoring for Reforms, But What Kind? - Emily Flitter , American Banker Summary: "Bankers surveyed for the latest Financial Services Executive Forum were divided over how best to fix the financial regulatory system, and the size of their institutions had a lot to do with where they stood on the issue..."
Sep 29, 2009	FDIC Facing Two Bad Options, and Seeking a Third Way - Joe Adler, American Banker Summary: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair appears poised to forge a compromise that manages to satisfy disparate political interests while achieving her goals."
Sep 29, 2009	Op-ed: Das bubble - How Merkel's win will pressure U.S. against reform - David Weidner Summary: "Angela Merkel is probably not the first name you think of when you ponder where the next market bubble is going to come from."
Sep 29, 2009	Op-ed: It's Crunch Time: The Fight to Fix the Financial System Comes Down to This - Simon Johnson and James Kwak Summary: "The next couple of months will be crucial in determining the shape of the financial system for decades to come. And so far, the signs are not encouraging."
Sep 29, 2009	Law Professors Lobby for Consumer Agency - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Now joining the battle over the Obama administration plan to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency: more than 60 professors of consumer and banking law. They wrote to top House and Senate leaders Tuesday urging them to follow through with legislation that’s facing strong resistance from the banking sector and many corners of Congress."
Sep 29, 2009	Press Release: Accountants are Divided on the Obama Administration's Plan to Overhaul the Financial Regulatory System - Anthony Guerrieri, PRNewswire Summary: "[A] recent survey of 350 finance professionals which found that accountants are divided on the impact of President Barack Obama's proposal to overhaul the financial regulatory system and increase protections for consumers and individual investors. The survey...revealed that 48 percent of respondents believe that President Obama's plan will have a very positive or somewhat positive effect. This compares to 40 percent of accountants who say the plan will have a barely positive or negative effect."
Sep 29, 2009	Anger at bank overdraft fees gets hotter, bigger and louder - Kathy Chu, USA Today Summary: "Last week, four of the nation's largest banks said they would scale back some of their overdraft policies. Their efforts, while meaningful, have failed to appease lawmakers, including powerful Senate Banking Committee Chair Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who is preparing legislation to crack down on what he calls a pattern of 'abusive' practices."
Sep 29, 2009	Effort to reform financial system is losing steam - Anne Flaherty and Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: "Two key pieces of Obama's plan have emerged in recent weeks as particularly vulnerable: the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to police the fine print on credit cards and mortgages, and a requirement that banks offer customers 'plain vanilla' - low-risk, standardized - products such as 30-year fixed-rate mortgages."
Sep 29, 2009	Wall Street money rains on Chuck Schumer - Victoria McGrane and Lisa Lerer, Politico Summary: "Wall Street has showered nearly $11 million on the Senate since the beginning of the year, and more than 15 percent of it has gone to a single senator: Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York."
Sep 28, 2009	Editorial: Consumers need agency - The Scranton Times Tribune Editorial Board Summary: "A discussion in Congress about one of the worst practices of banks has revealed not only the need to reform the practice, but for the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Sep 28, 2009	Editorial: The F.D.I.C. and the Banks - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "The nation’s big banks are stable, for now, thanks largely to taxpayers. But small and midsize banks are failing left and right, undone by bad loans and a brutal recession. So far this year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has closed 95 banks, compared with 25 for all of last year."
Sep 28, 2009	Op-ed: Return of the old ways of thinking threatens recovery - Mohamed El-Erian Summary: "We are at the point of maximum confusion in the multi-year transition of the global economy, markets and policymaking. We have left the global growth regime that was driven primarily by debt-financed consumption in the US, but we have not as yet reached a position of more balanced, albeit anaemic, growth. Those who lack a robust anchoring framework, be they investors or policymakers, risk being misled and backtracking to outdated ways of thinking."
Sep 28, 2009	NAIC mulls overhaul of securities credit-rating system - Mark A Hofmann, Business Insurance Summary: "The National Assn. of Insurance Commissioners is pushing ahead with an effort to determine whether there are better alternatives to measure the risk of fixed-income securities than conventional credit ratings."
Sep 28, 2009	Op-ed: One Year Later - Reform of Wall Street means smarter financial regulation, not over-regulation - Duncan L. Niederauer Summary: "The first anniversary of the financial crisis has provided ample opportunity for reflection and analysis. One year after the crisis triggered a deep, worldwide recession, the stock market is up almost 50% from its low in March, consumer confidence is on the rise, housing prices have stabilized, and some financial institutions are paying back their TARP funds."
Sep 28, 2009	Op-ed: A Better Blueprint for Financial Regulation - Robert C. Pozen Summary: "As Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's chief of staff, once said, 'Never let a serious crisis go to waste.'"
Sep 28, 2009	Op-ed: Obama’s Too-Big-to-Fail Plan Is Too Dumb to Pass - Kevin Hassett Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s appearance in Congress last week to explain how President Barack Obama would overhaul financial regulation elicited the most striking sign yet that the wheels have come off the administration’s economic-policy team."
Sep 28, 2009	Frank Seeking Compromise on Fed Disclosure - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Seeking to temper growing momentum around an effort to audit the Federal Reserve Board, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank appeared Friday to be pushing..."
Sep 28, 2009	Zoellick Favors Power for Treasury, Not Fed - John Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "World Bank President Robert Zoellick questioned the wisdom of giving the Federal Reserve more power over banks, as the Obama administration has proposed."
Sep 28, 2009	The Bailout's Biggest Flaw - Justin Fox, Time Magazine Summary: "In recent weeks, the news media have engaged in...commemoration and explanation of the Lehman collapse and its aftermath. So here's the $64 trillion question: What, if anything, have we learned?"
Sep 27, 2009	Op-Ed: The Blob That Ate Monetary Policy - Richard W. Fisher and Harvey Rosenblum, Wall Street Journal Summary: "While the list of competitive advantages [Too Big To Fail] institutions have over their smaller rivals is long, it is also well-known. We focus instead on an unrecognized macroeconomic threat: The very existence of these banks has blocked, or seriously undermined, the mechanisms through which monetary policy influences the economy."
Sep 27, 2009	US banks face short-term borrowing rules - Henny Sender, Financial Times Summary: "US financial regulators are working on new rules aimed at helping banks avoid the sudden funding withdrawals that doomed Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, officials say."
Sep 27, 2009	Op-ed: In defence of financial innovation - Robert Shiller Summary: "Many appear to think that the increasing complexity of financial products is the source of the world financial crisis. In response to it, many argue that regulators should actively discourage complexity."
Sep 27, 2009	House Agriculture Chairman Eager to Regulate Derivatives - Adam K. White, Seeking Alpha Blog Summary: "Cargill and the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (NRN) said Sept. 18 that proposed regulation of financial derivatives could make it harder for them to do business, but House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said he thinks the issues for 'end users' can be resolved and that he is determined to tighten up on derivatives because their misuse was a key element in last year’s financial crisis."
Sep 27, 2009	Barney Frank Talks Back - Ezra Klein, Washington Post Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has had a big year. The acid-tongued chair of the House Financial Services Committee has been Congress's point person throughout the financial crisis and is now crafting the regulatory reform package that could reshape Wall Street."
Sep 27, 2009	Controversial financial protection proposal in spotlight with hearing - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Lobbying over a proposed federal agency to regulate consumer financial products will get more intense now that lawmakers have scaled back the Obama administration’s proposal."
Sep 27, 2009	G-20 leaders declare recovery worked, agree to new reform steps - Sam Youngman, The Hill Summary: President Obama and other world leaders said Friday that the steps they took to halt the global economic crisis have worked, but they agreed to new reforms and vigilance to prevent another financial catastrophe.
Sep 26, 2009	Derivatives Fight Widens - Peter H. Stone, National Journal Magazine Summary: "The clash over the Obama administration's plans to regulate the $600 trillion derivatives market is heating up, and a new coalition of powerful trade groups has joined the critics -- much to the relief of several big Wall Street banks that had been waging a lonely and uphill lobbying effort."
Sep 26, 2009	Financial Reform's Uncertain Future - John Maggs, National Journal Magazine Summary: "For the Obama administration, the biggest hurdle to completing an overhaul of financial regulation in 2009 is convincing the major participants that it is possible--and that the president is fully committed to the deadline."
Sep 26, 2009	Fresh bailouts for smaller banks being weighed - Daniel Wagner, Associated Press Summary: "Treasury officials and regulators are weighing a fresh round of bailouts for banks that were deemed too risky to qualify for earlier aid."
Sep 25, 2009	GAO audit would be bad policy: Federal Reserve lawyer - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: " Legislation that would require the Government Accountability Office to audit how the Federal Reserve implements monetary policy would undermine the central bank's independence and hurt its ability to protect the financial system, according to prepared testimony Thursday from the Fed's top lawyer."
Sep 25, 2009	Fed’s Alvarez Says Audits Could Lead to Higher Rates - Craig Torres and Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve General Counsel Scott Alvarez said audits of monetary policy by the U.S. Congress could lead to higher interest rates and reduced confidence in central bank policy."
Sep 25, 2009	Barney Frank Backs Down on Finance Reform, Infuriating Liberals - Max Fisher, The Atlantic Wire Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank has dropped a provision from forthcoming legislation that would have required financial firms to offer simple, 'plain vanilla' alternatives to the complicated products that helped create the recession. The provision, highly popular with liberals, would have been incorporated into the mission of the White House's proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Sep 25, 2009	Geithner promises timeframes for financial reform at G-20 - Sam Youngman, The Hill Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said world leaders have reached 'broad consensus' on financial regulatory reforms and standards and will leave the G-20 summit with 'concrete timeframes to put these reforms in place.'"
Sep 25, 2009	Fed audit bill gets backing from key lawmaker - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., on Friday backed a bill to require a broad congressional auditing of how the Federal Reserve carries out its monetary policy, including how much it has lent and will lend to specific banks as part of its bank bailout program."
Sep 25, 2009	G-20 to Curb Banker Pay, Coordinate More as Global Crisis Ebbs - Simon Kennedy and Gonzalo Vina, Bloomberg Summary: "Group of 20 leaders said they will crack down on banker pay and better align economic policies as they turned from crisis management to delivering a new set of rules for the world economy."
Sep 25, 2009	Op-ed: A New Model for Banks? - David Ignatius Summary: "When you think about future financial stability, ask yourself this contrarian question: Why is it that the nefarious hedge funds, supposedly the bad boys of the financial world, came through last year's crisis in relatively good shape?"
Sep 25, 2009	Op-ed: How to Get the Consumer Agency Through Congress - Noam Scheiber, The Stash Blog, The New Republic Summary: "I've spent part of the week complaining about the way community banks are trying to gut the administration's consumer financial regulatory agency even though, in principle, they stand to benefit."
Sep 25, 2009	More on Managing Systemic Risk - James Kwak, Baseline Scenario Blog Summary: "David Moss wrote a good article in Harvard Magazine about systemic risk and regulation; it’s based on an earlier working paper of his. The problem statement is not particularly original, but very clearly put: Depression-era regulation brought an end to recurring financial crises because deposit insurance was combined with strict prudential regulation to guard against moral hazard."
Sep 25, 2009	Op-ed: Fifty Eliot Spitzers - Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congress and the Treasury have been forced to peel back their financial reform ambitions, which is some cause for relief. But not nearly enough, because their plan for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency would still unleash 50 state attorneys general to harass America's banks. Think Eliot Spitzer, without the self-restraint."
Sep 25, 2009	Fed’s Strategy Reduces U.S. Bailout Pledges to $11.6 Trillion - Mark Pittman and Bob Ivry, Bloomberg Summary: "The Federal Reserve decided to keep pumping $1.25 trillion of new money into the mortgage market to focus on rescuing the U.S. economy as the financial system revives and banks ask for less help."
Sep 24, 2009	Op-ed: We need to rationalise the rules on capital - Howard Davies Summary: "One area of the Pittsburgh agenda where there appears to be an emerging consensus is on the need for more capital in the global banking system. Some of the Group of 20 leaders, attending a summit in the US city, may differ on when capital regulations should be tightened, but there is agreement on the direction of change."
Sep 24, 2009	Why So Hard to Make Banks Boost Capital? - Theo Francis, BusinessWeek Summary: "Just about everyone agrees: Banks need to hold more capital. So why are so many predicting little real progress on that front at the G-20 summit?"
Sep 24, 2009	G-20 Leaders Urge Financial Reforms, but Dramatic Results Seen as Unlikely - Carolyn O'Hara, Online NewsHour Summary: "As the leaders of the G-20 meet in Pittsburgh to discuss how to overhaul the global financial system, countries are calling for a wide spectrum of reforms. But a dramatic overhaul of how the global economy is run may be unlikely."
Sep 24, 2009	Too Early To Call Recovery, NYSE Euronext CEO Says - Daisy Maxey, Dow Jones Newswire Summary: "Duncan Niederauer, chief executive of the NYSE Euronext (NYX), said he sees reason to be optimistic about the economy, but believes it's far too early to tell if the market's rebound indicates an economic recovery."
Sep 24, 2009	Frank: Insurance charter fight to happen next year - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said on Thursday that lawmakers next year will begin to consider whether parts of the insurance industry should be overseen by the federal government instead of state authorities."
Sep 24, 2009	Pro-Business Dem Takes On Consumer Bill - Carrie Dann, National Journal Summary: "Leading the charge to reshape a proposal to create a consumer watchdog for financial products, a freshman Democratic lawmaker has sided with traditionally Republican business and financial services groups to press for federal pre-emption of state consumer laws."
Sep 24, 2009	Stricter bank rules will do little to curb lending - Associated Press Summary: "Requiring banks to maintain bigger cushions of capital would curb U.S. lending less than many experts and policymakers have suggested, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts study released Thursday."
Sep 24, 2009	Former Fed Chair Volcker says Obama's plans keep 'too big to fail,' may cause future bailouts - Daniel Wagner, Associated Press Summary: "A top White House economic adviser says the Obama administration's proposed overhaul of financial rules preserves the policy of 'too big to fail,' and could lead to future bailouts."
Sep 24, 2009	Former Fed Chief Volcker backs keeping central bank power - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Thursday said he opposed congressional calls to take away the central bank's authority over everything bank related except monetary policy. "
Sep 24, 2009	Banks Forced to Hold More Capital Won’t Cut Loans, Report Says - Michael J. Moore, Bloomberg Summary: A paper from the Pew Financial Reform Project discussing banking policy and regulation reports, "U.S. banks won’t reduce lending if they are required to increase capital because the additional cushion for losses will lower their cost of funds."
Sep 24, 2009	Fed Signals Growth Return Insufficient to End Monetary Stimulus - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: The Federal Reserve signaled that the U.S. economy’s return to growth is insufficient to withdraw stimulus as officials seek to reduce the highest unemployment rate in a quarter century.
Sep 24, 2009	Democrats Soften Financial Bill - Damian Paletta and Kara Scannell, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Congressional Democrats and the White House are softening some elements of the Obama administration's proposal to overhaul financial-market supervision as they begin a push to win broader support for the bill."
Sep 24, 2009	Geithner Presses for Regulatory Overhaul - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner on Wednesday once again pressed Congress to pass a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system, telling members of the House Financial Services Committee that 'we can't let the momentum for reform fade as the memory of the crisis recedes.' "
Sep 23, 2009	Op-ed: Why the G-20 Must Regulate Bank Pay - Peter Morici Summary: "Wall Street greed and irresponsibility have nearly destroyed the U.S. economy. Big bonuses for bankers encourage reckless risk taking — and were a principal cause of the credit crisis and Great Recession. Peter Morici argues that in order to avoid another calamity, pay must be regulated."
Sep 23, 2009	'Vanilla' banking mandate falls flat - Sean Lengell, Washington Times Summary: "Congress appears set to ignore President Obama's proposal that banks be required to offer 'plain vanilla' financial products such as 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, giving the banking industry an early victory in its fight with the administration over how to reform the financial-services sector."
Sep 23, 2009	Sen. Dodd Backs Banking Super-Regulator - National Public Radio Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said Wednesday that he favors the creation of a single regulator to oversee U.S. banks, calling the current system 'an irrational system created by historical accident.'"
Sep 23, 2009	Peterson Confident About Frank, Concerned About Dodd - Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson said Tuesday he believes a financial overhaul bill could win House approval this fall, but now he is concerned about where the Senate seems to be headed on regulatory reform."
Sep 23, 2009	Reed Derivatives Bill Would Go Further Than Treasury Plan - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "A key senator unveiled legislation Tuesday to further regulate the multitrillion-dollar derivatives market following the downfall of American International Group, going much farther than the Obama administration in some instances to rein in the industry."
Sep 23, 2009	New Democrats Pose New Hurdle For Frank - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The New Democrat Coalition and consumer activists are dueling over whether national banks should be exempt from a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, creating a headache for House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank as he tries to advance a bill as part of broader financial regulatory overhaul."
Sep 23, 2009	Chamber is against consumer agency - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is working on changes to the consumer financial protection agency, seeking to address concerns raised by the business community about President Barack Obama’s proposal to create an independent federal watchdog to protect consumer interests."
Sep 23, 2009	Op-ed: Markets are the best judge of bank capital - Andrew Kuritzkes and Hal Scott Summary: "Leaders of the Group of 20 summit begin their summit in Pittsburgh on Thursday determined to increase the resilience of a financial sector that was brought to its knees last autumn. To this end, the G20 finance ministers, together with the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the international body that sets bank capital rules, have called for banks’ mandated minimum capital ratios to be raised and for large banks to hold even more capital."
Sep 23, 2009	Op-ed: Where there’s a will there’s a way - John Gapper Summary: "Of all the suggestions since the financial crisis erupted to rein in banks and curb their incentives to become too big to be allowed to fail, the most cunning is the 'living will'."
Sep 23, 2009	U.S. lawmakers rebuff regulators' pleas to keep powers - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday dismissed bank regulators' calls to preserve their consumer protection duties, saying their dismal track record reinforces the argument for a powerful new independent agency."
Sep 23, 2009	Frank lashes out at Fed for inadequate consumer protections - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on Wednesday lashed out at the Federal Reserve for failing to fulfill its consumer protection responsibilities in the run-up the financial crisis."
Sep 23, 2009	Proposal would limit scope of new oversight agency - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Ceding ground amid growing business opposition, the Obama administration on Wednesday signaled a willingness to exempt retailers, real estate brokers, lawyers, auto dealers, cable companies and accountants from oversight of its proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Sep 23, 2009	Brussels unveils regulation reform plan - Nikki Tait, Financial Times Summary: "A more centralised system of financial supervision in Europe moved a step closer on Wednesday when the European Commission unveiled legislation that officials hope will guard against a repeat of last year’s financial crisis."
Sep 23, 2009	White House Pares Its Financial Reform Plan - Stephen Labaton, New York Times Summary: On Wednesday the Obama administration abandoned a symbolically significant provision in the face of widespread political and industry opposition.
Sep 23, 2009	Obama administration tries to reclaim financial overhaul debate - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "The Obama administration is trying to reclaim the debate on financial reform amid an aggressive push-back by banks who say the consumer-friendly proposal would add burdensome regulations and cripple their industry."
Sep 23, 2009	Op-ed: Fed’s Focus on Exit Ignores Unguarded Entrance - Caroline Baum, Bloomberg Summary: "In an effort to determine what went wrong and enshrine “never again” as their motto, central bankers are focusing on what they did, or didn’t do, in their role as regulators to aid and abet the financial crisis."
Sep 23, 2009	Obama Administration Pushing for Regulatory Reform on Many Fronts - Binyamin Appelbaum, The Washington Post Summary: "The battle to pass regulatory reform legislation in the face of intense opposition launches in earnest Wednesday morning with a hearing featuring Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, who will once again champion a package of sweeping changes that only Congress has the power to make."
Sep 23, 2009	Despite Differences, Hill Leaders Tout Reg Reform - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "While acknowledging differences in their approach to regulatory reform, Rep. Frank and Sen. Dodd said Tuesday that they are making significant progress on the legislation."
Sep 23, 2009	Fed to note economic improvement, may hint on exit - Mark Felsenthal, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to take note of an improving economy at the close of a meeting on Wednesday, while cautioning that high unemployment puts the recovery at risk."
Sep 23, 2009	Geithner Pushes Program Aimed at Growth - Bob Davis and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said revamping global economic and regulatory policies at this week's Group of 20 summit is critical to producing strong growth after the deepest recession since the Great Depression."
Sep 22, 2009	Excerpts from lawmaker's memo on consumer agency - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The following are excerpts from Rep. Barney Frank's memo to Democratic lawmakers on the possible changes to the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Sep 22, 2009	Fed increases scrutiny over bank bonuses - Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: "US regulators have intensified efforts to gather intelligence on banks’ trading positions in a move that could herald a drive to ensure traders’ bonuses are based on real profits rather than unrealised gains."
Sep 22, 2009	US senator introduces bill to regulate derivatives - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senator Jack Reed on Tuesday introduced legislation to regulate derivatives such as credit default swaps that have been widely blamed for fueling the recent financial crisis."
Sep 22, 2009	CFTC, SEC to speak at US House derivatives hearing - Russell Blinch, Reuters Summary: "Leaders of the two major federal regulators of U.S. financial markets will testify before the House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday as concern mounts about the pace of the White House's plan to regulate the multi-trillion over-the-counter derivatives market."
Sep 22, 2009	S.E.C. Warns Swaps May Evade White House Reform - Charles Abbott and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. securities regulator warned Congress on Tuesday that parts of the $450 trillion private swaps market could still fall through regulatory cracks under the Obama administration's financial reform plan."
Sep 22, 2009	Lobbying intensifies over regulatory plan - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is preparing a new draft of legislation that would set up a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) with broad authority to regulate consumer products such as home loans and credit cards."
Sep 22, 2009	Rep. Frank extracts vanilla from consumer agency - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The Congress' chief author of financial regulatory reform moved on Tuesday to kill the most controversial part of an Obama administration proposal for a new government watchdog for financial consumers."
Sep 22, 2009	Regulatory Overhaul Could Slide to 2010 - Phil Mattingly, CQ Staff Summary: While finishing the massive task this year was always considered a long shot, key lawmakers are now talking more openly about a delay as Capitol Hill remains consumed by a proposed health care overhaul.
Sep 22, 2009	Bank Group Opposes Regulators' Merger - Brady Dennis and Neil Irwin, The Washington Post Summary: "Financial industry lobbyists on Monday denounced a proposal that would eliminate the four federal agencies now overseeing banks and instead create one super-regulator, calling the plan unwieldy, harmful to the banking system and a possible a roadblock to wider financial reform."
Sep 22, 2009	Fed Effort to Stoke Growth May Be Undermined by ‘Tight’ Credit - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s efforts to stoke a U.S. economic recovery may be undermined by the central bank’s other goal of restoring the banking system to health."
Sep 21, 2009	Op-ed: Obama administration’s plans to shake up consumer protection are deeply flawed - Hal Scott Summary: "The Obama administration has made the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, now embodied in the act introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, a central part of its regulatory reform plan."
Sep 21, 2009	G-20 Urged to Increase Bank Reserves - Carter Dougherty, New York Times Summary: "World leaders at the Group of 20 meeting this week should force banks to build up their reserves substantially to avoid another acute financial crisis, a leading association of regulatory experts said Monday."
Sep 21, 2009	Obama pushes economic message ahead of big summits - Caren Bohan, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama's multitasking abilities will be tested this week as he juggles war, diplomacy and finance on a high-profile world stage along with the American public's top concern: the U.S. economy."
Sep 21, 2009	Consensus in Senate builds to weaken Federal Reserve by stripping it of bank oversight - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Consensus is building in the U.S. Senate for legislation that would significantly weaken the Federal Reserve by stripping its power to oversee banks and hand that job to a single federal bank regulator."
Sep 21, 2009	Frank backs consumer watchdog plan - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank says he won’t ditch the White House’s plan to create a new consumer financial watchdog, despite pressure from the industry and concern among some conservative Democrats."
Sep 21, 2009	Obama administration pressures Congress to pass financial reform - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "As time passes from the height of the financial crisis one year ago and the economy begins to recover, administration officials are ramping up their calls for congressional lawmakers not to let the window of opportunity close before enacting a series of new regulations."
Sep 21, 2009	Obama to focus on innovation in New York speech - Patricia Zengerle, Reuters Summary: President Barack Obama travels to New York on Monday to promote his strategy to improve the U.S. economy...building on more than $100 billion in economic stimulus funds, as well as regulatory and other initiatives.
Sep 21, 2009	Blue Dog Democrats eye new financial reform - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Blue Dogs and other conservative Democrats — uneasy with a key element of President Barack Obama’s plan to regulate Wall Street — are rallying around an alternative proposal that scraps the consumer financial protection agency the president has been pushing."
Sep 21, 2009	Dodd Plan for Bank Regulator May Spark Fight With Frank, Obama - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd’s plan for a single bank regulator may set up a fight with House colleague Barney Frank and the Obama administration and might slow the overhaul of financial rules."
Sep 21, 2009	Fed Rejects Geithner Request for Study of Governance, Structure - Craig Torres and Robert Schmidt, Bloomberg Summary: "The Federal Reserve Board has rejected a request by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for a public review of the central bank’s structure and governance, three people familiar with the matter said."
Sep 20, 2009	Protect Consumers, Raise Capital, And Jam The Revolving Wall St-Washington Door - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "Ben Bernanke has a great opportunity to lead the reform of our financial system. His standing in Washington and on Wall Street is at an all-time high, as a result of his bailout/rescue efforts. He is about to be reappointed with acclaim for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. And he has a lot to answer for."
Sep 20, 2009	Economy moves closer to coming off life support - Irwin Stelzer, TimesOnline Blog Summary: "This gradual exit from support for the financial sector is being accompanied by an attempt to enter the boardrooms of many of the leading financial institutions. The Fed has announced that it will review the pay policies of some 5,000 firms and reject any that encourage excessive risk-taking. The president also wants reform."
Sep 20, 2009	Op-ed: Reform or Bust - Paul Krugman Summary: "The good news is that senior officials in the Obama administration and at the Federal Reserve seem to be losing patience with the industry’s selfishness. The bad news is that it’s not clear whether President Obama himself is ready, even now, to take on the bankers."
Sep 20, 2009	Regulatory reform debate on tap - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: The debate over revamping the nation's financial regulatory system will pick up steam next week when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner heads to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify before House lawmakers.
Sep 20, 2009	US senator plans radical regulation rethink - Edward Luce, Financial Times Summary: "Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate banking committee, on Sunday revealed plans that would put him strikingly at odds with the Obama administration’s proposals to reform Wall Street and would almost certainly provoke a war with the financial industry."
Sep 19, 2009	Big Power Producers Fight Derivatives Bill - Mark Peters, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. power markets are being swept up in a derivatives-regulation bill backed by the Obama administration, raising objections from generators who fear the changes would make it harder to protect against swings in commodity prices."
Sep 18, 2009	FDIC May Seek to Avoid New Assessment - Joe Adler, American Banker Summary: "Under pressure from lawmakers not to charge banks another special assessment, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said the agency would consider other alternatives — including some obscure ones — before it decides to act."
Sep 18, 2009	Volcker Criticizes Obama Plan to Expand Fed’s Role - Michael McKee, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul Volcker, a former Federal Reserve chairman and now a outside economic adviser to President Barack Obama, criticized the administration’s plan to give the Fed authority to supervise 'systemically important' financial firms."
Sep 18, 2009	Bankers May Face Sweeping Curbs on Pay - Damian Paletta and Jon Hilsenrath, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Policies that set the pay for tens of thousands of bank employees nationwide would require approval from the Federal Reserve as part of a far-reaching proposal to rein in risk-taking at financial institutions."
Sep 18, 2009	Dodd Preps Bill to Limit Fees on Overdrafts - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "A drive to restrict overdraft fees is rapidly gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, potentially threatening a revenue stream that has become crucially important to many institutions during the financial crisis."
Sep 17, 2009	Op-ed: The Stimulus Didn't Work - John F. Cogan, John B. Taylor and Volker Wieland Summary: John B. Taylor, Pew Financial Reform Task Force member, co-authors an article discussing the success of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 six months after its implementation.
Sep 17, 2009	Did the Stimulus Work? - CNBC Summary: John Taylor, member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force and economics professor at Stanford University, argues that the goverment stimulus aimed at "jump starting" the lagging consumption did not work as intended.
Sep 17, 2009	Peterson: Frank Too Slow On Overhaul - Jerry Hagstrom and Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson said today he considers House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank's plans to move an overall financial services reform bill in November 'unacceptable' because the public expects a bill to be finished this year."
Sep 17, 2009	Podcast: Health Care and the Economy - The Caucus Blog, New York Times Summary: "[President Obama's] call for an overhaul of financial regulations, meanwhile, is losing urgency as the economic crisis fades and a slow recovery begins. But it is not dead yet."
Sep 17, 2009	SEC moves to reform credit rating agencies - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "Credit agencies will have to disclose more of their ratings history, and banks will have to share data used to rate financial products with all credit agencies, under rules adopted by U.S. regulators on Thursday."
Sep 17, 2009	Peterson Calls House Schedule To Take Up Bill Policing Derivatives Markets ‘Unacceptable’ - Ellyn Ferguson, CQ Summary: "House Agriculture Chairman Collin C. Peterson said he is increasingly worried by the slow pace of House efforts to police derivatives markets."
Sep 17, 2009	Volcker Sees ‘Long Slog’ for U.S. Economy, Seeks Bank Limits - Peter J. Brennan, Christine Harper and Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who’s an economic adviser to President Barack Obama, said there’s a “long way to go” before the economy returns to pre-recession levels. Volcker...renewed his call to restrict the activities of banks so large that their collapse would threaten the financial system."
Sep 17, 2009	SEC to Consider Flash-Order Ban, Rules for Credit-Rating Firms - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will consider banning flash trading and imposing new rules on credit-rating companies that drew fire for misreading the risks of investing in toxic mortgage securities."
Sep 17, 2009	Relevance of Crisis Panel May Grow as Reform Stalls - Steven Sloan and Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "Lawmakers wary of quickly enacting reform could point to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which holds its first public meeting today, and argue that Congress should await the panel's December 2010 final report before acting."
Sep 17, 2009	Divining the Next Moves by Bernanke's Fed - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Today's Fed is on the defensive. Its display of extraordinary, almost unchecked, power in responding to the financial crisis has made many politicians and citizens uneasy. So it is trying to dispel the mystery and practice the 'transparency' about which its current chairman, Ben Bernanke, has preached for so long."
Sep 17, 2009	Obama to reassure G20 on Wall Street reform - Caren Bohan, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama will pledge U.S. action on financial regulatory reform at the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh and underscore the need for global coordination on the issue, a senior aide said."
Sep 17, 2009	Financial-crisis commission's challenge: staying bipartisan - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "A special commission to determine the causes of the financial crisis is trying to pattern itself after the bipartisan panel that investigated the 2001 terrorist attacks -- but some Republicans say the deck already is stacked against them."
Sep 16, 2009	SEC and FSA to share data on hedge funds - Brooke Masters and Joanna Chung, Bloomberg Summary: "UK and US regulators took a step towards co-ordinated global financial regulation on Wednesday as they agreed they would ask hedge fund managers to report a common set of data to both countries. The deal is part of a larger effort to share information and co-ordinate regulation and enforcement between the two countries, and came out of a meeting between the respective heads of the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK’s Financial Services Authority. “The global crisis has underlined how intertwined financial markets and institutions are and regulators around the world have to work together to ensure appropriate oversight,” said Hector Sants, FSA chief executive.
Sep 16, 2009	Bernanke May Accept Slow Recovery to Fight Inflation - Craig Torres, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, who yesterday said the U.S. recession probably has ended, may have to accept a slow recovery and high unemployment as the price for defending his inflation-fighting credentials."
Sep 16, 2009	No More Mr. Nice Guy - Lorraine Mallinder, Financial Post Summary: "The United States capital markets hold as much appeal as ever for Canadian companies, but as our southern neighbour focuses on finding its regulatory feet in the wake of financial shocks, it is now a far stricter place to do business."
Sep 16, 2009	Some fires are best left to burn out - William White, Financial Times Summary: "Conventional wisdom among forest managers remains that it is best to let natural forest fires burn themselves out, unless particularly dangerous conditions apply. Burning appears to be part of a natural process of forest rejuvenation. Moreover, intermittent fires burn away the undergrowth that might accumulate and make any eventual fire uncontrollable. Perhaps modern macroeconomists could learn from the forest managers."
Sep 16, 2009	Treasury Appeals to Main Street for Wall Street Rules Overhaul - Lorraine Woellert, Bloomberg Summary: "Treasury Department officials are meeting with consumer allies to build support for a regulations overhaul for Wall Street as President Barack Obama ramps up a campaign to win legislation by year’s end."
Sep 16, 2009	Fed to Examine Op-Subs for Consumer Protection - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "Trying to prove it takes its consumer protection role seriously, the Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday said it would begin examining potentially hundreds of nonbank subsidiaries."
Sep 16, 2009	Proposed financial protection agency has friends and foes - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Obama administration’s plan for a new consumer financial protection agency has quickly become the most controversial element of a broader effort to revamp the nation’s financial laws."
Sep 16, 2009	Editorial: Waiting for reform of Wall Street - San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board Summary: "Time is of the essence when it comes to financial regulation reform. Memories are short, lobbyists are persuasive and the temptation for Washington to let things go back to 'normal' grows with each day from last September's financial disaster."
Sep 16, 2009	Editorial: Economy is still vulnerable - The Miami Herald Editorial Board Summary: "One year after the onset of the economic shock that brought the American economy to the brink of collapse, the most amazing aspect of the crisis is how little has been done to ensure that something like this never happens again. Dithering in Congress and a business-as-usual attitude on Wall Street have left American consumers and the economy vulnerable to another punishing disaster sooner or later."
Sep 16, 2009	Anti-Fed Activists Fuel Push for Audit - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "At the core of a congressional push to audit the Federal Reserve are activists with a larger purpose: to abolish the central bank."
Sep 16, 2009	Bernanke: Recession 'Likely Over' - Sara Murray and Ann Zimmerman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that the recession was 'very likely over,' as consumers showed some of the first tangible signs of spending again. Mr. Bernanke, who had become cautiously more upbeat in recent weeks amid signs of third-quarter growth, said for the first time that forecasters agree 'at this point that we are in a recovery.' "
Sep 15, 2009	Barney and His Very Important Friend - Dana Milbank, Washington Post Summary: "Barney Frank visited the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Monday before President Obama addressed Wall Street, and he was asked by Bloomberg TV to preview the speech."
Sep 15, 2009	Bipartisan concerns dog financial reform - Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner Summary: "Lawmakers from both parties are apprehensive about the financial regulatory reform plan being pushed by President Obama as a cure for meltdowns like the one that sent markets plunging last year."
Sep 15, 2009	U.S. Fed to police non-bank consumer complaints - David Lawder, Reuters Summary: "The U.S. Federal Reserve said on Tuesday it was immediately launching a new consumer compliance supervision program for mortgage companies and other non-bank subsidiaries of the firms it regulates."
Sep 15, 2009	Obama's Financial Reform - A Distraction from the Real Issues - Simon Johnson, Seeking Alpha Blog Summary: "President Obama’s speech yesterday was disappointing. As a diagnosis of the problems that let us into financial crisis, it was his clearest and best effort so far. He didn’t say it was a rare accident for which no one is to blame; rather he placed the blame squarely on the structure, incentives, and actions of Wall Street. But then he said: our regulatory reforms will fix that. This is hard to believe."
Sep 15, 2009	Investigation After Great Depression Altered Wall Street - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "The last time Washington enacted a sweeping set of financial reforms, more than 75 years ago, the catalyst was a cigar-smoking, Sicilian-born immigrant named Ferdinand Pecora."
Sep 15, 2009	GOP: No more government bailouts; bankruptcy works - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Republican lawmakers gathered in Washington on Tuesday to promote their proposals to expedite the bankruptcy process, create a trust for large problem institutions and express their belief that the White House and Democratic regulatory-reform plans will simply enshrine a bailout culture by continuing the policies of the past."
Sep 15, 2009	Focus is on Main St. as firms fight Wall St. rules - Julie Hershfeld Davis, Associated Press Summary: "Recognizing that many people see them as villains, the financial industry and big business groups working to stop key elements of President Barack Obama's financial overhaul are taking a new tack."
Sep 15, 2009	Editorial: Fix the system that led to collapse - Chicago Daily Herald Editorial Board Summary: "We all now understand that the tricks of finance that crashed the housing market - and the economy - were the same tools used to afford bigger homes, nicer cars, luxury vacations."
Sep 15, 2009	Consumer protection faces lobby fight - Sean Lengell, Washington Times Summary: "While the din of the health care debate continues to envelope Capitol Hill, another divisive White House-backed measure looming on the sidelines already has attracted dozens of deep pocketed players determined to strike it down."
Sep 15, 2009	Op-ed: Let's Grade Wall Street Like Colleges - William McGurn Summary: "Is Harvard really the best? It turns out that depends on who you ask—and what you ask. As students across America return to campus for the new school year, new editions of three prominent college guides variously rank Harvard at No. 1, No. 5, and No. 11. Therein lies a timely lesson for our system of credit ratings."
Sep 15, 2009	Editorial: Our view on reshaping Wall Street: A year after Lehman’s fall, financial regulation stalls - The USA Today Editorial Board Summary: "Of all the things on President Obama's agenda when he took office in January, fixing the banking system looked like one of the least controversial."
Sep 15, 2009	Op-ed: From freefall to stability - Steve Bartlett Summary: "Everything has changed. Nothing has changed. One year ago, our economy was in a freefall. With necessary speed the Congress, regulatory agencies and financial services industry stabilized a system that was in shock."
Sep 15, 2009	Op-ed: Why a Lehman deal would not have saved us - Niall Ferguson Summary: "If only. Lawrence McDonald begins his insider’s account of the fall of Lehman Brothers with seven 'what if' scenarios, speculating on how different decisions might have saved his former employer."
Sep 15, 2009	Op-ed: Lehman and the Financial Crisis - John H. Cochrane and Luigi Zingales Summary: "One year ago today Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. The weeks that followed are among the most dramatic in U.S. history. They led to a massive government intervention in the financial system—an intervention that will likely change that system forever."
Sep 15, 2009	Financial Crisis Commission To Hold First Public Meeting Thursday - Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, established by Congress to investigate all aspects of the financial market meltdown last year, is to convene its first public meeting Thursday."
Sep 15, 2009	For Obama, a Chance to Reform the Street Is Fading - Stephen Labaton and Jeff Zeleny, New York Times Summary: "President Obama on Monday sternly admonished the financial industry and lawmakers to accept his proposals to reshape financial regulation to protect the nation from a repeat of the excesses that drove Lehman Brothers into bankruptcy and wreaked havoc on the global economy last year."
Sep 15, 2009	Op-ed: The Wall Street Casino, Back in Business - Eugene Robinson Summary: "The Obama administration and the Federal Reserve get too little credit for skillfully managing this terrible recession in a way that has kept it from turning into an all-out catastrophe."
Sep 15, 2009	A Tough Crowd on Wall Street - Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "When President Obama delivered his stern message to Wall Street Monday, he was addressing some the finance world’s top echelon of dealmakers. However, the muted reaction from the crowd gave the sense that the country wasn’t any closer to reforming Wall Street in any real sense."
Sep 15, 2009	Op-ed: Finger-wagging is just not enough, Mr President - Ian King Summary: "But for all his finger-wagging, for all his promises to undertake serious financial reform, the President has actually done remarkably little so far."
Sep 15, 2009	Lots of Fear Remains Over Economy, Job Losses - Jon Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta, Washington Post Summary: "Despite fresh signs that the worst may be over for the beleaguered U.S. economy, there has been no letup in public fears about possible financial hardship ahead and there is broad concern that not enough is being done to avert another meltdown, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."
Sep 15, 2009	Obama Sees Job Losses Ending, Vows to Push on Wall Street Rules - Rich Miller and Julianna Goldman, Bloomberg Summary: "Obama, speaking to Bloomberg News one year after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. crippled the economy, voiced confidence that his plan to overhaul regulation to forestall another crisis would pass Congress this year. He vowed 'to do everything I can' to fight banking industry efforts to kill his proposal for a financial products safety agency and stuck by his call to make the Federal Reserve responsible for ensuring the stability of the overall system."
Sep 14, 2009	Lombard Street Issue 12 Out - Lombard Street, Various Authors Summary: Lombard Street, the first ever e‐journal focused exclusively on financial services regulation, releases its 12th issue with articles on OTC derivatives regulation and financial innovation.
Sep 14, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project on All Things Considered - NPR Summary: As part of the Pew Charitable Trusts Financial Reform Project's ongoing effort to create a consensus through bipartisan discussion on financial reform, the Pew Charitable Trust collaborated with NPR's Planet Money in hosting a panel discussion featuring Pew's expert task force members and other professional financial experts representing varying viewpoints.
Sep 14, 2009	Fed’s Lacker: Financial Regulation Could Backfire - Maya Jackson Randall, Wall Street Journal Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "As the U.S. president was outlining his plan to rework U.S. finance rules, Richmond Federal Reserve Bank Chief Jeffrey Lacker argued that some of the Obama administration’s proposals could backfire and encourage excessive risk-taking in financial markets."
Sep 14, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Members on Paul Krugman in National Journal Blog - Martin N. Baily, Charles Calomiris Summary: John Maggs of National Journal asks, "What do you think of Paul Krugman's lengthy and provocative argument 'How Did Economists Get it So Wrong?' in Sunday's New York Times Magazine?"
Sep 14, 2009	Pelosi Statement on Obama Speech on Urgent Need for Financial Regulatory Reform - Nancy Pelosi Summary: "Less than one year ago, congressional Democrats took strong actions for oversight, accountability, and taxpayer protections as part of the Bush Administration's $700 billion plan to address the financial crisis. Now, these protections are beginning to bear fruit. In 11 months, taxpayers have earned a 17 percent annualized rate of return on TARP investments that two dozen financial firms have fully repaid."
Sep 14, 2009	Op-ed: For all Obama's talk of overhaul, the US has failed to wind in Wall Street - Joseph Stiglitz Summary: "Lehman Brothers was a symptom of a dysfunctional financial system and regulatory failure. It should have taught us that preventing problems is easier, and certainly less costly, than dealing with them when they become virtually intractable."
Sep 14, 2009	What Happened To The Push To Reform Wall Street? - Kevin Whitelaw, National Public Radio Summary: "President Obama on Monday sternly told the nation's financial community that major reforms are still needed to prevent a recurrence of last year's devastating economic crash."
Sep 14, 2009	SEC Mulls Ways To Hold Credit-Rating Firms Liable For Ratings - Sarah N. Lynch, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission next week plans to explore whether it should consider rolling back a long-time barrier that has helped protect credit-rating agencies from investor lawsuits."
Sep 14, 2009	Frank Says Regulatory Panel Will Police Systemic Risk - Alison Vekshin and Peter Cook, Bloomberg Summary: "House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said Congress will empower a council of regulators to monitor large firms for systemic risk, bucking a White House plan to give that authority to the Federal Reserve."
Sep 14, 2009	Regulation Overhaul Faces Multiple Hurdles - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Despite President Obama's renewed call for legislation this year to revamp the nation's financial regulatory system, its chances remain slim amid Republican resistance, heavy industry lobbying and a crowded legislative calendar focused on health care."
Sep 14, 2009	Obama Wall Street speech: execs wary of his reforms - Ron Scherer, Christian Science Monitor Summary: "President Obama came to Wall Street to chastise executives and to urge Congress to pass tougher regulation of the bankers and brokers whom he blamed for the crisis in the financial markets a year ago."
Sep 14, 2009	Rep. Brad Sherman Interviewed on Fox News regarding Financial Reform - Fox News Summary: Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, speaks with Fox News on the heels of President Obama's speech on financial reform.
Sep 14, 2009	Rep. Barney Frank Interviewed on CNBC regarding Financial Reform - CNBC Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is leading the charge on Capitol Hill to overhaul the financial system. He discusses what's on the agenda with CNBC."
Sep 14, 2009	On Finance Reform, Obama's Unlikely Partner - Massimo Calabresi, Time Summary: "If you were to pick the least likely Senator to help Barack Obama win a major legislative victory, Alabama's Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, would be a fine choice."
Sep 14, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Co-Chair Peter Wallison on National Journal Blog - Peter Wallison Summary: Peter Wallison, a co-chair of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, wrote an entry on the National Journal's Economy blog today commenting on the Obama administration's plans for financial reform.
Sep 14, 2009	Old-line thrifts fear proposals for reform - Greg LaRose, New Orleans City Business Summary: "A banking reform proposal gaining traction in Washington, D.C., would dissolve the offices of Thrift Supervision and Comptroller of Currency and place their regulatory responsibilities under a new National Bank Supervisor."
Sep 14, 2009	Obama Turns Efforts To Financial Changes - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "President Obama will head to Wall Street on Monday to try to breathe new life into efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system, an undertaking he has said is essential to halting the abuses and failures that led to the current crisis."
Sep 14, 2009	Critical Time for Corporate Oversight Agency - Marcia Coyle, The National Law Journal Summary: "The next few months are shaping up as a critical time in the life of the post-Enron, post-WorldCom reform agency -- the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board."
Sep 14, 2009	Stiglitz Says Bank Problems Bigger Than Pre-Lehman - Mark Deen and David Tweed, Bloomberg Summary: "Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, said the U.S. has failed to fix the underlying problems of its banking system after the credit crunch and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc."
Sep 14, 2009	Obama Marks Lehman Collapse With Renewed Focus on Market Rules - Nicholas Johnston, Bloomberg Summary: "President Barack Obama, speaking a year after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.’s collapse, heads to Wall Street today to outline his plan for unwinding government involvement in the financial sector and to argue that new regime of rules to prevent a market crisis is needed more than ever."
Sep 14, 2009	Financial reform on a rough road - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "[L]egislation to crack down on the financial industry faces long odds on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers buried by the health care debate and an avalanche of opposition from business groups."
Sep 14, 2009	Obama aims to reinvigorate Wall Street reform - Caren Bohan, Reuters Summary: President Barack Obama will try on Monday to revive a stalled push for stricter oversight of Wall Street, using the anniversary of Lehman Brothers' collapse to argue for sweeping regulatory changes."
Sep 14, 2009	U.S. Economy May See Its Slowest Recovery Since 1945 - Rich Miller, Bloomberg Summary: "The U.S. recovery may be the slowest since World War II to regain all the ground lost during the recession, even if economists’ more optimistic forecasts for expansion turn out to be right."
Sep 13, 2009	Banking on Geithner - Timothy Geithner, Erin Burnett and Steve Leisman, CNBC Summary: US Secretary of Treasury, Timothy Geithner, interviews with CNBC's Erin Burnett and Steven Leisman about the Government's current involvement in the financial industry and the future invovlement.
Sep 13, 2009	U.S. Is Finding Its Role in Business Hard to Unwind - Edmund L. Andrews, David E. Sanger, New York Times Summary: "When President Obama travels to Wall Street on Monday to speak from Federal Hall, where the founders once argued bitterly over how much the government should control the national economy, he is likely to cast himself as a 'reluctant shareholder' in America’s biggest industries and financial institutions."
Sep 13, 2009	Editorial: Reforming the Financial System - The New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "On Monday, the one-year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, President Obama is scheduled to deliver a major speech on the financial crisis. He should take justifiable pride in some of the aggressive steps his administration has taken to rescue the financial system and the broader economy."
Sep 12, 2009	Fed Failed to Curb Flawed Bank Lending, Inspector General Says - Steve Matthews, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve examiners failed to rein in practices that led to losses from excessive real estate lending at two banks in California and Florida that later closed, the central bank’s inspector general said."
Sep 12, 2009	Op-ed: Better Regulate Than Never - Eliot Spitzer Summary: "The national ideological tilt has shifted fast, away from libertarianism and toward broad support for interventions like the new federal 'pay czar,' who will oversee banker compensation for bailout recipients."
Sep 12, 2009	Op-ed: Flaw in Free Markets: Humans - Robert H. Frank Summary: "There is broad agreement that Alan Greenspan, the former Fed chairman, was wrong to have believed that market forces alone would insulate society from excessive financial risk. But Mr. Greenspan was wrong for reasons very different from those offered by his most vocal critics."
Sep 12, 2009	Op-ed: Where Politics Don’t Belong - Tyler Cowen Summary: "For years now, many businesses and individuals in the United States have been relying on the power of government, rather than competition in the marketplace, to increase their wealth. This is politicization of the economy. It made the financial crisis much worse, and the trend is accelerating."
Sep 12, 2009	But Who Is Watching Regulators? - Gretchen Morgenson, The New York Times Summary: "Even though calamitous lending practices laid waste to the nation’s economy, surprisingly little has changed about how the financial arena operates and is supervised. Sure, a couple of venerable brokerage firms have vanished, but many of the same players remain on the scene, in the same positions of power."
Sep 12, 2009	Summers Says More Regulators Could Join Fed to Police Risk - Jonathan Weisman, The Wall Street Journal Summary: "The White House's top economic adviser, facing stiff opposition in Congress to giving the Federal Reserve more power, suggested Friday that other federal regulators could join the central bank in regulating systemic risk to the nation's financial system."
Sep 11, 2009	Regulators eye dark corners of U.S. stock market - Jonathan Spicer, Reuters Summary: "In obscure corners of the U.S. stock market -- where "flash orders," "dark pools" and other controversial practices thrive -- regulators are trying to shine a light to guard against unfair dealing."
Sep 11, 2009	A Year Later, Little Change on Wall St. - Alex Berenson, New York Times Summary: "One year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the surprise is not how much has changed in the financial industry, but how little."
Sep 11, 2009	Editorial: Time to reform financial regulation - The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board Summary: "Last Sept. 15, the world changed forever. At least that is what everyone thought when Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy plunged nearly the entire globe into a financial abyss."
Sep 11, 2009	Summers Says Regulatory Plan Can Be Passed This Year - Nicholas Johnston, Bloomberg Summary: "An overhaul of U.S. financial regulations remains a priority for President Barack Obama and can be achieved this year along with a plan to fix the health- care system, White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers said."
Sep 11, 2009	Why Wall Street Reforms Have Stalled - The New York Times Editors, Various Contributors Summary: "One year ago next week, Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, Merrill Lynch was sold and A.I.G. was rescued by a huge federal bailout. In the wake of the global financial crisis, Congress and regulators vowed to end Wall Street’s profligate risk-taking and the compensation structures that rewarded that behavior."
Sep 11, 2009	Geithner Tells Town Hall: 'We Have to Change Things' - Jeff Cox, CNBC.com Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner offered a spirited defense of the government's efforts to forestall another Great Depression but cautioned that the recovery would be slow and painful."
Sep 11, 2009	Financial Services Industry Wastes No Time Fighting Cramdown - Mary Kane, The Washington Independent Summary: "This should come as no surprise: Even the mere mention of the possibility of bringing back cramdown legislation prompted the Mortgage Bankers Association to spring into action. Here’s the group’s rapid response to comments this week from several powerful Democrats, who who threatened to renew efforts to allow bankruptcy judges to change, or cramdown, mortgage loans to more affordable terms if servicers don’t do more loan modifications...:"
Sep 11, 2009	Obama to urge economic regulatory reform - Deborah Charles, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama's speech in New York on Monday will focus on financial reform and the need to strengthen the system to avoid another economic collapse, the White House said on Friday."
Sep 11, 2009	SEC Outlines Madoff Lessons - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: "The Securities and Exchange Commission's internal watchdog, fresh off issuing a blistering report on how the agency bungled its handling of the Bernard L. Madoff case, offered on Thursday a series of recommendations to fix the problems that contributed to the failure to stop the disgraced financier's infamous Ponzi scheme."
Sep 11, 2009	Lessons Learned and Soon Forgotten - Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario Summary: "One year after the collapse of Lehman, the controversial 'rescue' of AIG, and the ensuing collapse of world financial markets there are two questions: what have we learned, and what good will it do us?"
Sep 11, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member John Taylor says Fed May Have to Raise Interest Rate in 2010 - Svenja O’Donnell and Erik Schatzker, Bloomberg Summary: John Taylor, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member and professor at Stanford University, believes that "the U.S. Federal Reserve may have to start raising interest rates at the start of 2010 to contain price pressures."
Sep 11, 2009	Lehman Monday Morning Lesson Lost With Obama Regulator-in-Chief - Alison Fitzgerald and Christine Harper, Bloomberg Summary: "One year after the demise of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. paralyzed the financial system, 'mega-banks,'...are as interconnected and inscrutable as ever. The Obama administration’s plan for a regulatory overhaul wouldn’t force them to shrink or simplify their structure."
Sep 11, 2009	Geithner Sees 'Long Way to Go' for Recovery - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A year after the peak of the financial crisis, the U.S. economy is no longer on the brink of disaster, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday, but it still has a 'long way to go' to recover."
Sep 11, 2009	New Ag Chairman in Sync on Plan for Derivatives - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "A new key player in the Senate's push to regulate derivatives could bring the Senate Agriculture Committee in line with the Obama administration's vision of how strict the new rules should be..."
Sep 11, 2009	Wall Street's Mania for Short-Term Results Hurts Economy - Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post Summary: "It's been a year since the onset of a financial crisis that wiped out $15 trillion of wealth from the balance sheet of American households, and more than two years since serious cracks in the financial system became apparent. Yet while the system has been stabilized and the worst of the crisis has passed, little has been done to keep another meltdown from happening."
Sep 10, 2009	Obama's financial consumer watchdog in jeopardy - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration wants to create a U.S. agency to protect financial consumers, but the idea is in jeopardy due to deep resistance from banks and from existing regulators protecting their turf."
Sep 10, 2009	Barney Frank Threatens to Revive Mortgage Bankruptcy Plan - Jessica Holzer, Wall Street Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) threatened to revive legislation to allow bankruptcy judges to rewrite the terms of troubled mortgage loans."
Sep 10, 2009	Muni Groups Weigh In On Ratings - Lynn Hume, The Bond Buyer Summary: "Nine municipal issuer groups are urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to only designate rating agencies as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations if they have uniform scales for rating muni and corporate securities."
Sep 10, 2009	Geithner: 'New phase' of recovery - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday made some of his strongest comments to date that the U.S. economy is on the road to recovery and has turned the page on the worst of the financial crisis."
Sep 10, 2009	Momentum For Financial Reform Slowing says CBOE's Brodsky - William Launder and Jacob Bunge, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The chief executive of the Chicago Board Options Exchange warned Tuesday that momentum for regulatory overhaul in the U.S. has slowed as the financial system stabilizes and memories of last year's crisis fade."
Sep 10, 2009	Geithner open to further regulatory consolidation - Reuters Summary: "We don't think it was necessary or desirable to try to force all of that into one entity -- partly because of the concerns of concentration of power, partly, frankly, because we're asking the Congress to do a lot in a short period of time. And the guiding principal affecting our choices is we want to make sure they are focusing on things that are essential to do. ... But, of course, we're open to suggestions and if there's will in the Congress and interest in going further in terms of consolidation, we would be supportive of that."
Sep 10, 2009	ECONOMIC SCENE: US begins crackdown on CEO pay. Will it work? - David R. Francis, Christian Science Monitor Summary: "The letter writer got to the point: 'I never have encountered anything as outrageous and questionable as your policy of giving million-dollar-a-year bonuses to employees who are skilled financial traders…. Cannot something be done to correct this really shameful situation?'"
Sep 10, 2009	Geithner Says Government Moving to Reduce Its Role in Markets - Rebecca Christie, Bloomberg Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the government is moving to withdraw some of its support for financial markets and cautioned that the recovery will have 'more than the usual ups and downs.'"
Sep 10, 2009	Shelby: 'A lot more work to do' on financial reform plan - Jordan Fabian, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room Summary: "Senate Banking Committee ranking member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said on Thursday that his panel has 'a lot more work to do' on a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system."
Sep 10, 2009	Frank says Dodd will get financial reform done - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank is taking on those who doubt that his counterpart in the Senate, Banking Chairman Chris Dodd, can achieve major financial reform this year."
Sep 10, 2009	Financial Reform Is Being Wasted On Populist Politics - Daniel M. Harrison, BNet Summary: "Business Insider editor John Carney poses a hot question: Is financial reform really working? If you’re familiar with Carney’s views, you probably already know that the answer isn’t: 'it’s working really well.' Carney bases his post on an interesting Reuters article by Huw Jones, a finance writer."
Sep 10, 2009	Dodd's committee choice a negative for banks-study - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd said on Wednesday, as expected, that he will remain chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, a move that one policy research study called a negative for banks."
Sep 10, 2009	Editorial: Dodd Picks Right Panel To Lead - The Hartford Courant Editorial Board Summary: "The decision by Connecticut's senior U.S. senator, Christopher J. Dodd, to remain chairman of the Senate banking committee makes sense at this point in his long career in Congress."
Sep 10, 2009	How Lehman collapsed - Francesco Guerrera, Financial Times Summary: Involved professionals, including Rodgin Cohen, a member of the Pew Task Force on Financial Reform and advising attorney to Lehman, discuss the events surrounding the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy a year ago and its subsequent effect on the current financial crisis in this video interview.
Sep 10, 2009	Dodd Decision Raises Odds for Overhaul of Financial Rules - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Sen. Christopher Dodd's decision to remain chairman of the Senate Banking Committee could mean bad news for a financial-services industry facing congressional efforts to strengthen consumer protections and revamp financial regulations."
Sep 10, 2009	Consumers back more financial oversight, survey says - Angela Carter, New Haven Register Summary: "A year ago this month, the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy filing froze the credit market and sent the stock market reeling, giving rise to public sentiment that favors stricter regulation over banks and other institutions that provide financial products and services."
Sep 10, 2009	Frank Will Incorporate, Tweak Paul's Fed Audit Language - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank said Wednesday he will tweak legislation to allow an audit of the Federal Reserve to ameliorate concerns that such action would weaken the board's independence and could destabilize financial markets."
Sep 10, 2009	Lincoln Shows Different Twist On Derivatives Than Harkin - Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., the incoming chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said Wednesday that she sees a small place for over-the-counter financial derivatives, a position that differs from outgoing Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin's view that the financial services reform bill should require all derivatives to be traded on exchanges."
Sep 10, 2009	U.S. core financial reforms to succeed - Geithner - Reuters Summary: "U.S. President Barack Obama will succeed at winning core reforms to improve consumer protection and financial system stability despite a 'tremendous fight' on the issue in Congress, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday."
Sep 10, 2009	Chris Dodd positioned to run on Wall Street crackdown - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "Sen. Chris Dodd’s decision to remain chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee increases the odds that regulatory reform will get through Congress this year — if only because Dodd would like to tout a crackdown on Wall Street as he campaigns for reelection next year."
Sep 10, 2009	Financial reform may fail to avert another Lehman - Huw Jones, Reuters Summary: "[G]overnments are not finding it nearly as easy to make quick and comprehensive changes to financial regulation."
Sep 10, 2009	Dodd Call May Slow Reform: Reg revamp to take backseat to health care - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Sen. Chris Dodd's decision to stay as chairman of the Banking Committee while also continuing to play a lead role on health-care reform, left observers predicting that enacting financial ..."
Sep 10, 2009	Senate May Narrow Proposed Regulatory Role for Fed - Brady Dennis, The Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration's vision for revamping the nation's financial regulatory system could face significant revisions in the Senate, where proposed reform legislation departs from the White House proposal on several key points, according to staff members, lobbyists and a lawmaker briefed on the plans."
Sep 09, 2009	A consumer-focused agency: Protection or just red tape? - Quote by Pew Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair Peter Wallison - Paul Wiseman, USA Today Summary: "Retired social worker Gloria Gray cut up her Capital One credit card in October and paid off the $500 balance. So she was surprised when Capital One sent her a $66 bill a few weeks later. She decided to pay, just in case. But the bills kept coming, bigger and bigger, month after month."
Sep 09, 2009	Why Dodd's Choice to Remain Senate Banking Chair Matters - Derek Thompson, The Atlantic Summary: "When Ted Kennedy passed away, it opened the chairmanship of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in the Senate. Some insiders expected Sen. Chris Dodd to bolt from his perch at Senate Banking to take over for his friend. That might have been good for Dodd, who faces a tough re-election after months of PR clobberings, but it would have spelled doom for financial reform."
Sep 09, 2009	Chamber attacks plan for agency ; Warns of 'new bureaucracy' - Sean Lengell, Washington Times Summary: "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending millions of dollars to attack the Obama administration's plan for a new consumer financial protection agency, saying it would create an unnecessary bureaucracy that would go far beyond consumer protection."
Sep 09, 2009	Who's Leading the Fight Against Consumer Financial Regulation? - Tim Fernholz, The American Prospect Summary: "The financial crisis has taught people to be skeptical of lenders. The crash of 2008 came after borrowers, half of whom qualified for safe, prime loans, were steered instead toward sub-prime loans that lenders promised they could pay back."
Sep 09, 2009	Tactical Error: Health Care vs Finance Regulatory Reform - Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture Blog Summary: "I believe the brain trust behind the Obama White House has made a huge tactical error. As Rahm Emmanuel likes to say, one should 'never waste a crisis' — and the White House has done just that."
Sep 09, 2009	Bernanke's back but Obama can still shape Fed - Mark Felsenthal, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama will be able to put his stamp on the Federal Reserve with appointments for perhaps as many as four seats on the central bank's board in coming months, even though he emphasized continuity in tapping Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman last month."
Sep 09, 2009	Dodd banking panel choice in U.S. seen as negative for banks - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Financial Regulatory Forum Blog Summary: "A decision by U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd to stay chairman of the Senate Banking Committee would increase chances for consumer-oriented reforms that would restrict banks, according to a research report on Wednesday, with a Dodd announcement expected soon."
Sep 09, 2009	Goldman chief admits banks lost control - Patrick Jenkins, Financial Times Summary: Lloyd Blankfein, chief executive of Goldman Sachs, explains his surprisingly favorable opionion that "the thrust of global regulatory reform – including a recommendation that there should be a 'robust sharing of information' between regulators" which could be "influential among peers and welcomed by politicians."
Sep 09, 2009	Dodd to stay as Banking Chair - Victoria McGrane, John Bresnahan and Manu Raju, Politico Summary: "Sen. Christopher Dodd’s expected announcement that he will remain in charge of the Banking Committee should give a big boost to his longtime colleague Tom Harkin while setting off a shuffle on other Senate panels."
Sep 09, 2009	Frank attaches mortgage "cram down" proposal to financial reform package - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Frustrated by the ballooning foreclosure crisis, House Democrats said today they would revive legislation allowing bankruptcy judges to modify home-mortgage terms, including the principal of a loan."
Sep 09, 2009	Gensler: CFTC Needs Help Regulating Carbon - Jerry Hagstrom, National Journal Summary: "The chief of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission today said his agency is prepared to oversee a market for trading carbon credits, but he warned such a step would require cooperation across agencies as well as more staff and technological support for the CFTC."
Sep 09, 2009	Finance Overhaul Falters as '08 Shock Fades - David Enrich and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Nearly one year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers sent shock waves across the globe, the world is a different place. The investment bank's messy death intensified the deepest recession since the Great Depression."
Sep 09, 2009	Op-ed: The Fed Can't Monitor 'Systemic Risk' - Peter J. Wallison Summary: Pew Task Force Co-Chair, Peter Wallison, authors an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal which discusses the inherent problems of federally monitoring systemic risk.
Sep 08, 2009	US regulation reform blueprints set for revisions, says senator - Tom Braithwaite and Edward Luce, Financial Times Summary: "Much-heralded changes to US financial regulations are set for a significant rewrite in the Senate, as lawmakers weigh up alternatives to the Treasury's plan, according to one Congressional critic."
Sep 08, 2009	Professor Krugman's Opus - National Journal Economy Blog Summary: Financial Refrom experts, including Pew Financial Reform Task Force Members Martin Baily and Charles Calomiris, contribute to the ongoing debate about the role of academic macroeconomics plays in the current financial crisis.
Sep 08, 2009	The Next Financial Crisis - Peter Boone and Simon Johnson, The New Republic Summary: "To many observers, the Federal Reserve has never looked more heroic than it does right now. This past winter, America’s financial system faced the prospect of utter ruin. And, while the economy has suffered plenty in 2009, the worst did not come to pass."
Sep 08, 2009	Press Release: Banks Face Growing Regulatory Actions - Mortgage Daily Summary: "Regulatory orders against financial institutions jumped 49% during the second quarter, according to an analysis of activity by MortgageDaily.com. A surge in civil money penalties, cease-and-desist orders and prohibition orders fueled the increase."
Sep 08, 2009	A Year After Lehman, Wall Street's Acting Like Wall Street Again - Allan Sloan, Washington Post Summary: "It's been 12 months since Lehman Brothers failed, setting off a chain reaction that came horrifyingly close to destroying the world's financial system. That anniversary makes this a convenient time to take a deep breath, look back at l'affaire Lehman and see what we can learn from the past turbulent year."
Sep 08, 2009	Agricultural interests key to financial reform - Jim Puzzanghera, Associated Press Summary: "The road to reforming financial regulations winds through the cornfields, hog farms and cattle ranches of America's heartland, and that complicates the Obama administration's already arduous effort to revamp oversight of Wall Street."
Sep 08, 2009	Op-ed: If health care fails, move on to financial reforms - Keith Chrostowski Summary: "In a recent Rasmussen Reports poll, 57 percent of respondents said they would replace the entire Congress. Exploding deficits, a pork-fed stimulus bill, car company rescues, a barely competent “cash for clunkers” program, and a too-complicated cap and trade carbon tax. …I could go on."
Sep 08, 2009	Major US financial regulation initiatives - Reuters Summary: "With Congress returning from its August recess on Tuesday, Democrats and the Obama administration will resume trying to advance a broad plan to tighten regulation of banks and capital markets."
Sep 08, 2009	Centrist Dems To Press Concerns Over New US Consumer Agency - Jessica Holzer, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Centrist Democrats in the House of Representatives are seeking to put their imprint on the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, an effort that could result in changes favored by the banking industry."
Sep 08, 2009	U.S. panel to probe, tell tale of financial crisis - Susan Cornwell, Reuters Summary: This article details the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission as it begins its work this month. Pew Financial Reform Task Force Co-Chair Peter Wallison is a member of this distinguished group.
Sep 08, 2009	A Double Dose of Uncertainty The State of Financial Regulatory Reform - Carol E. Curtis, Securities Industry News Summary: "Veteran Congressional watchers are often loath to predict the fate of even the most non-controversial of bills. But when it comes to something as ambitious and sweeping as the Obama Administration's proposals for financial regulatory reform, prognostication becomes even more difficult."
Sep 08, 2009	Under pressure, dealers to clear more derivatives - Jonathan Spicer, Reuters Summary: "Fifteen of the world's largest banks agreed on Tuesday to ramp up the use of central counterparties for clearing the $450 trillion over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market they have long controlled, but that now faces a regulatory clampdown."
Sep 08, 2009	Banks brace for tough battle in the Senate - Ian Swanson, The Hill Summary: "Lobbyists for banks big and small expect Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and other panel members to offer measures that would go further than the Obama administration in overhauling the existing regulatory scheme."
Sep 08, 2009	SEC Stands To Gain Expanded Powers From Congress - Sarah Lynch, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Numerous legislative proposals to expand the SEC's powers and install some post-Madoff fixes are currently pending before Congress, some of which may be discussed at the hearing. But even though Madoff is in the news yet again, those draft bills will not likely be the first ones Congress will tackle."
Sep 08, 2009	Five Lessons From the Financial Crisis - David Wessel, Wall Street Journal, Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "[F]ive lessons, drawn from a presentation at recent conference sponsored last month by the Central Bank of Argentina and elaborated on in a note to clients last week."
Sep 08, 2009	Missing Lehman Lesson of Shakeout Means Too Big Banks May Fail - Bob Ivry, Christine Harper and Mark Pittman, Bloomberg Summary: "The warning was ominous: 'Massive global wealth destruction.' That’s what Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. executives predicted before they filed the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history. 'Impacts all financial institutions,' read one bullet point in a confidential memo prepared for government officials obtained by Bloomberg News."
Sep 08, 2009	Financial reforms stalled as Congress returns - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration's ambitious plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation was bogged down in Congress as it returned from a long recess on Tuesday."
Sep 08, 2009	CFTC's farm roots complicate reform efforts - Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times Summary: "The road to reforming financial regulations winds through the cornfields, hog farms and cattle ranches of America's heartland, and that complicates the Obama administration's already arduous effort to revamp oversight of Wall Street."
Sep 08, 2009	Congress Back to Reg Reform as Clock Ticks - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Lawmakers return from summer recess today with grand plans to overhaul the structure of financial services regulation, but they are up against a rapidly dwindling legislative calendar."
Sep 08, 2009	U.S. panel to probe, tell tale of financial crisis - Susan Cornwell, Reuters Summary: "The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission this month will begin probing how the U.S. financial system came perilously close to collapse in the fall of 2008, leading to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression."
Sep 08, 2009	Chamber Ad Campaign Targets Consumer Agency - Brody Mullins, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching an advertising campaign of at least $2 million aimed at defeating a central plank of the Obama administration's financial-regulation overhaul."
Sep 07, 2009	Added scrutiny: Community bankers see President Obama’s proposed Consumer Finance Protection Agency as burdensome regulation - Greg LaRose, New Orleans City Business Summary: "The Obama administration is calling for additional regulation for financial institutions in the wake of more than 110 bank failures in the past two years, but bankers and mortgage lenders say the president’s shotgun approach won’t address the problems that have cost the federal government $35 billion."
Sep 07, 2009	Consumer Protection Redux: The Lessons of History - Lawrence Glickman, The Baseline Scenario Summary: The Baseline Scenario blog features a guest post on the history of consumer protection legislation efforts by Lawrence B. Glickman, a history professor at the University of South Carolina.
Sep 07, 2009	G-20 May Curb Banker Pay, Profit at Pittsburgh Summit - Simon Kennedy and Gonzalo Vina, Bloomberg Summary: “World leaders gathering in Pittsburgh this month may take the biggest step to curbing the pay and profits of bankers after their economic policy makers narrowed differences over bonuses and capital rules.”
Sep 07, 2009	Mortgage Market Bound by Major U.S. Role - Zahary Goldfarb and Dina El Boghdady Summary: Only one lender of consequence remains: the federal government, which undertook one of its earliest and most dramatic rescues of the financial crisis by seizing control a year ago of the two largest mortgage finance companies in the world, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Sep 06, 2009	US financial regulatory reform remains work in progress - Marc Jourdier, Agence France Presse Summary: "The Lehman Brothers implosion a year ago exposed fault lines in US financial rules and oversight, but reform of the complex regulatory system faces daunting challenges."
Sep 06, 2009	Financial Reform and the G20: A Hard Climb - The Economist.com Summary: The G20 meeting in London marked a step along the way, not a summit
Sep 06, 2009	Group of 20 Seeks Curbs On Bonuses, But Not Caps - Aoife White and Jane Wardell, AP Summary: Top finance officials from rich and developing countries agreed Saturday to curb hefty bonuses for bankers, but the proposed crackdown on high payouts fell short of European demands after the United States and Britain shied away from imposing a cap.
Sep 05, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Alan Blinder in The New York Times: "The Wait for Financial Reform" - Alan Blinder, The New York Times Summary: Alan Blinder, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force, writes a piece in the September 5, 2009 edition of The New York Times entitled, "The Wait for Financial Reform".
Sep 05, 2009	New Banking Rules Emphasize Stability - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: The Obama administration is moving forward with one of its most fundamental financial reforms, a plan to constrain the growth and risk-taking of giant banks and other firms.
Sep 04, 2009	Fannie and Freddie: 1 Year Later - Morgan Housel , The Motley Fool Summary: "This Monday, Sept. 7, is Labor Day. A day to celebrate. Relax. Forget about the hustle and bustle. One thing we won't be celebrating is what went down exactly one year prior: The collapse, and subsequent government takeover, of Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE)."
Sep 04, 2009	Outsider Ron Paul finds support for Fed audit - Andy Sullivan, Reuters Summary: "After decades of pushing long-shot causes like abolishing the income tax and reinstating the gold standard, Republican Representative Ron Paul finds himself in an unaccustomed spot: on the cusp of legislative victory."
Sep 04, 2009	The Wall Street titan's bankruptcy triggered a system-wide crisis of confidence in banks across the globe - Andrew Clark, Guardian Unlimited Summary: Involved professionals, including Rodgin Cohen, a member of the Pew Task Force on Financial Reform and advising attorney to Lehman, recount the events surrounding the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy a year ago and its subsequent effect on the current financial crisis.
Sep 04, 2009	US wants stricter rules on banks’ reserves - Martin Crutsinger, The Associated Press Summary: "The Obama administration proposed stronger international standards yesterday for the capital reserves that banks are required to hold. The goal is to avoid a repeat of last year’s severe financial crisis."
Sep 04, 2009	RPT-G20 to pledge stimulus until economic recovery assured - Sumeet Desai and Matt Falloon, Reuters Summary: "G20 policymakers will this weekend promise to keep economic support packages in place until recovery is certain and seek to reassure financial markets they have credible plans to withdraw the stimulus when appropriate."
Sep 03, 2009	Op-ed: Houses to put in order - Saskia Scholtes Summary: "Edward DeMarco is all too conscious of the burden he carries as the man in charge of ensuring the vast majority of US mortgages are soundly backed – and that outsiders who invest in them are given due protection too."
Sep 03, 2009	Ellison calls for consumer finance regulator - Kara McGuire Minnesota Star Tribune Summary: "During the congressional recess, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., is talking about something besides health care reform. On Thursday, Ellison spoke out on the need for a single regulatory agency to protect consumers taking out a mortgage, applying for a credit card, or resorting to a payday loan."
Sep 03, 2009	Geithner Pushes for Tough Global Capital Rules - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal, Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sent a detailed letter to the finance ministers from the Group of 20 industrial and developing nations calling for tough new capital rules for the world’s largest banks. The standards, which Mr. Geithner said should be agreed on by the end of 2010 and implemented by the end of 2012, would call for much higher capital requirements at banks and require a much higher quality capital, with a heavy emphasis on equity."
Sep 03, 2009	Wall Street Pay, the Issue That Won’t Go Away - David Weidner, Wall Street Journal MarketBeat Blog Summary: "Pity poor Wall Street. A year after the financial crisis took one of its leading lights, Lehman Brothers, people are still trying to rein in compensation."
Sep 03, 2009	Sheila Bair and the case against a super-regulator - Edward Harrison, Credit Writedowns Blog Summary: "There is an effort underway to install the Federal Reserve as super-regulator for all banks and financial institutions, concentrating power in one institution. I find these efforts one of the most disturbing outgrowths of the financial crisis we have been witnessing."
Sep 03, 2009	Schumer eyes proposal to hike funding for post-Madoff SEC - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "A day after a scathing report detailing how it failed to expose Bernard Madoff's multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, a top U.S. senator offered legislation to permit the Securities and Exchange Commission to use fees it collects from the institutions that it regulates to fund its operations."
Sep 03, 2009	Op-ed: Regulators and bankers must share the blame - Martin Jacomb Summary: Martin Jacomb, in an op-ed that appeared in the Financial Times, argues that government agencies, regulators, central banks and bankers alike should be accountable for their contributions to the current global economic stress rather than hand the blame entirely to bank mismanagement.
Sep 03, 2009	Uphill fight for Wall Street crackdown - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "President Barack Obama plans to use the one-year anniversary of Lehman Brothers' collapse to prod Congress to crack down on Wall Street."
Sep 03, 2009	GSEs Break with FHFA on Review Rule - Rob Blackwell and Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are seeking significant revisions to a regulatory rule that forces them to submit all new products and activities for review."
Sep 03, 2009	SEC, CFTC Approach to Regs Share the Spotlight - Lynn Hume, American Banker Summary: "The Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission have different regulatory approaches, which may pose challenges to harmonizing their rules...."
Sep 03, 2009	Finance Gone Wild - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "The financial sector often acquires or aspires to political power. The fact that banks have a great deal of cash on hand always makes it easy or tempting to buy some political favors, and to obtain privilege and power for big financial enterprises...."
Sep 02, 2009	Treasury: Consumer agency is needed - Christina Rexrode, The Charlotte Observer Summary: "The Treasury Department's No. 2 officer came to North Carolina on Tuesday to talk about regulatory reform, pushing for the creation of an agency focused on consumer rights."
Sep 02, 2009	G-20 Risks ‘Catastrophe’ as Push Ebbs for Regulation - Rich Miller and Simon Kennedy, Bloomberg Summary: "Economic policy makers from the Group of 20 nations gathering this week in London are finding that their drive to prevent the next financial crisis may be jeopardized by their success in countering the current one."
Sep 02, 2009	Can We Really Protect Consumer Finances? - Megan McArdle, The Atlantic Asymmetrical Information Blog Summary: The Atlantic magazine's Asymmetrical Information blog features a video interview from Reason with Todd Zywicki, a professor at George Mason University, discussing the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Sep 02, 2009	Investor advocates question SEC's ability to protect - Jonathan Burton, MarketWatch Summary: "A scathing report blasting the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to expose hedge-fund manager Bernard Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme raises longstanding concerns about whether regulators can ever wield enough resources to combat wealthy, well-connected financial crooks."
Sep 02, 2009	Key Treasury figure argues for reforms - Alexander Coolidge, The Cincinnati Enquirer Summary: "[Assistant Treasury Secretary Michael] Barr defended the White House's proposal to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would take over oversight of consumer lending products, such as mortgages and credit cards. Industry groups have expressed concerns the proposed agency would stamp out innovation and limit lending products for consumers."
Sep 02, 2009	Geithner urges G20 to consider leverage restraints - Glenn Somerville and David Lawder, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday he will set out principles for a new global accord to constrain the excessive use of leverage by banks."
Sep 02, 2009	White House to Propose Big Reserves at Banks - Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "After propping up lenders with billions of taxpayer dollars, the Obama administration is contemplating long-term measures aimed at preventing, or at least minimizing, any future financial crisis."
Sep 02, 2009	CFTC: 'No sacred cows' in harmonizing swap rules with SEC - Ronald D. Orol, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "'All options should be on the table' when it comes to harmonizing regulation of complex financial products by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a key commodity futures regulator said Wednesday."
Sep 02, 2009	Professors Push Changes to SEC Reform - Elias J. Groll, Harvard Crimson Summary: A group of Harvard professors have petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission to alter its current proposal to give shareholders the power to nominate members of company boards, a change they say would increase companies’ exposure to volatile investor sentiment.
Sep 02, 2009	Derivatives Oversight Should Be Combined, Luthringshausen Says - Joshua Gallu, Bloomberg Summary: "Regulators should consolidate functions of agencies overseeing the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market, Options Clearing Corp. Chief Executive Officer Wayne Luthringshausen said."
Sep 02, 2009	Single Bank Regulator a `Mistake' - Bloomberg News Summary: John Stumpf, President and CEO of Wells Fargo & Co., discusses in this video interview with Bloomberg how and why he believes a single bank regulator is a ‘mistake.’
Sep 02, 2009	Op-ed: A Uniform Regulator Fits Small Banks - Dan Immergluck Summary: "The CFPA will level the playing field for small banks in competing against nonbank lenders, which have been largely unregulated, as well as against large financial conglomerates."
Sep 02, 2009	Industry Seeks Fannie, Freddie Overhaul - Nick Timiraos, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A mortgage-industry trade group is calling for Congress to transform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into several smaller privately held companies that would issue mortgage securities carrying an explicit government guarantee."
Sep 02, 2009	Op-ed: Carefully Examining the Fed's Actions - Peter Eavis Summary: "Support is growing for legislation to broaden Congress's scrutiny of the central bank. Many on Wall Street oppose such moves, believing they would lead to politicians meddling with monetary policy."
Sep 02, 2009	Hearings Begin on Regs for Derivatives - Emily Flitter, American Banker Summary: "Two regulators charged with overseeing derivatives markets will begin joint hearings on regulatory harmonization today."
Sep 02, 2009	Op-ed: Forget Tobin tax: there is a better way to curb finance - Willem Buiter Summary: "Lord Turner, chairman of the UK’s Financial Services Authority, has set the cat among the financial pigeons by making highly critical comments about the City of London and financial intermediation in general. He recommended some drastic remedies, and suggested considering a global tax on financial transactions – a generalised Tobin tax."
Sep 02, 2009	Regulators of Failed Banks Faulted - Joe Adler, American Banker Summary: "Government watchdogs have issued two more reports criticizing federal banking regulators' oversight of failed banks."
Sep 01, 2009	Video: The New Yorker Magazine Interviews Barney Frank - The New Yorker Summary: "James Surowiecki spoke with Congressman Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, about the current state of the financial system, health care, and solutions to the foreclosure crisis. They met at Frank’s office in Newton, Massachusetts, on August 24th."
Sep 01, 2009	Exchange Chiefs Beg to Differ on SEC-CFTC Harmonization - Jacob Bunge, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Securities and futures regulators looking to harmonize U.S. market oversight are unlikely to find consensus among the exchange industry, with executives ready to present divergent views on the topic Wednesday."
Sep 01, 2009	House Panel Planning Vote on Consumer-Protection Agency - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Committee staff are tentatively scheduling a vote Sept. 23 for a bill that would create a new agency to police mortgages, credit cards and other financial products marketed to consumers, people familiar with the panel's planning said."
Sep 01, 2009	Senate urged to crack down on accountants - Ken Rankin, Accouting Today Summary: "The push for a 'lowest common denominator' set of international accounting standards, along with the failure of Sarbanes-Oxley Act reforms to curb last year's financial meltdown, are among the factors contributing to the ongoing global recession, experts in corporate governance told Congress."
Sep 01, 2009	Op-ed: Regulatory rhubarb - Bill Carlino Summary: "There are certain things in life I hold to be inevitable truths. First, I have never encountered a vegan or a professional accordion player whom I have found to be even remotely funny. Another is that no matter what the airline or the departure time, my flight from New York to Chicago's O'Hare Airport will be delayed - a lot."
Sep 01, 2009	US takes row over EU hedge funds directive to Brussels - Ruth Sunderland, The Guardian Summary: "A delegation of American congressmen is flying into Brussels this week to dispel mounting trade tensions between the US and Europe over hedge funds."
Sep 01, 2009	Financial reform faces the back burner - Victoria McGrane, Politico Summary: "As the congressional summer recess winds to a close, the debate over health care reform continues to rage hotter than when lawmakers left town. And that could seriously complicate Democratic hopes for revamping the nation’s financial regulations this fall."
Sep 01, 2009	Dodd Leans Toward One Agency for All Banks - Stacy Kaper, American Banker Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd is actively considering a regulatory reform bill that would create a single federal regulator for financial institutions, stripping supervisory powers away from existing agencies."
Sep 01, 2009	AAA Cartel Protection - Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "When everyone else is blaming you for creating the credit crisis, it helps to have a friend at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Especially when the SEC has the power to prevent new competitors from entering your market."
Sep 01, 2009	Op-ed: The Case Against a Super-Regulator - Sheila C. Bair Summary: "The Obama administration has proposed sweeping changes to our financial regulatory system. I am an active supporter of the key pillars of reform, including the creation of a consumer financial protection agency and the administration’s plan to consolidate the supervision of federally chartered financial institutions in a new national bank supervisor."
Sep 01, 2009	Henry Paulson’s Longest Night - Todd S. Purdum, Vanity Fair Summary: "In 2006, Goldman Sachs C.E.O. Henry Paulson reluctantly became Treasury secretary for an unpopular, lame-duck president. History will score his decisions, but the former Dartmouth offensive lineman definitely left everything on the field."
Aug 31, 2009	Bigger shakeup for US watchdogs - Tom Braithwaite and Joanna Chung, Financial Times Summary: "US lawmakers are considering a more drastic consolidation of bank regulators than that outlined by the Obama administration as Congress prepares to overhaul the financial system’s watchdogs."
Aug 31, 2009	What Would a Federal Reserve Audit Show? - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Rep. Ron Paul’s proposal to fully audit the Federal Reserve system by the end of 2010 appears likely to find its way into legislation in some form."
Aug 31, 2009	Finance: Before the Next Meltdown - Simon Johnson and James Kwak Summary: "If innovation must be good, then financial innovation should be good, too. If finance is the lifeblood of our economy, then figuring out new ways to pump blood through the economy should foster investment, entrepreneurialism, and progress. Right?"
Aug 31, 2009	Fed Up - Did Ben Bernanke really save America's financial system? - James K. Galbraith, Washington Monthly Summary: James K. Galbraith reviews a new book on the Fed by David Wessel entitled, "In Fed We Trust", a timely look at the Fed's handling of the economic crisis.
Aug 31, 2009	New-Bank Probation Extended, Intensified - Joe Adler, American Banker Summary: "Burned by failures of newly chartered banks, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. extended on Friday the period of time a new institution is classified as 'de novo' and subjected them."
Aug 31, 2009	Frank Said to Back Broader Fed Audits - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Rep. Ron Paul said he has a commitment from the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank, to advance the Texas Republican's legislation opening the Federal Reserve to broader federal audits."
Aug 31, 2009	Wall Street Stealth Lobby Defends $35 Billion Derivatives Haul - Christine Harper, Matthew Leising and Shannon Harrington, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Wall Street is suiting up for a battle to protect one of its richest fiefdoms, the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market that is facing the biggest overhaul since its creation 30 years ago."
Aug 31, 2009	Podcast: Rep. Barney Frank Checks In - Adam Davidson, NPR Podcast Interview Summary: "If any single player is driving the process for reforming financial regulation on Capitol Hill, it's Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). The chair of the House Financial Services Committee tells Adam Davidson that bipartisan consensus on the issue is beyond reach."
Aug 30, 2009	Op-ed: Washington Regulations Won’t Help Consumers or Economy - Bruce Whitehurst Summary: "The banking industry is under attack these days and unjustly so. Traditional banking has long been the backbone of communities all over this country and the driver of economic growth."
Aug 30, 2009	AFL-CIO, Dems push new Wall Street tax - Alexander Bolton, The Hill Summary: "The nation’s largest labor union and some allied Democrats are pushing a new tax that would hit big investment firms such as Goldman Sachs reaping billions of dollars in profits while the rest of the economy sputters."
Aug 30, 2009	Op-ed: Stopping Start-Ups - Alan Patricof and Eric Dinallo Summary: "VARIOUS pieces of legislation now making their way through Congress would require private pools of investment capital to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The goal is to curtail abuses and protect the public from questionable practices."
Aug 30, 2009	Rep. Frank eyes Fed audit, emergency lending curbs - Tim Ahmann, Reuters Summary: "Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, said he plans legislation to restrict the Federal Reserve's emergency lending powers and subject the central bank to a 'complete audit.' "
Aug 29, 2009	Simon Johnson Blogs on the "Two-Track Future" for Banks - Simon Johnson, The Baseline Scenario Summary: "The notion of a two-track economy seems to be taking hold. We kicked the concept around pretty well last week — your 130 comments (as of this morning) helped clarify a great deal of what we know, don’t know, and need to worry about."
Aug 29, 2009	Senate Panel Shifts Will Affect Agenda - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The political ripples from the death of Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy could complicate the Obama administration's effort to overhaul supervision of financial markets with tough new consumer protections."
Aug 29, 2009	Op-ed: Money Funds Are Ripe for ‘Radical Surgery’ - Jane Bryant Quinn Summary: "Paul Volcker is right about money-market mutual funds. They pose a systemic risk to the financial system and need a radical fix."
Aug 28, 2009	Keeping Wall Street's Hands Off Trading Partners' Collateral - Matthew Goldstein, Seeking Alpha Blog Summary: "The idea of prohibiting derivatives dealers from reusing and redeploying the trillions of dollars in collateral they’ve taken in from trading parnters is gathering steam."
Aug 28, 2009	Lecturing Bernanke - Michael Hirsh, Newsweek Summary: "Economist Stanley Fischer was Ben Bernanke's thesis advisor at MIT; he knew better than most that his former student had the right stuff to avert a depression."
Aug 28, 2009	As Community Bank Crumbled, Bank Regulator Snored - Alain Sherter, Bnet Summary: "Ever enter a building and notice the security guard, feet propped up on his desk, having a snooze? That’s the image you get reading this report on the collapse of Ocala National Bank by the Treasury Department’s Inspector General."
Aug 28, 2009	Frank: No Consensus In Sight On Financial Reform - NPR Summary: "With the global economy on the verge of disaster nearly a year ago, many policymakers vowed to rewrite the rules of American finance so that the nation never again faced that kind of disaster. Lawmakers said the issues at hand were bigger than politics and partisanship."
Aug 28, 2009	Congress to debate bill to check Fed’s powers - Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times Summary: "The Federal Reserve faces more oversight from the US Congress under a bill that will be voted on before the end of the year, according to leading Democrats."
Aug 28, 2009	S.E.C. Audit Urges Changes to Rating Agency Rules - Cyrus Sanati, New York Times Dealbook Summary: "The inspector general of the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a report released Friday that the commission has “historically been slow to act” in regulating the nation’s credit ratings agencies before the financial crisis and recommended a broad range of improvements to the S.E.C.’s oversight."
Aug 28, 2009	Banks on Sick List Top 400 - Damian Paletta and David Enrich, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The banking industry continues to deteriorate, with federal regulators adding 111 lenders to their list of endangered banks in the latest quarter, even as the economy shows signs of stabilizing."
Aug 28, 2009	Banks 'Too Big to Fail' Have Grown Even Bigger - David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "When the credit crisis struck last year, federal regulators pumped tens of billions of dollars into the nation's leading financial institutions because the banks were so big that officials feared their failure would ruin the entire financial system. Today, the biggest of those banks are even bigger."
Aug 27, 2009	Op-ed: The wrong path to banking reform - Rodney K. Brown Summary: "When members of Congress return to Washington, D.C. after the August recess, they will consider H.R. 3126, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009."
Aug 27, 2009	Kennedy death clouds outlook for financial reform - Kevin Drawbaugh and Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The death of Senator Edward Kennedy clouds the outlook for overhauling U.S. financial regulation, with all eyes now on Senator Christopher Dodd."
Aug 27, 2009	Sen. Reed could chair banking committee - Ted Nesi, Providence Business News Summary: "The death of long-serving U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy late Tuesday has set off a game of musical committee chairs as Senate Democrats ponder how to reorganize their leadership in the chamber."
Aug 27, 2009	How to tame global finance - Adair Turner, Prospect Summary: A group of leading financial analysts quiz Britain’s top regulator on what went wrong and how to sort it out
Aug 27, 2009	Will Dodd Leave Banking? - Stacy Kaper. American Banker Summary: "For Sen. Chris Dodd, the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy not only means losing his closest friend in the Senate, it also creates a dilemma for the Connecticut Democrat's political future and raises fresh questions about the fate of regulatory reform."
Aug 27, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Avi Persaud Op-ed: We should put sand in the wheels of the market - Avinash Persaud Summary: Avi Persaud, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, pens an op-ed in the Financial Times over the Tobin tax, and other financial transaction taxes, stating that, "[s]etting the right level of this tax so as not to damage liquidity will be hard, but probably not as hard as being one of the first regulators to openly discuss it.
Aug 27, 2009	Winds shifting for Wall Street? - Lisa Lerer, Politico Summary: "Sen. Ted Kennedy’s death could shift the political winds for a reviled Wall Street."
Aug 27, 2009	Bernanke and Other ‘Firefighters’ - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: Simon Johnson blogs about Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and financial regulators as firefighters.
Aug 27, 2009	Op-ed: Overmighty finance levies a tithe on growth - Benjamin Friedman Summary: "The protracted debate over how to clean up after the financial crisis – and how to reform our accident-prone financial system to prevent another such episode – is stuck on the problem of how to regulate markets without undermining the benefits they bring."
Aug 27, 2009	New Rules Restrict Bank Sales - Eric Dash and Zachery Kouwe, New York Times Summary: "New federal rules that might have encouraged private equity firms to snap up troubled banks could wind up keeping those buyers in their seats."
Aug 26, 2009	Buy-out firms face tougher capital conditions - Julie MacIntosh and Joanna Chung, Financial Times Summary: "Private equity firms investing in US banks will have to hold higher-than-usual levels of capital under new rules approved on Wednesday by regulators who opted to scale back a tougher initial proposal following fierce criticism from prospective investors."
Aug 26, 2009	Editorial: Obama's financial regulatory reform agenda is right to prioritize consumers - The Seattle Times Editorial Board Summary: "Congress should carefully consider and approve a bill creating a federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Aug 26, 2009	Taming Wall Street Cowboys - Roger Bybee, In These Times Summary: Roger Bybee investigates a new group determined to push for financial regulatory change, Americans for Financial Reform.
Aug 26, 2009	Why Bernanke’s Power Will Be ‘Curtailed’ - Nancy Cook, Newsweek Summary: Newsweek's Nancy Cook interviews House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank on Ben Bernanke, the financial crisis and financial reform.
Aug 26, 2009	Succession Question: If Dodd Moves Up, Will Johnson Be Banking Chair? - Jonathan Weisman and Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: The death of Senator Edward Kennedy "...opens the chairmanship of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to Kennedy’s old friend, Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who, facing his toughest re-election campaign, is likely to take it and escape the cloud of controversy from his chairmanship of the Senate Banking Committee."
Aug 26, 2009	Larry Summers on Preventing and Fighting Financial Crises - James Kwak, Wall Street Pit Blog Summary: "This fall I am taking a course on the 'international financial crisis' taught by Jon Macey and Greg Fleming (yes, the former COO of Merrill Lynch). The first assigned reading is a speech that Larry Summers gave at the AEA in 2000 entitled 'International Financial Crises: Causes, Prevention, and Cures,' summarizing the state of the art in preventing and combating financial crises."
Aug 26, 2009	Bernanke May Redefine Fed Mission in Financial-Market Stability - Craig Torres, Bloomberg Summary: John Taylor, a member of the Pew Task Force on Financial Reform, is among the scholars who have voiced their opinion regarding the Fed’s future direction. In this Bloomberg article, economists and scholars weigh in on Bernanke’s reappointment and what it means for the Fed.
Aug 25, 2009	Editorial: Ben Bernanke’s next four years - Financial Times Editorial Board Summary: "At a time when political tempers are running high and world markets remain jittery, Barack Obama has made the right decision to keep Ben Bernanke on for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. The Senate must now proceed with hearings to remove the remaining uncertainty."
Aug 25, 2009	Editorial: Devil's in the details on reform of financial regulations - The Seattle Times Editorial Board Summary: "The Seattle Times supports the aim of President Obama's proposals for regulatory reform of the financial system, but urges caution on such details as special treatment for "Tier 1" financial companies."
Aug 25, 2009	Bernanke outreach to lawmakers is key - Silla Brush and Bob Cusack, The Hill Summary: "A key facet of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s lobbying campaign to be reappointed was his extensive outreach to members of Congress"
Aug 25, 2009	Volcker Says Money-Market Funds Weaken U.S. Financial System - Christopher Condon, Bloomberg Summary: "Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who is an adviser to President Barack Obama, said money-market mutual funds undermine the strength of the U.S. financial system and should be regulated more like banks."
Aug 25, 2009	Bernanke Takes Capitol Hill, but Not Quite by Storm - Cyrus Sanati, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: "The nomination of Ben S. Bernanke to a second term as the Federal Reserve’s chairman was generally greeted with praise on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, but there are still a number of lawmakers on the left and the right who wonder whether Mr. Bernanke is the best person for the job."
Aug 25, 2009	Politics of Bernanke Nod Could Affect Regulatory Overhaul Efforts - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely receive Senate support to remain in charge of the central bank for a second term, but his renomination could affect the Fed's efforts to secure broader regulatory authority."
Aug 25, 2009	Dodd promises thorough hearing on Bernanke - Ross Colvin, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd promised on Monday a 'thorough and comprehensive' hearing on the renomination of Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke."
Aug 25, 2009	What Does Bernanke’s Reappointment Mean For Regulatory Reform? - Pat Garofalo, The Wonk Room Blog Summary: "Today, President Barack Obama interrupted his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard to nominate Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term. Bernanke’s first term ends on January 31, 2010, and his reappointment will require confirmation by the Senate Banking Committee."
Aug 25, 2009	Bernanke timing raises political questions - Patricia Zengerle and Caren Bohan, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama's nomination of Ben Bernanke to a second term as the head of the U.S. central bank comes at a curious time, raising all sorts of political questions."
Aug 25, 2009	Bernanke Is Nominated for Second Term as Fed Chief - Julianna Goldman, Scott Lanman and Michael McKee, Bloomberg Summary: "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, who led the biggest expansion of the central bank’s power in its 95-year history to battle the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, was nominated to a second term today by President Barack Obama."
Aug 25, 2009	Frank focused on reshaping US finance - Sasha Issenberg, The Boston Globe Summary: "US Representative Barney Frank became a YouTube star last week after a town-hall meeting in which he likened a constituent to household furniture, but much of his summer has been spent in uncommon quietude."
Aug 25, 2009	Divide Seen Over Plan to Free Interstate Branching - Anthony Malakian, American Banker Summary: "Tucked into the Obama administration's regulatory reform proposal is a plan to lift restrictions on interstate branching, an issue that could end up dividing community bankers."
Aug 25, 2009	A 'Big' Issue With Obama Reg Reform Proposal - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "The Obama administration's regulatory reform plan would for the first time officially define a 'big' bank as those with more than $10 billion in assets — and force them to pay."
Aug 25, 2009	Economists React: Bernanke Reappointment Is ‘Good News’ - Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal, Real Time Economics Blog Summary: "Economists, lawmakers, bloggers and others weigh in on President Obama’s decision to reappoint Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke."
Aug 24, 2009	Should Bank CEOs Direct Employees to Scuttle Consumer Protection Agency? - Alain Sherter, BNET blog Summary: "It’s no secret that the American Bankers Association wants to torpedo the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Now the group also wants bank leaders to dragoon employees into opposing it.
Aug 24, 2009	Press Release: Bipartisan Policy Center Announces New Credit Rating Agency Task Force - Bipartisan Policy Center Summary: "The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) today announced the launch of a new Credit Rating Agency Task Force. The Task Force will support Chairman Paul E. Kanjorski (D-PA), Ranking Member Scott Garrett (R-NJ) and other members of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises as they work to reform credit rating agencies."
Aug 24, 2009	Op-ed: Why the Fed should be given more powers - Roger Altman Summary: "The Federal Reserve has come under unprecedented attack in recent weeks, largely triggered by its proposed designation as America’s primary financial regulator. That is the centrepiece of President Barack Obama’s financial reform programme, which is sorely needed after last year’s near meltdown. But legislation involving the central bank is rare and it has drawn out many critics. Unfortunately, this acrimony is blocking all of the president’s reforms."
Aug 24, 2009	Central Bankers Warn Recovery Shouldn’t Delay Tougher Oversight - Scott Lanman, Kathleen Hays and Simon Kennedy, Bloomberg Summary: "Central bankers warned that a global economic recovery shouldn’t delay an overhaul of financial- market regulations following the worst banking crisis since World War II."
Aug 24, 2009	Op-ed: 'Safety and soundness' for financial services consumers - Phyllis Salowe-Kaye Summary: "Your bank, which may have benefited from a large taxpayer-funded bailout this year, is now working to keep you from getting the consumer financial protections you need and deserve. They are the consumer protections that might have kept our economy from going off a cliff by preventing unsound and abusive mortgages."
Aug 24, 2009	Treasury Takes Hard Line with OTC Derivatives Bill - Emily Fitter, American Banker Summary: "While it's no secret the Obama administration was gunning strict OTC derivatives regulation, bankers were still caught off guard by the apparent severity of..."
Aug 24, 2009	Senator Seeks Broad SEC Market Study - Geoffrey Rogow, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Sen. Ted Kaufman (D., Del.) is expected on Monday to call for the Securities and Exchange Commission to review all forms of current stock-market structure, signaling the broadest statement yet from a legislator in the continuing debate over the growth in high-frequency trading, a lightning-fast, computer-based trading technique."
Aug 23, 2009	Trade groups spend millions to influence Capitol Hill agenda - Sara Hansard, InvestmentNews Summary: "Groups representing financial advisers and all facets of the financial services industry spent big bucks lobbying Congress during the second quarter, according to recent filings with the House of Representatives' Office of the Clerk."
Aug 23, 2009	Op-ed: Obama’s consumer protection plan may go a little too far - Jack Guttentag Summary: "Among the Obama administration’s proposals for financial regulatory reform is one for a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. It is designed to replace the existing system of consumer protection where authority is fragmented among different federal agencies plus 50 states, where some nondepository firms are regulated loosely or not at all, and where regulators generally give higher priority to protecting the solvency of financial firms than to protecting consumers."
Aug 23, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Member Alan Blinder Interviewed by Bloomberg - Bloomberg News Summary: Alan Blinder, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force was interviewed by Bloomberg News from Jackson Hole, where the Federal Reserve recently held the annual symposium.
Aug 23, 2009	Regulatory rumblings hit commodity ETFs, ETNs - John Spence, MarketWatch Summary: "Exchange-traded funds and notes that give investors exposure to commodities-futures markets have come under fire from regulators, forcing investment managers to take unusual steps to prepare for a potential crackdown on position limits."
Aug 23, 2009	Stiglitz Receives Hero’s Welcome in Bangkok - Peter Stein, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Joseph Stiglitz may just be the most popular Western economics professor in Thailand. On Friday, Stiglitz, a Nobel-prize winning economist who teaches at Columbia University, addressed an enthusiastic crowd of businesspeople at a conference in Bangkok about the failures of American-style capitalism."
Aug 22, 2009	Financial Industry Is in Group's Sights - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: "At a crowded Capitol Hill news conference recently, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) had just promised a "national debate" this fall on the Obama administration's proposed financial reforms when a pending House vote demanded his presence."
Aug 22, 2009	Op-ed: Four words could return to haunt us - Stephen Foley Summary: "With each passing day, it seems the lessons we learned when the credit crisis reached its crescendo are becoming fuzzier, harder to grasp at or even slipping away. One of the symptoms of this is the ease with which the language of Wall Street has begun to reassert itself in the debate about how to reform finance."
Aug 21, 2009	Editorial: Obama's financial market reforms are badly needed - Kansas City Star Editorial Board Summary: "Health care reform isn’t the only initiative of President Barack Obama running into headwinds. His financial-markets reform package is also meeting opposition. At the heart of his proposals is a plan to create a new regulator with authority to seize 'systemically important' financial firms and force them into receivership"
Aug 21, 2009	Op-ed: Don't ban but expand them - Coleman Drake and John Berlau Summary: "In proposing his new financial regulations this summer, President Obama pledged to get tough on the big Wall Street banks whose risky practices are blamed for causing the financial crisis."
Aug 21, 2009	Geithner: U.S. Actions Not Designed to Help Goldman Sachs - Deborah Solomon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Friday that government officials acted appropriately in their dealings with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. during the heat of the financial crisis last year."
Aug 21, 2009	Opponents Get Assist On Arbitration - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Proponents of banning mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts received a boost this summer when a major bank scrapped the procedure with credit card disputes and a major arbiter settled charges that it concealed its ties to debt-collection services."
Aug 21, 2009	Master of the Economy - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "The world's top economists and central bankers have gathered here in the Grand Tetons, officially to talk about 'Financial Stability and Macroeconomic Policy.'"
Aug 21, 2009	What's at Stake in Fight Over Preemption - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Lawmakers are paying scant attention to one of the most sweeping provisions in the regulatory reform plan — the elimination of national bank preemption."
Aug 20, 2009	Press Release: Reval Outlines Top Five Reasons Why Big Companies Should Fight to Save Their Swaps - Reval Summary: "In response to reports of a letter sent to lawmakers by Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Gary Gensler asking for even stricter reform of the OTC derivatives market , Jiro Okochi, CEO of Reval warns U.S. corporations not to sit back and assume that the exemptions of some OTC derivatives in proposed legislation delivered just last week by the U.S. Treasury Department will make it through legislation by year end."
Aug 20, 2009	Op-ed: Time for the Fed to stand up to its critics - John M. Berry Summary: "Financial crises and the policies to deal with them top the agenda at the Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole conference. But what is actually going to be on everyone’s mind at the august gathering is the uncertain future of the Federal Reserve itself."
Aug 20, 2009	Op-ed: The Fed’s independence is at risk - Glenn Hubbard, Hal Scott and John Thornton Summary: "As leaders gather this week for the annual Jackson Hole symposium on the economy, they should consider the future of the Federal Reserve as lender of last resort. Over many decades and especially in this financial crisis, the Fed has used its balance sheet to be a classic lender of last resort. But its ability to do so depends upon its economic credibility and political independence, attributes the Fed has compromised in this crisis."
Aug 20, 2009	New York Times Economix Blog: 'Defining Too Big to Fail' - Catherine Rampell Summary: "Last year there were lots of debates about whether to bail out companies that were 'too big to fail.' Then this spring the government began developing plans for monitoring companies that were considered 'too big to fail' (although by then the preferred term had morphed into 'systemically important')."
Aug 20, 2009	Nonbanks Take Aim At Regulatory Agency - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Overshadowed by the banking lobby, nonbanks ranging from mortgage brokers to auto financers and title insurers are weighing in against a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would impose far greater regulation than they currently face."
Aug 20, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Member John Taylor Contributes to New Book on the Future of the Federal Reserve - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Member John Taylor is a contributor and a co-editor of a new book on the future of the Federal Reserve entitled, "The Road Ahead for the Fed".
Aug 20, 2009	Hoenig Stirs Debate on Bank Failures as Fed Forum Convenes - Scott Lanman, Bloomberg Summary: "The host for central bankers attending the Federal Reserve conference this weekend to discuss the financial crisis is a regional Fed chief who’s making waves with his proposal for letting big U.S. banks fail."
Aug 20, 2009	Credit card relief: Phase one - Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com Summary: "Consumers struggling with credit card debt will start to see some relief Thursday as the first steps of the Obama administration's industry overhaul go into effect."
Aug 20, 2009	Bernanke, a Hero to His Own, Can’t Shake Critics - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, no longer looks sleep-deprived. He still works seven days a week, but earlier this month he took two days off — for the first time in two years — to attend his son’s wedding. And he often gets home for dinner and even out to baseball games every few weeks."
Aug 20, 2009	Senate Banking's Bob Corker Quick to Earn Position of Clout - Stacy Kaper. American Banker Summary: "In the year and a half since the Tennessee Republican Bob Corker joined the Senate Banking Committee, he has quickly become a key player."
Aug 20, 2009	Heightened Risk Management Motivation - Paul Davis, American Banker Summary: "Bankers are finding it costly to improve their risk management processes, though most view it a strategic imperative after last year's credit crisis."
Aug 19, 2009	US to study impact of new off-balance-sheet rules - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "U.S. regulators plan to gauge how severe of a hit banks will take from an accounting change that will force them to bring more than $1 trillion of assets back on their books."
Aug 19, 2009	Regulator asks lawmakers to tighten legislation for derivatives oversight beyond Obama plan - Marcy Gordon, Associated Press Summary: "A key federal regulator is asking lawmakers to tighten legislation imposing broad new oversight on derivatives by going beyond the Obama administration's proposal in several areas governing the complex financial instruments blamed for hastening the global economic crisis."
Aug 19, 2009	Adam Levitin on CFPA, Pew Financial Reform Project on FinReg21 Blog - Darrell Delamaide, FinReg21 Blog Summary: Adam Levitin, a recent contributor to the Pew Financial Reform Project, was featured in a post on the FinReg21 blog about his contribution, a paper on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Aug 19, 2009	Op-ed: The Pay Czar's Dilemma - Thomas F. Cooley Summary: "Kenneth Feinberg, the administration's executive pay czar, has a big problem--actually several of them. A very bright light is shining on his most immediate problem--what to do about the $100 million or so that is contractually due to Andrew Hall, the energy trader who made lots of profits for Citigroup and expects to be paid."
Aug 19, 2009	Op-ed: Brokers Aren't Responsible for Bad Bets - Charles R. Schwab Summary: "A blizzard of new proposed regulation and overzealous litigation is poised to jeopardize the low-cost investing model that tens of millions of investors have enjoyed for decades."
Aug 19, 2009	Press Release: Corporate Boards Need to Be Better and More Independent, New Boyden Study Series Finds - Boyden World Corporation and Board Advisory Summary: "Despite years of reform and improved performance, many corporate boards of directors need to do more to manage risk, compensation and shareholder interests, according to Part One of a paper series launched today by Boyden global executive search and Board Advisory."
Aug 19, 2009	Op-ed: Target Reform at the Securitization Mess - George Sutton, American Banker Summary: "The Obama administration's regulatory reform plan is struggling due to its complexity and needs to be slimmed down. The plan would fare better and potentially achieve some good if it were concerned less with tangential issues of interest only to the Federal Reserve Board and focused instead on averting future economic disruptions."
Aug 19, 2009	Economic Outlook Brightens in a Hurry - Katherine Kane, American Banker Summary: Pew Financial Reform Project Director Charles Taylor is quoted in an article in today's American Banker which looks at a recent survey of financial executives and their views on the economy, systemic risk and bank stress tests among other issues.
Aug 18, 2009	Bank reform architect defends administration's plan - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: Ronald D. Orol interviews Michael Barr, Treasury assistant secretary for financial institutions and a key architect of the administration's financial reform plan.
Aug 18, 2009	State AGs back Obama on financial oversight agency - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "State attorneys general are pushing Congress to set up a federal agency to oversee consumer financial products, backing one of the most controversial aspects of President Barack Obama's proposed financial regulatory overhaul."
Aug 18, 2009	Op-ed: Why we need to regulate the banks sooner, not later - Kenneth Rogoff Summary: "'When in doubt, bail it out,' is the policy mantra 11 months after the September 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers. With the global economy tentatively emerging from recession, and investors salivating over the remaining banks’ apparent return to profitability, some are beginning to ask: 'Did we really need to suffer so much?'"
Aug 18, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Member Charles Calomiris on the Federal Deficit - National Journal Economy Blog - Charles Calomiris Summary: Charles Calomiris, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, wrote an entry on the National Journal's Economy blog today commenting on the US federal deficit and the economic recovery.
Aug 18, 2009	S.E.C. Floats a Short-Selling Proposal - Floyd Norris, New York Times Summary: "The Securities and Exchange Commission, after months of considering what to do about short-selling, came up with a new idea on Monday that could make it virtually impossible to place an order to sell stock short and be sure it would be executed quickly."
Aug 18, 2009	Press Release: Merkley on NAFCU Congressional Caucus Slate - National Association of Federal Credit Unions Summary: "Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., will talk about the Senate Banking Committee’s work on financial industry regulatory restructuring during NAFCU’s Congressional Caucus, Sept. 20-23 in Washington."
Aug 18, 2009	Geithner Defends Criticism of Regulators - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "In a letter to Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner defended his obscenity-laden criticism of bank regulators at a July 30 meeting for not supporting his regulatory reform plan."
Aug 18, 2009	Adam Levitin on CFPA, Pew Financial Reform Project on Baseline Scenario Blog - Adam Levitin, Baseline Scenario Blog Summary: Adam Levitin, a recent contributor to the Pew Financial Reform Project, was featured in a blog post on the Baseline Scenario about his contribution, a paper on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). It was characterized as "the best one-stop paper [I've seen] for understanding why CFPA needs to pass."
Aug 17, 2009	Geithner to Take Questions From Web Users - Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The financial crisis may turn out to be the defining event of a generation, and now WSJ.com and Digg are giving readers access to one of its most central figures: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner."
Aug 17, 2009	Op-ed: Don't Set Speed Limits on Trading - Arthur Levitt Jr. Summary: "The debate over high-frequency trading may seem remote and irrelevant to small investors. After all, they may think, if you're only buying and selling stocks and mutual funds occasionally, what difference does it make whether some traders are able to move quickly in and out of those same stocks, squeezing an extra penny or two of profit here and there?"
Aug 17, 2009	Op-ed: Disclose the fair value of complex securities - Robert Kaplan, Robert Merton and Scott Richard Summary: "Banks and other financial institutions are lobbying against fair-value accounting for their asset holdings. They claim many of their assets are not impaired, that they intend to hold them to maturity anyway and that recent transaction prices reflect distressed sales into an illiquid market, not what the assets are actually worth."
Aug 17, 2009	A Step Forward on Financial Regulation - Morris Goldstein, Peterson Institute for International Economics Summary: Morris Goldstein, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, spoke with Steve Weisman about the merits and defects of the US Treasury Department’s financial regulatory proposals, and finds the balance on the positive side.
Aug 17, 2009	Editorial: More Business as Usual - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "As Wall Street returns to profitability, it is eagerly returning to business as usual. Most notably it is preparing to pay enormous bonuses, like those that encouraged the sort of risk taking that set off the financial crisis."
Aug 17, 2009	Press Release: Kanjorski Statement on Fed and Treasury's Decision to Extend TALF - Congressman Paul Kanjorski 's Office Summary: "Today, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (D-PA), Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, applauded the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department's decision to extend the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) beyond its previously scheduled expiration at the end of this year."
Aug 17, 2009	Pew Financial Reform Project Task Force Member Robert Litan on the Federal Deficit - National Journal Economy Blog - Robert E. Litan Summary: Robert Litan, a member of the Pew Financial Reform Task Force, wrote an entry on the National Journal's Economy blog today commenting on the US federal deficit and the economic recovery.
Aug 17, 2009	Fed Extends TALF Into 2010 - Maya Jackson Randall and Darrell A. Hughes, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury Department extended into next year their Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, a key program aimed at boosting the flow of credit to businesses and households and the distressed commercial real estate market."
Aug 17, 2009	Press Release: Misaligned and Fragmented Risk Functions Jeopardizing Organizations' Performance, Says Ernst & Young - Ernst & Young LLP Summary: "Ninety-six percent of global organizations today believe they have an opportunity to improve their risk management functions. Furthermore, nearly half say committing additional resources to risk management could create a competitive advantage, according to Ernst & Young's Future of Risk survey, which examines organizations' attitudes toward risk management."
Aug 17, 2009	Taming the Two-Headed Monster - Peter Eavis, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Dr. Frankenstein's monster was hardly easy to reform. The Obama administration will find the same with hybrid creatures Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
Aug 15, 2009	Obama plan would give small banks a break - Jerry Siebenmark, The Wichita Eagle Summary: "The leader of the group representing Kansas' smallest banks is applauding a proposal by the Obama administration to institute a two-tiered regulatory fee structure."
Aug 14, 2009	Op-ed: Counter Systemic Risk Issues Countercyclically - James B. Lockhart Summary: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac did not create the housing price bubble, but their actions were procyclical, further inflating the bubble despite our regulatory efforts to ..."
Aug 14, 2009	Op-ed: Obama's smart move on big banks - Nancy Cleeland, Economic Policy Institute Summary: "The Obama administration’s proposal to fund a consumer financial protection agency with fees charged to big banks is smart on two counts: Economically, it helps temper the advantages enjoyed by financial institutions considered too big to fail, thereby discouraging their growth to dangerous levels; and politically, it goes a long way toward securing the support of smaller banks that have staunchly opposed a consumer agency on the grounds that it would further disadvantage them."
Aug 14, 2009	Unshackled, Wall Street's cop goes hard on fraud - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "Wall Street's top cop has a lot to prove and its been taking no prisoners."
Aug 14, 2009	Fate Of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Remains Unsettled - Ronald D. Orol, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "Almost one year after Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) were effectively nationalized in the midst of an expanding economic crisis, policymakers in Washington have still yet to come to a conclusion about what to do with the quasi-governmental mortgage giants."
Aug 14, 2009	GOP Rep. Hensarling Blasts Geithner's Response To Allegations - Meena Thiruvengadam, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "A high-ranking Republican member of the House Financial Services Committee on Friday blasted U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's response to questions about his alleged intimidation of banking regulators critical of the Obama administration's reform plans."
Aug 14, 2009	FDIC chief says parts of regulatory plan won't fly - Daniel Wagner, Associated Press Summary: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair is pushing back against key elements of the Obama administration's financial overhaul plan, saying they wouldn't survive in Congress and calling her own alternatives more viable."
Aug 14, 2009	Op-ed: Rethinking the Fed Chairmanship and Weighing Who's Right for the Job - Steven Pearlstein Summary: "A popular parlor game among Washington insiders this summer is guessing whether Ben Bernanke will be reappointed to a second four-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, or whether President Obama will try to put his own stamp on the Fed by appointing his most trusted economic adviser, Larry Summers."
Aug 14, 2009	Obama Wants Big Banks To Pay More for Oversight - David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration is pressing ahead with its broad overhaul of financial regulation by proposing to hike the fees big financial firms pay for federal oversight while easing the burden for smaller ones, officials said."
Aug 14, 2009	Geithner Sees Good Vital Signs - Deborah Solomon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the Obama administration wouldn't allow Wall Street to return to such old habits as taking on excessive risk, and that plans to overhaul financial-market regulation were on track."
Aug 13, 2009	Op-ed: Bernanke in the Cross-Hairs - Kimberly Strassel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "What to do when your plans to save the financial system from future disaster are being derailed by the guy who supposedly saved the financial system from current disaster? Someone hide Ben Bernanke."
Aug 13, 2009	Op-ed: Why banks should make 'living wills' - Gillian Tett, Financial Times Summary: "...[b]ut could the lessons learnt from preparing for death prove useful for the modern banking world? Some western regulators are tossing the idea about."
Aug 13, 2009	Overhaul Opponents Highlight Turf Battles - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "As the battle over the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency heats up, opponents are focusing on regulators' qualms to make their point instead of emphasizing complaints of the industry that stands to come under tighter scrutiny."
Aug 13, 2009	Can the Federal Reserve Protect Consumers? - Simon Johnson, New York Times Economix Blog Summary: Simon Johnson, professor at MIT, argues in an entry on the New York Times' Economix blog that the Federal Reserve has chosen to focus on safety and soundness rather than consumer protection; the Fed "never has and never will put consumers first."
Aug 12, 2009	FN Analysis: Running the rule over US regulation - Shanny Basar and Cardiff Garcia Summary: "Last November, just after President Barack Obama had won the US election, Rahm Emanuel, now White House Chief of Staff, said you should never let a serious crisis go to waste."
Aug 12, 2009	Judge Worried About Financial Protection Act - Talk of the Nation, NPR Summary: "The Obama administration has proposed a Consumer Financial Protection Act to oversee consumer finances and help consumers avoid making poor financial decisions. Judge Richard Posner warns that the government doesn't always know best when it comes to our money."
Aug 12, 2009	Behind Obama's Plan to Rein In Derivatives - Marcy Gordon, Associated Press Summary: "The Obama Administration on Aug. 11 sent Congress legislation seeking to impose broad new oversight on derivatives, the complex financial instruments blamed for hastening the global economic crisis."
Aug 12, 2009	Elizabeth Warren on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency - Consumer Reports Summary: "Consumer Reports asked Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a leading proponent of consumer finance reform, to talk about the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. In this first Q&A segment, she explains why the CFPA is so necessary now."
Aug 12, 2009	Limit bonuses at bailed-out firms - Top US lawmakers - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: "Two leading U.S. lawmakers warned on Wednesday of signs that companies bailed out by taxpayers were resuming risky pay practices and urged the Obama administration to act on limiting bonuses."
Aug 12, 2009	Op-ed: Time to do something about 'too-big-to-fail' banks - Nomi Prins Summary: Nomi Prins, a senior fellow at Demos, writes an op-ed in Newsday arguing for strong regulation to avoid creating banks that are "too-big-to-fail."
Aug 12, 2009	“The Right Road to Reform” - CFTC Commissioner Bart Chilton Comments On The Administration’s Legislative Language To Regulate OTC Transactions - Bart Chilton Summary: "President Obama recently called for us to “build something better” in reforming our nation’s financial market regulatory system, and today’s delivery to Capitol Hill of watershed legislation to regulate currently opaque over-the-counter derivative markets clearly puts us on the right road to reform."
Aug 12, 2009	JPMorgan, Hedge Funds May Lose as Derivatives Proposal Advances - Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "President Barack Obama sent Congress his plan to rein in the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives industry, a measure that would cut into a profitable market for banks led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co."
Aug 12, 2009	Op-ed: Exam Component of CFPA Ill-Advised - C. Westbrook Murphy Summary: "The Obama administration proposes to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would write and enforce regulations governing all providers, both banks and nonbanks, of 'any financial product or service to be used by a consumer primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.'
Aug 12, 2009	Op-ed: The Rocky History Of Fed Independence - Thomas F. Cooley Summary: "My fellow columnist John Tamny wrote an excellent column last week arguing that the notion of an independent Fed is a myth. I come to a different conclusion than he does about the evidence and the implications. But on the underlying message - the difficulty of achieving and maintaining independence - we absolutely agree."
Aug 11, 2009	Venture Capital Under Scrutiny in Treasury Dept. Proposals - Michael W. Murphy, The Recorder Summary: "At the end of March, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner indicated that in the weeks to come the Treasury Department would be introducing "new rules of the game" pertaining to the regulation and oversight of financial institutions. On June 17, the Treasury Department released an 88-page white paper further detailing the Treasury Department's proposals."
Aug 11, 2009	Financial Industry Most Cognizant of Need to Overhaul Risk Infrastructure - Maria Bruno-Britz, FinancialTech Summary: "An Accenture risk management survey illustrated that executives in all sectors realize they must remake their approaches to risk, especially FI executives."
Aug 11, 2009	Obama Sends Derivatives Industry Proposal to Congress - Dawn Kopecki, Bloomberg Summary: "President Barack Obama sent to Congress his proposal for reining in over-the-counter derivatives, including restrictions on municipalities and small investors seeking to trade in the $592 trillion industry."
Aug 11, 2009	Economists Call for Bernanke to Stay, Say Recession Is Over - Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Economists are nearly unanimous that Ben Bernanke should be reappointed to another term as Federal Reserve chairman, and they said there is a 71% chance that President Barack Obama will ask him to stay on, according to a survey."
Aug 11, 2009	Adam Levitin on CFPA, Pew Financial Reform Project on Credit Slips Blog - Adam Levitin Summary: Adam Levitin, a recent contributor to the Pew Financial Reform's website with a piece on the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), blogs about the research brief on the Credit Slips blog.
Aug 11, 2009	Treasury Sends Draft Derivatives Bill to Congress - Sarah N. Lynch, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Treasury Department on Tuesday sent a draft bill to Capitol Hill outlining in major detail how it proposes to bring all over-the-counter derivatives under federal regulation."
Aug 11, 2009	US Treasury Official: Financial Regulatory Overhaul On Track - Maya Jackson Randall, Dow Jones Newswires Summary: "The Obama administration's plan to overhaul U.S. finance regulations isn't bogging down in Congress, a top Treasury official told Dow Jones Newswires, downplaying industry opposition and contention among regulators."
Aug 11, 2009	Dodd Says Fees Show Need for Agency - Maria Aspan, American Banker Summary: "Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd renewed his support for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency on Monday, even as he declared a 'victory' on credit card overlimit fees."
Aug 10, 2009	Wall Street bankers are still raking in billions in bonuses - Pallavi Gogoi, USA Today Summary: "Public outrage has boiled over as billions of dollars in bonuses have been handed out on Wall Street, the center of the 2008 financial storm that contributed to the worst recession in generations and left millions of people jobless."
Aug 10, 2009	Editorial: Treasury Plans Under Fire - The Washington Post Editorial Board Summary: "DON'T LOOK now, but another one of the Obama administration's signature reform efforts is running into trouble. It's not health care this time, but the also important financial regulatory overhaul that Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner unveiled in June."
Aug 10, 2009	Charles Calomiris on the Fed and its Excess Reserves - Charles Calomiris Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force member Charles Calomiris contributes a response to a blog post regarding the Federal Reserve and its reserves in the National Journal's Economy Expert blog.
Aug 10, 2009	Fed View on Consumer Protection Gets Murky - Steven Sloan, American Banker Summary: "Though the Federal Reserve Board is clearly opposed to handing off its consumer protection powers to a new agency, its proposed alternative has left many confused..."
Aug 09, 2009	Obama Plan Leaves OFC an Open Question - Anthony O'Donnell Summary: "Whether one welcomes or recoils from the prospect of an increased federal role in insurance regulation, President Obama's presentation of financial reform proposals in mid-June likely disappointed."
Aug 09, 2009	Deutsche Bank Securities Invests in Compliance Tools to Prepare for Fiduciary Standard - Ivy Schmerken, Wall Street and Technology Summary: "Under President Obama's new financial regulatory reform plan, broker-dealers that provide investment advice to retail investors could be held to a fiduciary standard as investment advisers."
Aug 09, 2009	Op-ed: Fed does not need more powers - John Taylor, Financial Reform Project Task Force Member Summary: John Taylor, professor of economics at Stanford University and a member of the Pew Financial Reform Project's Task Force, argues in the Financial Times that the Federal Reserve should not be given additional powers under "systemic risk authority".
Aug 09, 2009	Effort to Rein In Pay on Wall Street Hits New Hurdle - Eric Dash, New York Times Summary: "A guaranteed bonus might strike many people as a contradiction in terms. But on Wall Street, banks have become so eager to lure and keep top deal makers and traders that they are reviving the practice of offering ironclad, multimillion-dollar payouts — guaranteed, no matter how an employee performs."
Aug 09, 2009	Op-ed: Anti-consumer agency? - Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) Summary: Rep. Ed Royce, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, explains why he is against the administration's proposal to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Aug 09, 2009	THE INFLUENCE GAME: Chamber of Commerce emerges as leading foe of Obama health, banking plans - Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press Summary: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has become a leading opponent of the administration's health and financial regulation proposals.
Aug 09, 2009	A Blueprint for More Bailouts: An influential liberal questions the Obama plan for banks. - James Freeman, Wall Street Journal Summary: "With Congress in recess, House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank has punted until the fall any work on a bill to overhaul federal regulation in wake of the subprime mess."
Aug 08, 2009	Imperfect Politics of Pay - Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times Summary: "THE executive compensation bill that the House passed just before the August recess was advertised as the first in a series of government safeguards to prevent risky, me-first maneuverings around executive pay in corporate America."
Aug 08, 2009	Editorial: Their Gamble, Everyone’s Money - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: "Many Americans are understandably furious about the colossal bonuses making a comeback at JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs while millions of people around the world are still suffering because of Wall Street’s recklessness."
Aug 07, 2009	Editorial: Washington vs. Silicon Valley - Treasury’s financial reform treats venture capital like hedge funds. - The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Summary: "Here’s a stumper: In the Treasury financial reform proposal, who comes in for more regulatory retooling: Fannie Mae, or your average 14-man venture capital shop? If you said venture capital, you understand why one of America’s greatest competitive advantages is now at risk in Washington."
Aug 07, 2009	Congress Rebuffs CUs On Executive Pay Carve-Out - Ed Roberts, Credit Union Journal Summary: "The House recently rejected a protest from the credit union lobby and passed a bill that will allow NCUA and the bank regulators to rein in excessive executive pay packages at credit unions and banks."
Aug 07, 2009	Obama likely in no rush to nod on Bernanke's fate - Mark Felsenthal, Reuters Summary: "President Barack Obama is unlikely to tip his hand as soon as financial markets would like on whether he plans to name Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to another term."
Aug 07, 2009	Geithner says recession proves financial reform needed - Paul Davidson, USA TODAY Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner voiced confidence Thursday that President Obama's sweeping financial reform plan would be passed by Congress this year despite growing objections by regulators and lawmakers."
Aug 06, 2009	Reforming finance: Derivatives - Naked Fear - The Economist Summary: "TIM GEITHNER has reportedly grown so exasperated with unco-operative regulators that he recently blasted them with an expletive-filled rant. Yet the American treasury secretary’s worker ants continue to draft financial reforms as if nothing were amiss."
Aug 06, 2009	Pitfalls of history offer warning to SEC reformers - Brooke Masters and Joanna Chung, Financial Times Summary: "Those who argue that the US Securities and Exchange Commission should fund itself from the fees it charges say it would let the regulator invest in technology and would put it on the same independent footing as many of its peers."
Aug 06, 2009	Inside the Obama Administration’s Road Map for Financial Regulatory Reform - Ivy Schmerken, Wall Street and Technology Summary: "The Obama plan, which would turn the Fed into a systemic risk regulator, calls for tougher capital requirements, transparency in derivatives reporting and stricter oversight of hedge funds."
Aug 06, 2009	While Regulators Slept - Paul M. Barrett, New York Times Summary: "Forget Stephen King. For readers determined to decipher the baffling collapse of Wall Street, David Wessel’s account of what has transpired behind closed doors in Washington over the past couple of years provides a tale that’s nothing short of hair-raising."
Aug 06, 2009	Treasury's Reg Reform Seen in Political Disarray - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Political support for the Obama administration's regulatory reform plan is faltering, leaving many to question the Treasury Department's strategy for enactment."
Aug 06, 2009	Regulating executive compensation: Pay and politics - The Economist Summary: "THE boardrooms of America were ready for misery. What else could result from Congress’s fury at runaway executive pay, outrageous Wall Street bonuses and handsome rewards for failure? The bosses can breathe a little more easily."
Aug 06, 2009	Press Release: American Statistical Association Endorses Call for a National Institute of Finance - American Statistical Association Summary: "The Board of Directors of the American Statistical Association (ASA), at its meeting here August 1, voted to endorse a proposal to create a National Institute of Finance (NIF). The proposal calls for the establishment of the NIF as an independent federal agency with the responsibility and authority to provide the data and analytic tools needed to safeguard the U.S. financial system."
Aug 06, 2009	Op-ed: America needs a single bank regulator - Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) Summary: Senator Mark Warner, a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Issues, expresses his view that America should have a single bank regulator.
Aug 06, 2009	Putting The Meltdown Under The Microscope - Julie Kosterlitz, National Journal Summary: The National Journal interviews Phil Angelides, recently named to head the congressional Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.
Aug 06, 2009	Op-ed: Consumers deserve protection from financial institutions, too - Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, New Jersey Citizen Action Summary: Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, executive director of New Jersey Citizen Action, writes that New Jersey's congressmen and senators should support the president's proposal for the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Aug 06, 2009	U.S. Considers Remaking Mortgage Giants - Zachary A. Goldfarb and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "The Obama administration is considering an overhaul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that would strip the mortgage finance giants of hundreds of billions of dollars in troubled loans and create a new structure to support the home-loan market, government officials said."
Aug 06, 2009	Geithner Takes Regulators to Task on Turf Battle - Edited by Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times Summary: "In what has become a routine spectacle, financial regulators went to Congress this week and raised objections to major portions of President Barack Obama’s plan to overhaul financial industry rules. But instead of modifying or withdrawing the plan, the Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, has taken the regulators to task, Stephen Labaton wrote in The New York Times."
Aug 06, 2009	FDIC chairwoman says banks should be sensible about pay - Alison Vekshin and Erik Schatzker, Bloomberg Summary: "The chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., weighing in on the debate over executive pay, said regulators should set pay standards for US banks to ensure that incentives encourage long-term performance."
Aug 06, 2009	Regulations For Raters Faulted - Andrew Ackerman, The Bond Buyer Summary: "Several members of the Senate Banking Committee yesterday warned that the Obama administration's proposal to regulate credit rating agencies does not go far enough to ensure the agencies use reliable information to determine ratings."
Aug 05, 2009	Limits on Speculative Trading Needed to Protect Energy Markets, U.S. Regulator Says - Edmund L. Andrews, New York Times Summary: "The chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Wednesday that the agency wanted to impose new restrictions on so-called speculative traders, not to reduce price volatility but to prevent the energy markets from being dominated by a few huge investment funds."
Aug 05, 2009	Senate Lawmakers Push for Single Bank Regulator - Cheyenne Hopkins, American Banker Summary: "Senate Banking Committee members on Tuesday challenged a key call the Obama administration made on regulatory restructuring — to keep oversight spread over several agencies."
Aug 05, 2009	Press Release: Dodd Encouraged By Progress on Regulatory Reform - Senator Chris Dodd's Office Summary: Senator Chris Dodd's office issued a press release regarding progress on regulatory reform.
Aug 05, 2009	Panel Considers Tough Credit Rating Rules - David Hess, National Journal Summary: "Legislative proposals from the Senate and White House appear rolling on parallel tracks to crack down on lax risk-rating by credit rating agencies, but at a Senate Banking Committee hearing today ratings spokesmen and one academic expert waved red flags to slow the process lest the rules end up handcuffing the industry."
Aug 05, 2009	Treasury wants to stay out of credit ratings - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: "The Obama administration is resisting calls to help ensure that credit ratings are reliable, saying this would force investors to rely even more on the ratings."
Aug 05, 2009	Bank Balances Shift With Rule Changes - Binyamin Appelbaum, Washington Post Summary: "A controversial change in accounting rules earlier this year has allowed banks to claim billions of dollars in additional earnings simply by tweaking their bookkeeping, greatly enhancing the appearance that the industry is returning to health."
Aug 05, 2009	Summer Reading, Treasury Style - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Some people like to read mindless fiction during their summer vacations, but in case lawmakers were looking for something a little more wonky, the Treasury Department sent a 19-page briefing packet to Capitol Hill in the last few days talking up the Obama administration’s efforts to address the ongoing financial market turmoil."
Aug 05, 2009	US banking regulators attack Obama's plans for reform - Stephen Foley, The Independent Summary: "The heads of the big US banking regulators tore into Barack Obama's reform plans, in defiance of the president's Treasury Secretary, Tim Geithner, architect of the overhaul, who said their bickering was endangering the whole reform process."
Aug 05, 2009	Bank Regulators Resist Reform - Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho, Washington Post Summary: "The nation's banking regulators are defying pressure from the Obama administration to line up in support of key proposed reforms, testifying before Congress on Tuesday that elements of the plan would actually weaken oversight of the financial industry."
Aug 04, 2009	Bair Says Single U.S. Bank Regulator Is ‘No Panacea’ - Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg Summary: Sheila Bair, the Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), is against the merging of four existing federal bank regulators into a single agency.
Aug 04, 2009	Dodd: Our Job Here Is Not to Protect Regulators - Senator Chris Dodd's Office Summary: "Today Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) held a hearing on how banks should be regulated to best ensure their safety and soundness to protect their customers."
Aug 04, 2009	Geithner Becomes Easy Target for Senate Banking Members - Sudeep Reddy, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s expletive-laced chat with banking regulators on Friday doesn’t seem to have won him too many new friends on Capitol Hill. At today’s Senate Banking Committee hearing featuring many of those same regulators, some lawmakers simply couldn’t resist a few digs."
Aug 04, 2009	Baseline Scenario Blog on the Republican Consumer Protection Plan - James Kwak, Baseline Scenario Summary: James Kwak of the Baseline Scenario blog takes a look at the Republican proposals for consumer financial protection.
Aug 04, 2009	US Sen. Dodd questions Obama bank regulation plan - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "'Do we really need three federal agencies to regulate banks?' Sen. Christopher Dodd said during a hearing on bank supervision."
Aug 04, 2009	Disarray hobbles U.S. financial regulation effort - Kevin Drawbaugh and Patrick Rucker, Reuters Summary: "Disagreement within the Obama administration over reshaping U.S. financial regulation flared on Tuesday, with top bank regulators defending their turf against key parts of a plan to overhaul bank supervision."
Aug 04, 2009	Senators Hint At More Regulatory Consolidation - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Against a backdrop of agency heads fighting to protect their turf, some key Senate Banking Committee members today raised the specter of even greater consolidation among federal banking regulators than has been proposed by the Obama administration."
Aug 04, 2009	Treasury offers lawmakers August talking points - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: "The Treasury Department is circulating talking points to lawmakers headed home for the August recess as a way to round up support for President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul the financial system."
Aug 04, 2009	Geithner Vents at Regulators as Overhaul Stumbles - Damian Paletta and Deborah Solomon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner blasted top U.S. financial regulators in an expletive-laced critique last Friday as frustration grows over the Obama administration's faltering plan to overhaul U.S. financial regulation, according to people familiar with the meeting."
Aug 04, 2009	Regulators Critique Obama's Reform Proposals - Michael R. Crittenden, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Top banking regulators, involved in a high-stakes turf war with each other, continued their criticism on Tuesday of the Obama administration's revamp of the financial regulatory system."
Aug 03, 2009	Op-ed: Fed Independence Is A Myth - John Tamney Summary: "In a recent opinion piece on the Federal Reserve for the Wall Street Journal, authors R. Glenn Hubbard, Hal Scott and John Thornton argued that the "Fed must above all maintain its political independence in conducting monetary policy." What the authors missed is that the Fed has never been non-political or independent, nor was it intended to be autonomous."
Aug 03, 2009	Schumer pushes bill on central registry - Jeremy Grant, Financial Times Summary: "Charles Schumer, the powerful New York senator and Senate banking committee member, will on Tuesday unveil draft legislation that would require the reporting of over-the-counter derivative trades to a central trade repository or central registry."
Aug 03, 2009	CFTC’s dilemma over filtering big speculators - Gregory Meyer, Financial Times Summary: "As the Commodity Futures Trading Commission looks to filter big speculators out of US energy markets, it faces a dilemma in choosing a 'seive'."
Aug 03, 2009	Op-ed: Regulate financial pay to reduce risk-taking - Lucian Bebchuk Summary: Lucian Bebchuk, Director of the Program on Corporate Governance at Harvard Law School argues for the regulation of compensation structures.
Aug 03, 2009	Geithner warns regulators to back reform plan - Jonathan Stempel and David Lawder, Reuters Summary: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner issued a stern warning punctuated with expletives to U.S. regulators to end turf battles and show support for President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul financial regulation, a person familiar with the situation said on Monday."
Aug 03, 2009	Durbin Wants To Try 'Cram-Down' Again - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Senate Majority Whip Durbin today repeated a pledge to push for a "cram-down" measure allowing bankruptcy judges to modify home mortgages, even though his last effort fell 15 votes short in April on a key test."
Aug 03, 2009	Bank Of America Pays $33M Fine To SEC - National Journal Summary: "Bank of America has agreed to pay a $33 million penalty to settle SEC charges that it misled investors about Merrill Lynch's plans to pay $5.8 billion in year-end bonuses to its employees."
Aug 03, 2009	The Pay at the Top - An Interactive Look at Executive Compensation in 198 Public Companies - Complied by the New York Times, Equilar Summary: "The compensation research firm Equilar compiled data reflecting pay for 200 chief executives at 198 public companies that filed their annual proxies by March 27 and had revenue of at least $6.3 billion."
Aug 02, 2009	Consumer Financial Protection Agency: an overview - Kenneth R. Harney, Los Angeles Times Summary: "The proposed agency's powers and oversight would go beyond mortgages and real estate. Here's a rundown of what the agency could do, who's for and against it, and how it might affect you."
Aug 02, 2009	Pulling Money-Market Funds Into Proper Regulation - Jane Bryant Quinn, Washington Post Summary: Jane Bryant Quinn looks into proposals to regulate money-market funds.
Aug 02, 2009	Lawmakers look to simplify mortgages - Amy Hoak, Chicago Tribune Summary: "Lawmakers are looking into making the mortgage process easier to understand and fairer, through the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency."
Aug 01, 2009	Castle says pay bill oversteps authority - Nicole Gaudino, News Journal Washington Summary: "Rep. Mike Castle voted against legislation passed by the House on Friday that would give shareholders a stronger say on executive compensation, calling it a "vast overreach and overreaction" to the financial crisis."
Aug 01, 2009	Will a New Agency Protect Your Finances? - Kenneth R. Harney, Washington Post Summary: Kenneth R. Harney on the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Aug 01, 2009	House Backs Greater Say On Pay by Shareholders - David Cho and Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: "The House approved legislation Friday that would give shareholders greater say over executive pay and expand the powers of regulators to limit compensation packages that they deem improper."
Jul 31, 2009	Press Release: Carson Votes to Protect Taxpayers, Shareholders Through Increased Oversight of Executive Compensation - Congressman Andre Carson's Office Summary: "Congressman André Carson gave the following statement on the House floor today before voting to protect American taxpayers and shareholders from the types of excessive and risky corporate compensation practices that contributed to the collapse of the financial markets last fall."
Jul 31, 2009	Press Release: Titus Supports Executive Compensation Reform as One Step to Avoid Future Financial Crisis - Congresswoman Dina Titus' Office Summary: "Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s Third District voted today in support of legislation to address compensation plans that encourage executives at large financial firms to take excessive risk at the expense of company shareholders, employees, and the American economy. H.R. 3269, the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act, passed the House by a vote of 237 to 185."
Jul 31, 2009	Press Release: Payne Votes to Protect American Taxpayers, Shareholders by Reining in Executive Compensation - Congressman Donald M. Payne's Office Summary: Congressman Donald M. Payne's Office issued a press release expressing support for the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act, HR 3269 and confirming the Congressman's positive vote on the legislation.
Jul 31, 2009	Bachus Says Parts of Financial Regulation Plan ‘Have Stalled’ - Damian Paletta, Wall Street Journal Summary: "U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, said Friday that major parts of the Obama administration’s effort to revamp bank regulation “have stalled” as he slammed efforts by Democrats to push through legislation that could impact executive compensation."
Jul 31, 2009	Castle On Guard For Encroachment On Corporate Governance - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "The House today is slated to pass legislation to give shareholders a greater say on corporate pay packages in a vote that will be hailed as the first major step in curbing the excesses that led to the collapse of the banking sector and housing market."
Jul 31, 2009	House Approves Limits on Executive Pay - Andrea Fuller Summary: "The House approved a measure Friday that would put new constraints on executive pay, capitalizing on populist outrage over multi-million dollar bonuses to Wall Street executives whose firms were bailed out by taxpayers."
Jul 31, 2009	Regulation: A new who’s who - The Financial Times takes an interactive look at Financial Reform - Farah Halime, Cleve Jones, John Casey and Shannon Bond, Financial Times Summary: The Financial Times has created an interactive look at financial regulation reform in the US, EU and UK.
Jul 31, 2009	Major U.S. financial regulation initiatives - Reuters Summary: Reuters outlines the US' major financial regulation proposals that have been introduced up to this point.
Jul 31, 2009	Regulators Are Getting Tougher on Banks - Damian Paletta and Dan Fitzpatrick, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Federal regulators have escalated the number of wounded banks they have essentially put on probation, with some of the targeted banks complaining that the action is too harsh."
Jul 31, 2009	Financial Industry Guns Of August - Peter H. Stone, National Journal Summary: A look at the lobbying effort over the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Jul 31, 2009	It May Be Outrageous, but Wall Street Pay Didn’t Cause This Crisis - Floyd Norris, New York Times Summary: "There is a lot about Wall Street pay to make the rest of us livid, or at least jealous. And now Congress seems poised to act on it."
Jul 31, 2009	Bankers' Bonuses Beat Earnings as Industry Imploded - Tomoeh Murakami Tse, Washington Post Summary: The most recent report about Wall Street bonuses has turned up the heat on lawmakers and regulators, who have been weighing how to rein in compensation practices.
Jul 31, 2009	Congress wants say on Wall Street pay - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: Congress considers taking a direct role in deciding how much Wall Street executives are paid.
Jul 31, 2009	Cranking up the pressure over banks' executive pay - Walter Hamilton, Tribune Newspapers Summary: "A report showing that banks paid employees billions of dollars in bonuses last year despite needing government bailouts to survive is ramping up the pressure on Congress to rein in executive compensation."
Jul 30, 2009	Press Release: Empowering the FDIC - Senator Mark Warner's Office Summary: "Senator Warner introduced bipartisan legislation today with Tennessee Senator Bob Corker that would allow the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to takeover and "wind down" banks owned by larger financial firms known as bank holding companies."
Jul 30, 2009	Bernanke explains Fed’s new openness - Edward Luce, Financial Times Summary: "Ben Bernanke has explained his decision to turn the normally secretive US Federal Reserve into something of an open house, saying his unusually large number of recent public appearances are the result of the “extraordinary” times the country faces."
Jul 30, 2009	Two US House chairmen outline derivatives reform - Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: These proposals are intended to be a guideline for legislation to be written after Congress returns from its August recess.
Jul 30, 2009	U.S. works to expand CFTC role, commodities oversight - Reuters Summary: Reuters outlines Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulatory proposals as well as Administration, House and Senate bills to control excessive speculation and expand commodities oversight.
Jul 30, 2009	Senator Corker to Introduce Resolution Authority Bill - Alison Sider, Bloomberg Summary: "Senate Banking Committee member Bob Corker said he plans to introduce legislation giving regulators authority to wind down large financial companies whose failure poses a risk to the economy."
Jul 30, 2009	FDIC Poised to Split Banks to Lure Buyers - Robin Sidel, Wall Street Journal Summary: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., grappling with the worst banking crisis since the 1990s, is poised to start breaking failed financial institutions into good and bad pieces in an effort to drum up more interest from prospective buyers."
Jul 30, 2009	Senate Probes Banks for Meltdown Fraud - John D. McKinnon, Wall Street Journal Summary: "A Senate panel has subpoenaed financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG, seeking evidence of fraud in last year's mortgage-market meltdown, according to people familiar with the situation."
Jul 30, 2009	US regulator criticizes Obama bank plan - Francesco Guerrera and Joanna Chung, Financial Times Summary: John Dugan, the head of the Comptroller of the Currency, outlines his concerns regarding the proposed federal consumer protection agency and giving states more leeway to crack down on unfair practices.
Jul 30, 2009	Schumer's Governance Bill Expected To Hitch A Ride - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Wednesday challenged a top business executive to endorse his legislation to give shareholders a greater say in the corporate boardroom, noting that many public companies are taking steps called for in his bill, such as splitting the duties between the board chairman and CEO and requiring annual director elections."
Jul 29, 2009	Congress urged to curb insurers' risky behavior - Rachelle Younglai, Reuters Summary: A large U.S. consumer group urged Congress on Tuesday to clamp down on insurers' risky practices after last year's near collapse of AIG due to its foray into exotic derivative instruments.
Jul 29, 2009	Rep. Barney Frank on Executive Pay Caps - CNBC Summary: CNBC interviews Representative Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, on legislation moving forward to cap executive compensation.
Jul 29, 2009	Executive pay bill approved in House committee - Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters Summary: Legislation that would slap new limits on U.S. executive pay won approval on Tuesday by a congressional committee, advancing a component of the Obama administration's broad plan to tighten financial regulation.
Jul 29, 2009	Lawmakers support restrictions on executive pay - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: The House Financial Services Committee's vote on executive pay restrictions brings the issue to a full House vote on Friday.
Jul 29, 2009	Editorial: The Financial Truth Commission - New York Times Editorial Board Summary: The New York Times editorial board considers the newly formed Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.
Jul 29, 2009	Key legislator weighs in on Obama's financial agenda - Joseph N. DiStefano, Philadelphia Inquirer Summary: A look at Rep. Paul Kanjorski's views on financial reform.
Jul 28, 2009	Draft bill to tighten U.S. OTC derivatives rules - Reuters Summary: A look at proposed legislation regulating derivatives.
Jul 28, 2009	SEC Moves To Limit Short Sales Of Stocks - Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post Summary: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is exploring ways to discourage short selling abuses.
Jul 28, 2009	Banking Panel Considers Regulation Overhaul - Terry Kivlan, National Journal Summary: "Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd today acknowledged the need to revamp the state-based system of regulating insurance but said he was cool to the idea of establishing an optional federal charter for large insurance companies."
Jul 28, 2009	House Panel Nears Approval Of Say-On-Pay Bill - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank today narrowed legislation that would require annual nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation and golden parachute packages for top personnel, but Republicans protested that it would still go too far in allowing the federal government to meddle in boardroom decisions."
Jul 28, 2009	Gensler Pushes for Trading Curbs - Sarah N. Lynch, Wall Street Journal Summary: The Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) considers new limits on energy contracts.
Jul 28, 2009	Small Banks at Center of Overhaul Debate - Brady Dennis, Washington Post Summary: The country's 8,000 community banks are key stakeholders in the debate over regulation reform.
Jul 28, 2009	Bill would limit foreign banks in US - Globe Wire Services Summary: New proposed legislation would require Treasury to certify that foreign governments are cooperating with US regulations.
Jul 28, 2009	Bernanke out in the open - Don Lee, Tribune Newspapers Summary: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke discusses his efforts to demystify the Federal Reserve in the eyes of the public.
Jul 27, 2009	Op-ed: Consumer protection in financial products - Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) Summary: Rep. Maxine Waters, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, expresses her support for the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Jul 27, 2009	Congressman Barney Frank at the National Press Club - National Press Club Summary: Congressman Barney Frank's views on financial reform at the National Press Club on July 27, 2009.
Jul 27, 2009	U.S. Rep. Frank sees finance reform by year-end - Kevin Drawbaugh and Mark Felsenthal, Reuters Summary: House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank believes Congress can have a regulatory reform package on the president's desk by the end of the year.
Jul 27, 2009	Pew Task Force on Financial Reform in National Journal - John Maggs Summary: Today, John Maggs' National Journal Ask the Experts Blog features Darryll Henricks of Pew Task Force on Financial Reform.
Jul 27, 2009	U.S. Enters Europe's Fund Debate - Alistair MacDonald, Wall Street Journal Summary: "Washington Joins U.K. in Lobbying EU for Less-Stringent Regulations"
Jul 27, 2009	Editorial: Where The Crisis Came From - Robert G. Wilmers, Washington Post Summary: "Over the past three decades, there has been a sea change in the way that credit is extended in America, creating the problems -- and the need for reforms -- that we face today."
Jul 25, 2009	Pew Task Force Member Op-ed in the New York Times - Alan Blinder Summary: Pew Financial Reform Task Force Member Alan Blinder authored an op-ed which appeared in the New York Times, "An Early-Warning System, Run by the Fed."
Jul 25, 2009	On the Hill, Finance Officials Draw Battle Lines on Reform - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: "The nation's top economic policymakers aired their differences on how to remake financial regulation Friday, exposing disagreements within the government over the Obama administration's planned overhaul."
Jul 24, 2009	Press Release: Carson: Regulatory Reform Must Protect Consumers, Take Politics Out of Process - Congressman Andre Carson's Office Summary: "In that process and after having read through the bill, I still have lingering concerns I hope to clear up today. I agree that the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency is critical to making sure that consumers have a meaningful understanding of financial contracts, that our regulations are streamlined, and that consumer protection does not take a back seat to the financial interests of Wall Street firms."
Jul 24, 2009	Editorial: The Fed Can Lead on Financial Supervision - R. Glenn Hubbard, Hal Scott, and John Thornton Summary: R. Glenn Hubbard, Hal Scott, and John Thornton argue in the Wall Street Journal that Obama administration proposal to significantly enhance the role of the Federal Reserve don’t go far enough.
Jul 24, 2009	Regulation: Behind the Bernanke-Geithner Dustup - Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Summary: "Timothy Geithner and Ben Bernanke go head-to-head over who should have the job of the nation's top consumer watchdog."
Jul 24, 2009	Project Director Charles Taylor discusses financial reform on Bloomberg TV - Bloomberg News Summary: Project Director Charles Taylor discusses finacial reform on Bloomberg TV
Jul 24, 2009	Task Force Op-ed on washingtonpost.com - Martin Baily, Charles Taylor and Peter Wallison Summary: Pew Financial Reform Project Director Charles Taylor co-authors an op-ed with Task Force co-chairs Martin Baily and Peter Wallison.
Jul 23, 2009	Obama sends Congress plan to unwind problem institutions - Ronald D. Orol, MarketWatch Summary: "Facing opposition to key parts of its bank regulatory reform package, the Obama administration on Thursday submitted a detailed proposal to Congress for unwinding systemically significant financial institutions so their collapse does not cause collateral damage to the financial system."
Jul 22, 2009	Press Release: Rep. McMahon, New Dem Members Unveil Legislation to Reform Derivatives Trading - Congressman Michael E. McMahon's Office Summary: "Today, members of the New Democrat Coalition Leadership and the Financial Services Task Force joined task force member Representative Michael E. McMahon (NY-13) to introduce a bill to increase transparency and regulatory requirements for the trading of derivatives."
Jul 22, 2009	Op-ed: Consumer protection agency would stop companies’ race to the bottom - Neil Wolin, US Treasury Department Summary: Neil Wolin, US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, expresses the administration's support and rationale behind its proposed Consumer FInancial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Jul 22, 2009	Op-ed: Hensarling: Punishing Consumers to 'Protect' Them - Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) Summary: Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling voices his concerns over the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Jul 22, 2009	Op-ed: A clear-cut case for regulatory reform - Prof. Elizabeth Warren Summary: Professor Elizabeth Warren, Chairwoman of the Congressional Oversight Panel, argues for the need to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA).
Jul 22, 2009	Task Force Co-chair Martin Baily on the NewsHour - The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Summary: Task Force co-chair Martin Baily discusses the role of the Federal Reserve on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Jul 22, 2009	U.S. Proposes Restrictions on Credit-Rating Companies - Bloomberg News Summary: The Obama administration on Tuesday proposed setting disclosure requirements and limits on credit-rating companies, aiming to reduce conflicts of interest and provide more information about investment products.
Jul 22, 2009	Omnibus bill would require clearing of OTC derivatives - Charles Abbott, Reuters Summary: "An omnibus financial reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would require that over-the-counter derivatives go through clearinghouses and probably ban "naked" credit default swaps, the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said on Tuesday."
Jul 21, 2009	House panel delays action on new consumer agency - Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: "A key U.S. congressional committee has delayed action on legislation to create a consumer financial protection agency, in order to give consumer advocates a chance to weigh in, a congressional aide said on Tuesday."
Jul 17, 2009	White House submits bill on executive pay; Shareholders would get a say - Brendan Murray; Michael J Moore, Bloomberg News Summary: "The Obama administration sent draft legislation to Congress yesterday that aims to ensure corporate compensation committees are independent from the executives whose pay they determine and gives shareholders a nonbinding vote on pay packages."
Jul 16, 2009	SEC Chief Targets the Credit Raters - Sarah N. Lynch, Wall Street Journal Summary: "In a sign that credit-rating firms may face tougher rules, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission signaled her support for proposals that would make it easier for investors to sue..."
Jul 15, 2009	Coalition to Attack Plan for Fed Powers - Francesco Guerrera and Tom Braithwaite, Financial Times
Jul 13, 2009	Elitist Protection Consumers Don't Need - Peter J. Wallison Summary: Pew Financial Reform Project Co-Chair Peter Wallison pens an op-ed about the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), arguing that the proposed agency, "...would allow the educated and sophisticated elites to have access to whatever financial services they want but limit the range of products available to ordinary Americans."
Jul 10, 2009	110 Lawmakers and Mr. Geithner: A Session on Derivatives - Edmund Andrews Summary: All eyes were on Timothy F. Geithner, the Treasury secretary, who testified about the Obama administration's proposal to regulate the free-wheeling market for financial derivatives, the hedging instruments that bankrupted the American International Group in September.
Jul 10, 2009	Big Companies Go to Washington to Fight Regulations on Fancy Derivatives - Kara Scannell, The Wall Street Journal Summary: Any doubt about how broadly U.S. corporations rely on fancy financial instruments vanishes with a look at who's lobbying Congress to forestall tougher regulation.
Jul 10, 2009	Fed Role Protecting Consumers Debated - Neil Irwin, Washington Post Summary: Some economists with ties to the Federal Reserve are recommending that the central bank be stripped of its powers to protect consumers, in contrast to the positions of Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and other Fed leaders.
Jul 10, 2009	Obama Seeks Power for SEC to Prohibit Wall Street Pay Practices - Jesse Westbrook, Bloomberg Summary: The Obama administration is seeking to give the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission power to prohibit pay practices at brokerages and investment advisers and broader authority to bar individuals from work in the industry.
Jul 08, 2009	Press Release: Pelosi Statement on Legislation to Strengthen Consumer Protections in Financial Regulation - Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Office Summary: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on legislation introduced today by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank to formally implement President Obama’s plan to strengthen consumer protections as a part of a broader financial regulatory restructuring."
Jul 08, 2009	Consumer Protection Agency Plan Questioned - Bill Swindell, National Journal Summary: "Facing skeptical House Energy and Commerce members concerned over losing jurisdictional turf, Obama administration officials said today a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency would not seriously impact the FTC..."
Jul 08, 2009	Senators Push SEC To Rein In Naked Short Selling - Ronald D. Orol, Reuters News Summary: A senator with close ties to the White House and hands-on experience in stock trading is leading the push to have the Securities and Exchange Commission take action against naked short selling, an abuse that he and other lawmakers argue was a key contributor to the financial crisis.
Jul 08, 2009	US works to expand CFTC role - Reuters News Summary: "The U.S. government wants to boost oversight of commodity markets by increasing regulation of over-the-counter derivatives, clamping down on excessive speculation and expanding the power of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission."
Jul 07, 2009	U.S. regulators prep to defang new consumer agency - Kristina Cooke and Karey Wutkowski, Reuters Summary: U.S. regulators are gearing up campaigns to preserve their consumer protection roles as the Obama administration marshals efforts to create a new agency, but face the political risk of appearing to side with Wall Street at the expense of consumers.
Jul 07, 2009	G8 to Grapple with Economic Crisis, Financial Reform and Food Security at Italian Summit - IHS Global Insight Summary: "Aside from topical concerns such as the state of the global economy and efforts to overhaul financial regulation, the summit is also due to focus on the issue of food insecurity."
Jul 06, 2009	Sides want say in consumer protection bill - Silla Brush, The Hill Summary: Financial-services lawmakers and lobbyists will ramp up their efforts this week to shape legislation creating a consumer financial protection agency.
Jul 02, 2009	Reforming International Financial Regulation - David Zaring Summary: David Zaring, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, filed this guest blog post on the Washington Post's Blog The Hearing.
Jun 28, 2009	Op-ed: A Risky Choice for A Risk Czar - Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) Summary: Senator Mark Warner, a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Issues, believes that that the Federal Reserve is the wrong choice to be a systemic risk regulator.