Senators cite MF Global as Volcker rule rationale – Ronald D. Orol (MarketWatch)
“Two senators on Wednesday urged approval of regulations to adopt key provisions in the Volcker rule, arguing that the recent failure of MF Global illustrates why it should be approved. …during a gathering organized by Americans for Financial Reform, a progressive-leaning group.” Click here for more.
Volcker Rule Conflict Provisions Not ‘Tough Enough,’ Levin Says – Phil Mattingly (Bloomberg)
“Volcker rule language aimed at limiting conflicts of interest between U.S. banks and their clients is ‘not nearly tough enough,’ Senator Carl Levin said. Levin, a Michigan Democrat who helped draft the Dodd-Frank Act ban on proprietary trading for deposit-taking banks, said today…at an Americans for Financial Reform conference in Washington.”
How lobbyists make government regulations more burdensome – Suzy Khimm (Washington Post)
“One of the chief complaints you hear about Obama’s Wall Street reform law is that it imposes hugely complex, burdensome regulations on businesses. But why did that happen? It’s partly because industry lobbyists have pushed so hard to carve out exemptions in the law. That’s what happened with the Volcker Rule…The rule originally started out a 10-page provision that has ballooned to nearly 300 pages with scores of exemptions in place, as some supporters of the reform pointed out at an event on Wednesday. …at the gathering, sponsored by Americans for Financial Reform.”
MF Global provides first test for Dodd-Frank – Ira Teinowitz (The Deal)
“Marcus Stanley, policy director of Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of consumer and labor groups, called the bankruptcy a warning to regulators that the Volcker Rule should be implemented strictly. ‘MF Global’s failure — like the recent proprietary losses by Goldman Sachs — underlines the risks of speculative proprietary bets,” he said. ‘A tough Volcker Rule will restrict this kind of speculation to institutions that are ‘small enough to fail’ and prevent the giant investment banks central to the economy from taking these kinds of risks.’”
Volcker Rule Costs Banks $1 Billion, U.S. Government Says – Silla Brush (Bloomberg)
“‘Only $50 million of these costs are these kinds of costs of government regulation,’ said Marcus Stanley, policy director for Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of 250 groups including the AFL-CIO labor group and AARP. The cost ‘is very small compared to potentially making trillions of dollars in assets safer,’ he said in a telephone interview.’”
Dave Clarke (Reuters)
“The Volcker rule has created a new battlefield over Wall Street pay that banks fear will send their star traders and hedge fund advisers fleeing. … ‘The question is whether just saying that compensation arrangements cannot encourage proprietary risk taking is enough or whether they have to be more specific,’ said Marcus Stanley, policy director for the group Americans for Financial Reform.”
Here is a compilation of all the press coverage AFR received around the release of the Volcker Rule proposal.
Ben Protess (DealBook/NYT)
October 11, 2011
“Unfortunately, this initial proposal does not deliver on the promise of the Volcker Rule or the requirements of the statute,” said Marcus Stanley, policy director of American for Financial Reform, an advocacy group. …“The vagueness of the proposal, and the hundreds of questions it includes, also demonstrate that we are still in the middle of this process,” said Mr. Stanley. “It’s important to use this opportunity to strengthen the rule – and to prevent Wall Street lobbyists from weakening it still further.”
“The Volcker Rule, with its clear ban on both proprietary trading and conflicts of interest, is one of the short list of places where the Dodd-Frank Act imposes an outright ban on Wall Street practices central to the financial crisis. Unfortunately, the proposal issued today falls well short of what the Volcker Rule could and should achieve. It is too weighted toward preserving bank freedom of action, rather than creating the changes in bank practice and culture required by the statute,” said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. “We strongly urge major improvements in the final rule. The serious and widespread economic pain caused by the failures of our financial system, and the growing expressions of public outrage – with more and more people taking to the streets –help make it clear how important it is to get this right,” she added.
Read AFR’s position statement regarding the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s study on the Volcker Rule.