Financial Regulation

Financial Regulation

Commentary

Why #OccupyWallStreet?

October 07, 2011
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History Repeats Itself on Financial Reform

July 12, 2011

In the decades since the Great Depression, Americans acknowledged the necessity of having safeguards in place to prevent another crash of the financial markets, including the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). When they were first introduced, Wall Street cried foul, according to the new report, “Industry Repeats Itself: The Financial Reform Fight,” found here. 

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The History of Consumer Protection Scares

September 09, 2009

By Tim Fernholz. The American Prospect. September 9, 2009.

The Chamber of Commerce and other business interests tried to kill the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency with 'death panel' tactics -- exaggerating the affects of the legislation and making it seem as though it would harm ordinary Americans. But these kinds of moves aren't unusual. In the 1970s, there was momentum toward creating a Consumer Protection Agency that would act, essentially, as a kind of clearinghouse for consumer complaints, rather than an actual regulator with enforcement powers. Its opponents also reacted with outrageous rhetoric.

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Cry Wolf Quotes

The real worry is that these new rules and regulations do not create a risk factor or a timidity that is so severe that... they sit on the sidelines worrying more about rules and regulations than they do about making money .. If we have to go to a book keeping system as opposed to an accounting system then we're going to strangle the American enterprise system.

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Thomas Donohue, President of the Chamber of Commerce
09/25/2002 | Full Details | Law(s): Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Facing a possibility of 20 years in jail and $5 million fines, executives are going to spend lots of time going over financial statements, and less time creating, innovating and leading,”

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James Glassman, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
09/20/2002 | Full Details | Law(s): Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Congress, the administration and the states must recognize that our weak economy simply cannot sustain all the new taxes, regulations and mandates now under consideration. It is a surefire recipe for a double-dip recession or worse.

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Thomas Donohue, President of the Chamber of Commerce
01/12/2010 | Full Details | Law(s): Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

It would help me by driving 85 per cent of my competitors out of business, if I could manage to keep out of Atlanta or Leavenworth myself.

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Steve Pearce, biggest wire broker of the time, on creation of SEC
02/25/1934 | Full Details | Law(s): Security Exchange Act of 1934
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Related Laws and Rules

Backgrounders & Briefs

Industry Repeats Itself on Financial Reform

As the nation approaches the first anniversary of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, opponents are claiming that the new measure is extraordinarily damaging, especially to Main Street. But industry’s alarmist rhetoric bears striking resemblance to the last time it faced sweeping new safeguards: during the New Deal reforms. The parallels between the language used both then and now are detailed in a report released today by Public Citizen and the Cry Wolf Project.

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Resources

Political Economy Research Institute is a think tank focused on a variety of subjects such as diverse financial regulation, living wages and environmental protection.

Consumer Federation of America defends the consumer interest in fields ranging from housing and financial services to food safety. 

The Service Employees International Union represents workers the public sector and a variety of industries in the United States.

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition works against unfair lending and banking practices, particularly those targeted towards low and middle income families.

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