Category Archives: AFR in the News

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AFR in the News: Mark Gongloff – Dodd Frank Act Under Assault Again

“H.R. 3283 would let U.S. banks trade derivatives, such as credit default swaps, overseas without having to build up any extra capital to protect against a meltdown in those derivatives. ‘This would create an overwhelming temptation to move swaps business overseas, indeed to the foreign jurisdictions where regulation was most lax compared to the U.S.,’ Americans For Financial Reform, a coalition of labor, consumer and other groups, wrote in a letter to the House today.”

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AFR in the News: House Votes Overwhelmingly to Ease Financial Rules

“Consumer advocates said the two bills could lead to abuses. For example, the bill addressing transactions between related companies refers to swaps between ‘affiliates.’ Marcus Stanley, policy director for Americans for Financial Reform, said he worried that corporate lawyers would try broadening the use of that term to include more and more companies. ‘It’s ridiculous to put this broad exemption into statute,’ Stanley said.”

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AFR in the News: Bank Lobby’s Onslaught Shifts Debate on Volcker Rule

‘The regulators are under a lot of pressure,’ said Marcus Stanley, policy director of Americans for Financial Reform, an advocacy coalition that filed a comment letter urging that the draft rule be strengthened rather than watered down. Stanley, a former congressional aide, said that his side has at most a couple of dozen people working the agencies and Congress. Meantime, he said, hundreds of banking representatives are enlisting their customers by warning that the rule’s fallout will be higher costs and less-liquid markets.’

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AFR in the News: Crowdfunding Proposal Hits Snag

“But consumer advocates, watchdog groups and some economists are raising alarms. Taken together, the JOBS Act’s various provisions represent a dramatic rollback of financial regulations that date back to the Great Depression, they argue. It would reverse protections enacted with the Dodd-Frank financial reforms, some warn. ‘We’re all for channeling capital to small businesses,’ said Marcus Stanley, policy director of Americans for Financial Reform. ‘At the same time, we have banks for a reason, as opposed to people standing on the street corner taking shares in companies. So you’ve got to strike a balance.’”

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AFR in the News: Politicians In Washington Are Reading Greg Smith’s Letter Too

“Echoing Volcker himself, Americans for Financial Reform said the rule is aimed ‘precisely’ at the problems Smith alleges, and should provide fighting power from a lobby movement to soften the rule. ‘It is crucial that regulators are not intimidated or overwhelmed by this well-funded effort, but instead move ahead to implement the Volcker Rule that Congress intended – a strong rule that truly changes the toxic culture of proprietary trading,’ the group said in a statement. ‘Smith’s statement today, along with the mountains of evidence from the financial crisis, demonstrates yet again how much we need a Volcker Rule that works.’”

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AFR in the News: Reform groups use Goldman critique to push for tougher rules

“Advocates for tough implementation of financial reform are saying that a head-turning op-ed from a former employee of Goldman Sachs proves the need for strict rules on the financial sector. In a blistering piece published Wednesday by The New York Times, Greg Smith announced his resignation as an executive director at the firm, while offering a lengthy takedown of what it has become. He argued that under current leadership, Goldman had placed its own profit-hunting ahead of the well-being of its clients, who he said were called ‘muppets’ behind closed doors. …Americans for Financial Reform issued a statement saying Smith had ‘laid bare’ problems that ‘remain pervasive at our largest banks.’ The proper prescription? Tough implementation of the ‘Volcker Rule.’”

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AFR in the News: Financial regulations gutted in new bill

“It’s hard to believe that Democrats, who brought you the Dodd-Frank financial regulation act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, are solidly backing a bill that would weaken or obliterate many regulations designed to safeguard investors. The bill, HR3606, sailed through the House Thursday with 222 Republicans and 168 Democrats voting for it. Only 23 members, all Democrats, voted against it. President Obama has endorsed the bill. The Senate is fast-tracking its own version, which could come to the floor Monday night. …AARP, Americans for Financial Reform, the North American Securities Administrators Association and the Council of Institutional Investors have strongly opposed all or some parts of the bill.”

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AFR in the News: They Have Very Short Memories

“House Republicans, Senate Democrats and President Obama have found something they can all support: a terrible package of bills that would undo essential investor protections, reduce market transparency and distort the efficient allocation of capital. …Dozens of legal experts and advocates for investors and consumers have written to Senate leaders warning that extensive revisions must be made to the House legislation for it to be even minimally acceptable.”

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AFR in the News: Not What Paul Volcker Had in Mind

“The Volcker rule, a crucial provision of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, is supposed to stop banks from doing the sort of risky trading that was one of the big causes of the financial meltdown. The banks hate the rule because less speculation means less profit and lower bonuses for traders and bank executives. …Some advocates also warn that the regulations could still be read as allowing proprietary trading that is longer term in nature, including high-risk arbitrage trades that attempt to profit on price differences among similar assets.”