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October 28, 2009
AFP: US financial sector will pay for failures: bill
Financial companies with more than 10 billion dollars in assets will have to pay for rivals' failures or rescues, under draft legislation which has been released by the US Treasury and lawmakers.

October 28, 2009
Reuters: Congressional Panel Backs New Rules For Hedge Funds
U.S. regulators would be able to peer into the secretive world of hedge funds and private equity funds under a bill passed by a key congressional committee on Tuesday.

October 28, 2009
Reuters: Obama Financial Reforms Advance In Congress
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.

October 28, 2009
TheDeal.com: Geithner on "too big to fail" and the stress testsSpeaking at the SIFMA annual meeting on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner shared his thoughts on the need to give regulators the tools to manage a wind down of a large, systemically important, financial institution so there is never a repeat of the week that Lehman Brothers failed.

October 27, 2009
WSJ: Finance Talks Hit Thorny Issues
House lawmakers this week are set to tackle some of the thorniest issues in the effort to overhaul financial rules, including how to take over large companies whose failure could threaten the economy and what role the Federal Reserve should have in policing markets' health.

October 27, 2009
Reuters: Financial regulation fight is a "just war": Geithner
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday told a packed room of Wall Street dealers and bankers they could not look America in the eye and argue that financial regulation is fine as it is.

October 22, 2009
Los Angeles Times: House panel backs creation of Consumer Finance Protection Agency
A House committee voted to create a federal agency to protect consumers in the financial marketplace, but several days of often-contentious debate showed that obstacles still confront one of the centerpieces of President Obama's overhaul of industry regulations.

October 22, 2009
Reuters: US House panel shortens consumer watchdog's leash
A U.S. congressional committee on Thursday endorsed creating a federal financial consumer watchdog, giving the Obama administration a victory, but only after one of its key proposals was pared back.

October 22, 2009
Politico: Consumer agency vote a win for WH
The House Financial Services Committee handed President Barack Obama a major win on financial reform, approving Thursday legislation to create a consumer financial protection agency, the centerpiece the administration’s overhaul.

October 22, 2009
NYT: Panel Votes for New Agency on Financial Oversight
The House Financial Services Committee voted on Thursday to create an agency to protect consumers from predatory lending, deceptive credit card terms and other abuses.

October 22, 2009
Reuters: Obama welcomes panel vote on financial watchdog
U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed a vote by a key U.S. congressional committee on Thursday to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

October 22, 2009
The Hill: House committee gives nod to creating consumer financial protection agency
The House Financial Services Committee on Thursday took a major step forward by passing legislation that creates a new consumer financial protection agency.

October 18, 2009
Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Rep. Keith Ellison: A financial safety net for the rest of us
As the financial tsunami of 2008-09 hit titans like Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, millions of middle-class Americans were dragged out in the tide with no bailout. For these folks, the American dream of home ownership, and borrowing generally, washed up on the shores of a financial disaster -- the most serious since the Great Depression.

 

October 16, 2009
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Loan horror leads to White House visit
Politicians often talk about getting "a seat at the table," one way of saying who's in on the discussion, maybe exerting some influence. Patricia Nelson, as down-to-earth as a soft-spoken, 63-year-old Waukesha great grandmother could be, really did get a seat at the table. The president's table, no less.


October 16, 2009
Oregon Statesman-Journal: Oregon coalition supports tighter financial regulation by feds Alan Youse of Salem joined the ranks of retirees two weeks ago, but he said he might have retired months earlier if the nation's financial markets had not collapsed a year ago.



October 15, 2009
Raleigh News and Observer: Cooper supports a new agency Attorney
General Roy Cooper urged Congress on Wednesday to pass the bill that would create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to oversee banks and financial institutions.



October 15, 2009
Kane County Chronicle: Local Reps. working on financial regulations
Although much of the public attention since the summer has focused on the health care debate in Congress, that doesn’t mean the private work on other issues stopped.



October 15, 2009
Burlington Free Press Editorial: Move aggressively on financial reforms
Have they no shame? A year after taxpayers were forced to bail out the biggest financial firms from near collapse, those same companies are back with extravagant bonuses to reward employees.



October 15, 2009
Boston Globe Editorial: To fix financial system, protect consumers first
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.



October 15, 2009
WP: House Panel to Vote On Derivatives Bill
A House committee is set to vote Thursday 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.



October 15, 2009
KGUN-ABC Phoenix: Goddard endorses US consumer financial protection agency There's a push in our nation's capital to create a financial consumer protection agency. It would make credit card and mortgage information more understandable --and hold brokers and investment professionals to higher standards.



October 14, 2009
Bloomberg: House Panel Moves Derivatives Toward Obama’s Proposal
The House Financial Services Committee revamped legislation that would rein in the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives market, winning praise from the Obama administration.



October 14, 2009
ABC Chicago, IL: IL AG urges consumer protection agency
Illinois' attorney general is urging Congress to create an independent federal consumer financial protection agency. Madigan and consumer advocates talked about it Wednesday at the Thompson Center. She says idea is to protect consumers from excesses that spurred the current economic crisis.



October 14, 2009
WGN Chicago: Illinois Attorney General pushes for federal consumer protection Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says the federal government should be more doing to protect consumers.



October 14, 2009
MarketWatch: Key committee nears vote on bank regulation reform
Taking a major step toward financial regulatory reform, the key House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday kicked off its final debate on legislation to reform complex financial instruments known as derivatives, with a vote expected later in the day.



October 12, 2009
Denver Post: Hopes run high for consumer protections in Congress
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.



October 12, 2009
AFP: White House defends Obama's economic policies
The White House on Monday defended President Barack Obama's economic policies, saying that because of them, the country had stepped back from an economic abyss.



October 9, 2009
AP: Obama: Create consumer protection agency

President Barack Obama is urging Congress to create a new consumer agency to protect Americans against financial abuses.


October 9, 2009
NYT: Obama Urges Congress Not to Scale Back Financial Reform

As Congress prepares to overhaul the way Washington regulates the financial system, President Obama urged lawmakers on Friday to resist the lobbying forces working to crush a cornerstone of the administration’s plan.



October 9, 2009
CNN Monday: Obama pushes consumer protection agency

President Obama on Friday made his strongest push yet for the creation of a new consumer protection agency, lashing out against those who have lobbied hard to stand in its way.



October 9, 2009
NYDN: Obama Takes Aim At Wall Street

President Obama today took aim at the culture of greed, after hearing horror stories from typical Americans who were victims of predatory lenders and the related Wall Street chicanery that slid the U.S. in its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.



October 9, 2009
AP: Obama: Create consumer protection agency

President Barack Obama is urging Congress to create a new consumer agency to protect Americans against financial abuses.



October 9, 2009
The Hill: Obama takes on banks, U.S. Chamber in push for financial reform

President Obama singled out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Friday as a special interest lining up to kill his efforts at protecting American consumers from unscrupulous financial services.



October 9, 2009
Reuters: Obama pushes consumer financial protection agency

U.S. President Barack Obama promoted his plans for a new consumer financial protection agency on Friday by saying it would prevent banks from using "ridiculously confusing contracts."



October 4, 2009
Reuters: Don't Resist Reform, G7 Policymakers Tell Banks

Global finance chiefs told commercial banks at the weekend that resisting tighter regulation of the industry was futile, though bankers warned the reforms could hurt economic recovery.



October 3, 2009
Dow Jones: Global Cooperation Limited Depth Of Downturn

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Saturday continued to push for regulatory reform of global financial systems while promoting a shift toward more balanced global growth and reaffirming a commitment not to withdraw U.S. economic stimulus measures too quickly.



October 1, 2009
Reuters: US Treasury says regulation key to averting crises

The United States should focus on reforming financial regulation in order to be armed against future crises, rather than making unrealistic promises to never bail out another financial firm, a top U.S. Treasury official said Thursday.



September 30, 2009
Bloomberg News: Bernanke Urges ‘Strong’ Consumer Financial Protection

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke will tell lawmakers that protecting consumers of financial services is “vitally important,” while omitting prior criticism of an Obama administration proposal to shift such powers from the Fed to a new agency.



September 30, 2009
Bloomberg News: Bernanke Urges ‘Strong’ Consumer Financial Protection
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke will tell lawmakers that protecting consumers of financial services is “vitally important,” while omitting prior criticism of an Obama administration proposal to shift such powers from the Fed to a new agency.



September 30, 2009
Dow Jones: US Officials See Challenges, Promise For Global Financial Regulation

Top U.S. officials from the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department stressed the need Wednesday for global cooperation on improving regulation for financial markets, but acknowledged some problems laid bare by the financial crisis still need to be addressed.



September 30, 2009
Politico: Geithner: Proposal is a 'revolution'
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday highlighted one area of the Obama administration’s keynote proposals in the regulatory reform debate, arguing that the planned overhaul of the derivatives market is the kind of sweeping change that will help prevent another market meltdown.



September 30, 2009
Roll Call: Prospects Look Bright for Financial Reform
After weathering the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, getting a financial regulatory overhaul done should be as close to a slam dunk for Democrats as anything else on their agenda this year " and they sure could use a victory.



September 30, 2009
American Banker: Geithner: Reform Making "Progress" Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner continued to push for his regulatory restructuring plan in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, arguing that the administration is making progress and signaling a willingness to compromise.



September 29, 2009
National Journal: Treasury Pushes For Resolution Authority
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.



September 29, 2009
The Hill: Geithner says the Federal government needs more power to prevent bailouts
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.



September 26, 2009
Charlotte News & Observer: Pressure point

First came the reports that some of America's big banks, rescued by taxpayers, were returning to the same old risky investment packages that helped them take the dive that nearly plunged the country into another Great Depression. Now, the financial industry has fought tooth-and-nail, apparently with some success, to dilute some of President Obama's efforts at more responsibly regulating that industry.



September 24, 2009
Politico: More Dems now support watchdog

It’s taken longer than he planned, but House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank appears to be closing in on the support he needs to create a new federal agency to oversee mortgages, credit cards and other consumer products of the financial services industry.



September 22, 2009
Dow Jones: Dodd, Frank Cite Progress On Reg Overhaul After Geithner Mtg

The top House and Senate Democrats ushering regulatory changes for the financial system through Congress presented a more united front following a meeting Tuesday, citing broad areas of agreement and downplaying differences on the ambitious legislation.



September 18, 2009
NPR: Geithner Still Pushing For Major Financial Reforms
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the U.S. economy might be showing the "first signs of recovery," but comprehensive reform to the financial regulatory system should remain an urgent priority. Legislation to provide more systematic regulation of financial institutions, including new limits on executive compensation, has stalled in Congress, but Geithner told NPR's Robert Siegel in an exclusive interview that he is optimistic that major reforms will be passed



September 16, 2009
Bloomberg: Treasury Appeals to Main Street for Wall Street Rules Overhaul

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.



September 15, 2009
CBS Evening News: Geithner's Financial Vision

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's department has put out a report detailing the next phase for stabilizing and regulating the financial system. In an exclusive interview, Geithner told CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric that the economy is in much better shape today than it was when the meltdown began last September.



September 15, 2009
ABC: 'GMA' Exclusive: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner

A year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers,Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner spoke to "Good Morning America's" Diane Sawyer today about the state of the economy and why he is optimistic about the country's recovering from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.



September 14, 2009
Remarks by the President on Financial Rescue and Reform
THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  It is wonderful to be back in New York after having just been here last week.  It is a beautiful day and we have some extraordinary guests here in the Hall today.  I just want to mention a few.



September 10, 2009
CNBC: Banking on Geithner Town Hall

The dust has settled. America's financial system is moving past the crisis mode it's been in since the collapse of Lehman Brothers a year ago. But what exactly we're moving on to is not entirely clear, and the trillions that we're spending to save the banking industry and revive the economy is causing Americans to ask some very important questions: Where is our money going? Will the Government be a permanent partner in our capital markets? And is our financial system more stable today than it was a year ago?



September 8, 2009
McClatchy: Commentary: Urgent need for financial regulatory reform
By Neal Wolin
When Congress reconvenes this week, members will turn their attention to the most sweeping reform of financial regulation since the New Deal. The administration has proposed comprehensive legislation to modernize our financial regulatory system. The goal is simple: to lay the foundation for a safer, more stable financial system and to give responsible consumers and investors the basic protections they deserve.


September 8, 2009
McClatchy Newspapers :Commentary: Urgent need for financial regulatory reform
When Congress reconvenes this week, members will turn their attention to the most sweeping reform of financial regulation since the New Deal. The administration has proposed comprehensive legislation to modernize our financial regulatory system. The goal is simple: to lay the foundation for a safer, more stable financial system and to give responsible consumers and investors the basic protections they deserve.



September 7, 2009
Kansas City Star: If health care fails, move on to financial reforms
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. And I will. There is, of course, the battle royal over health care reform. People on both sides are mad at Congress. Some are even wondering if the whole thing will stall this fall.



September 6, 2009
Detroit Free Press Editorial: Protect against bad credit practices
New agency would side with consumers You may think you don't need protection from the foolish choices made by people who can't or won't understand the mortgage papers they sign. But you do, because bad mortgages have a broad impact. The solution lies in a national Consumer Financial Protection Agency much like President Barack Obama has proposed.



September 3, 2009
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Ellison calls for consumer finance regulator
He wants a single agency that will look out for people applying for credit or taking out a loan. 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.



September 2, 2009
Charlotte Observer: Treasury: Consumer agency is needed
Department's No. 2 officer visits N.C. and advocates for a new entity to protect against unfair practices.

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.  Neal Wolin said in a phone interview that a consumer-focused agency is necessary for protecting borrowers. Under the current system, multiple regulators oversee consumer protection, which results in “a complicated hodgepodge” that lets banks “pick and choose between whichever agency will be most lenient,” Wolin said.



September 2, 2009
Cincinnati Enquirer: Key Treasury figure argues for reforms
As Congress this month mulls the next piece in a mammoth proposal to overhaul regulation of the financial sector, Assistant Treasury Secretary Michael Barr met with local consumer groups, industry officials and the Enquirer to push President Barack Obama's plan. 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.



August 26, 2009
Dow Jones: Treasury's Stein Discusses Consumer Agency, Draws Big Audience

A key U.S. Treasury official Wednesday shed more light on the Obama administration's financial-overhaul proposal, arguing that a new consumer-focused federal agency - the Consumer Financial Protection Agency ( CFPA) - is necessary to help prevent future crises.



August 26, 2009
Seattle Times Editorial: Obama's financial regulatory reform agenda is right to prioritize consumers

Congress should carefully consider and approve a bill creating a federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

PRESIDENT Obama's regulatory-reform agenda includes a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. This is worth pursuing, though as with any law creating new federal power, it has to be done with care.



August 25, 2009
Seattle Times Editorial: Devil's in the details on reform of financial regulations
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.

PRESIDENT Obama's proposal of regulatory reform aims to reduce risks to the financial system as a whole. The aim is good. The actual bill has to be carefully vetted, because even the smallest detail can create unforeseen consequences.



July 22, 2009
The Hill: Consumer protection agency would stop companies’ race to the bottom (Wolin Op-ed)

On June 17, President Obama unveiled a comprehensive plan to modernize our financial regulatory system and address the gaps and weaknesses that helped produce the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The debate over the president’s proposed reforms has grown lively, as it should. On the details of a reform package as large as the one we have presented, reasonable people can disagree. But there should be no disagreement that fundamental reform is urgently needed. Over the past two years, ordinary Americans have suffered too much, trust in our financial system has been too badly shaken, and our economy has been brought too close to the brink for us to let this opportunity pass.


June 14, 2009
Washington Post: Geithner, Summers OP-ED: A New Financial Foundation
By Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers
Over the past two years, we have faced the most severe financial crisis since the Great Depression. The financial system failed to perform its function as a reducer and distributor of risk. Instead, it magnified risks, precipitating an economic contraction that has hurt families and businesses around the world.


July 23, 2009
The Hill: Wolin Op-Ed: Consumer Protection Agency Would Stop Companies’ Race To The Bottom
By Neal Wolin 
On June 17, President Obama unveiled a comprehensive plan to modernize our financial regulatory system and address the gaps and weaknesses that helped produce the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. 


Last Updated: October 28, 2009

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Financial Regulatory Reform: A New Foundation


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RECENT NEWS

October 28, 2009
AFP: US financial sector will pay for failures: bill
Financial companies with more than 10 billion dollars in assets will have to pay for rivals' failures or rescues, under draft legislation which has been released by the US Treasury and lawmakers.

October 28, 2009
Reuters: Congressional Panel Backs New Rules For Hedge Funds
U.S. regulators would be able to peer into the secretive world of hedge funds and private equity funds under a bill passed by a key congressional committee on Tuesday.

October 28, 2009
Reuters: Obama Financial Reforms Advance In Congress
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.