No Thumbnail

Coates and Pozen: Bill to Help Businesses Raise Capital Goes Too Far

“The House voted 390 to 23 last week for a bill (PDF) to provide regulatory relief for small companies trying to raise capital. The bill is moving quickly through the Senate; no one likes unnecessary regulations that burden economic growth. But this bill does more than trim regulatory fat; parts of it cut into muscle. Small businesses will have a harder time raising capital if investors do not receive sufficient disclosures or other legal protections.”

No Thumbnail

SEC Commission Aguilar: Investor Protection is Needed for True Capital Formation

“Last week, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3606, the ‘Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act.’ It is clear to me that H.R. 3606 in its current form weakens or eliminates many regulations designed to safeguard investors. I must voice my concerns because as an SEC Commissioner, I cannot sit idly by when I see potential legislation that could harm investors. This bill seems to impose tremendous costs and potential harm on investors with little to no corresponding benefit.”

No Thumbnail

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.’”

No Thumbnail

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.’”

No Thumbnail

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.’”

No Thumbnail

AFR Press Statement: Resignation of Goldman Sachs executive director Greg Smith Illustrates Need for Volcker Rule

The resignation of Goldman Sachs executive director Greg Smith and the striking op-ed he wrote in today’s NY Times reveal once again that the problems laid bare in the 2010 Congressional hearings on proprietary trading remain pervasive at our largest banks. Congress passed the Volcker Rule as a specific response to these issues. Indeed, the Volcker Rule – which reorients banking culture to serving customers by banning proprietary trading and the conflicts of interest it creates – is aimed at precisely the problems Mr. Smith describes at Goldman Sachs.