AFR in the News Archives - Page 21 of 58 - Americans for Financial Reform

AFR in the News: Clinton’s populist theme heartens liberal donors (Washington Post)

“During her debut swing through Iowa this week, the former secretary of state pledged to promote a progressive agenda, stressing that ‘the deck is stacked in favor of those already at the top.’ That language struck a chord with members of [the Democracy Alliance]… [T]he organization is urging donors to contribute to an expanded suite of advocacy groups and think tanks devoted to economic inequality including Americans for Financial Reform, the Economic Policy Institute and the National Employment Law Project.”

AFR in the News: How Warren’s Banking Agenda Could Influence Clinton (American Banker)

“Marcus Stanley, policy director at Americans for Financial Reform, said Warren’s speech lays ‘down the gauntlet for people in terms of taking specific, strong steps — including steps that go beyond Dodd-Frank — to reform Wall Street. That’s very meaningful in terms of the challenge it puts to people to say whether they’re in favor of that or not,’ he said.”

AFR in the News: General Electric Hands Dodd-Frank Its Biggest Victory Yet (Huffington Post)

“‘I see this as a win not just for too-big-to-fail, but for the extension of the regulatory perimeter in Dodd-Frank,” said Marcus Stanley, policy director at Americans for Financial Reform. “You basically had one of the largest consumer and investment banks in the country stapled onto a major industrial corporation, and because it was part of this conglomerate, it wasn’t being regulated like a major bank. When the Fed changed that regime, GE decided it wouldn’t be as profitable.'”

AFR in the News: Jon Stewart Interviews Senator Elizabeth Warren

“We got organized… We started getting groups like – God bless ‘em – AARP, Consumer Union, the AFL-CIO, the NAACP, LaRaza… More than a hundred groups got organized into Americans for Financial Reform. They pushed, and we got that consumer agency passed into law.” – Senator Elizabeth Warren, describing the struggle to establish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

AFR in the News: Democratic Support Wanes for Changes in Dodd-Frank (CQ Roll Call)

“Call it the Elizabeth Warren effect. The Massachusetts Democratic senator’s anti-Wall Street crusade may help explain a small but noticeable drop in support for big banks among Democrats on Capitol Hill. The decline turns up in an analysis of voting patterns during the 113th Congress soon to be released by Americans for Financial Reform, an advocacy group that promotes Wall Street accountability.”

AFR in the News: Wall Street Fires Back at Obama Over Broker Standards

The Department of Labor, backed by the rest of the Obama administration, has renewed its push to hold retirement advisers to tougher standards, seeking to require more brokers to act in the best interest of their clients. That effort has in turn spurred another bout of vigorous lobbying by Wall Street interests, keen on preserving the status quo… “There is just a tidal wave of opposition,” says Lisa Donner of Americans for Financial Reform, a consumer group that supports the proposed rules. “This has been a very long time coming.”

AFR in the News: Consumer groups accuse SEC of ignoring investors (Investment News)

“We are concerned that the Securities and Exchange Commission — which has always prided itself on serving as ‘the investors’ advocate’ — appears in recent years to have strayed from its primary focus on its investor protection mission,” the letter stated. “Given the vital role that average investors play in our markets and the overall economy, and the serious shortcomings that exist in the regulatory protections they receive, it is time in our view for these issues to be prioritized.”

AFR in the News: About That Bill Name (Politico)

“Americans for Financial Reform is urging Congress to reject Rep. Ann Wagner’s bill to halt Labor Department’s fiduciary duty rule. In a March 10 letter to Congress, AFR says: ‘On behalf of Americans for Financial Reform, we are writing to express our opposition to HR 1090, the ‘Retail Investor Protection Act.’ This misnamed legislation in fact eliminates needed protections for retail investors … Financial professionals not covered by a fiduciary duty are legally free to recommend investments that benefit them, the seller of the product, at the expense of the customer who is saving for their future.’”

AFR in the News: A Practical Populist Wins High Praise at Treasury (CQ)

“One area where [Treasury Deputy Secretary Sarah Bloom] Raskin has flexed her muscles is in a new drive to restrict executive compensation at the biggest banks… [T]he Dodd-Frank Act required federal regulators to prohibit pay packaged to bank executives that encouraged inappropriate risk-taking… The matter has been revived in recent months, in part because Raskin has made it a priority, pushing it with Lew and the President himself…”

“We’re very pleased that regulators seem to be returning to the drawing board and thinking about a rule that might actually have some impact,” says Lisa Donner, executive director of the liberal Americans for Financial Reform, adding that Raskin has been a “champion” on the issue.

AFR in the News: How The Obama-Warren Retirement Security Plan Almost Got Strangled In The Cradle (Huffington Post)

“President Barack Obama unveiled a significant retirement security proposal with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday, announcing plans to bolster retirement accounts by curbing conflicts of interest on Wall Street… Obama’s decision to put political capital behind a new rule has encouraged many financial reform advocates. ‘It makes sense, it’s right and it’s important,’ said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform.”