Wall Street Archives - Page 10 of 18 - Americans for Financial Reform

fence with a yellow sign that says 'danger' = Photo by JF Martin on Unsplash

Report: Private Equity’s Chemical Catastrophe in Texas

The day before Thanksgiving, a chemical plant operated by the TPC Group exploded in Port Neches, Texas spewing contaminants, forcing over 50,000 people to evacuate, and leaving the community with the lingering aftereffects of an industrial disaster. The TPC Group is owned by two private equity (PE) firms, SK Capital Partners (SK) and First Reserve. The private equity owned chemical plants in Texas held by SK Capital have a long record of environmental violations — not just the TPC Group factories but other SK Capital portfolio firms.

In The News: It’s Time for Congress to Do Something About the Economic Mess that Private Equity Giants Have Created (Business Insider)

Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz: “[A] recent study by groups including Americans for Financial Reform found that private-equity bankruptcies in the retail industry alone cost 600,000 jobs. One of those laid off, Giovanna De La Rosa, told of her experiences in this publication. The best outcome would be fewer bankruptcies, but when they happen, the welfare of workers needs to be at the top of the list, not at the bottom.”

In The News: Ocasio-Cortez Explains Everything Wrong with Private Equity in Less Than a Minute (GQ)

“I wasn’t sent here to safeguard and protect profit,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a video from the hearing circulated by Americans for Financial Reform, “I was sent here to safeguard and protect people.”

News Release: New Poll Shows Very Broad Support for Action to Curb Private Equity Abuses

The survey found that voters across party lines both disapprove of common approaches of private equity firms in taking over and running existing businesses. They also approve of measures to increase accountability, close loopholes, and protect workers, investors and the viability of target firms.

AFR Polling Memo: New Survey Shows Bipartisan Skepticism of Private Equity Tactics, Support for Reform

Voters support continued reform of Wall Street, and that conviction extends to the private equity industry, according to a new poll by Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting. Majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans, oppose the predatory tactics of private equity industry, and support legislative proposals aimed at correcting its abuses.

News Release: 2019 AFR/CRL Poll Shows Broad Support for Continued Wall Street Reforms in Early Primary States

As candidates vie to set the agenda for the next presidency, Democratic primary voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina strongly support a tough approach to oversight and reform of Wall Street, according to a new poll conducted by the bipartisan team of Lake Research Partners and Chesapeake Beach Consulting.

AFR/CRL Poll: Early State Voters Support Continued Reform of Wall Street

Americans see the need for tough enforcement of existing rules, even after hearing opposing arguments that stress a danger in the role of government. They strongly support the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that Congress passed in response to the financial crisis, as well as additional measures to fight continuing industry abuses.

In The News: Trump’s Latest Assault on the CFPB Could Backfire (Slate)

Kraninger is wildly unqualified to lead the CFPB: Before her confirmation, she had no experience in consumer protection or financial regulation. Civil rights groups and Wall Street watchdogs [AFR letter linked] uniformly opposed her, while the financial industry supported her—perceiving correctly that she would be, at best, a do-nothing director.

Take Action: Stop Wall Street’s Raids on our Economy

Our economy is in crisis. Wall Street billionaires have bought our politicians and engineered our laws to make it easier to buy and pillage major companies, line their own pockets, and escape consequences it has on working people and our communities when the company fails.

Stop Wall Street Looting Act Would Curb Worst Private Equity Abuses

“Private equity and hedge funds now wield enormous influence over the American economy, often with terrible consequences for workers and communities,” said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform. “We need effective rules of the road to stop predatory practices by these Wall Street giants.”