Financial Regulatory Forum

By Kevin Drawbaugh
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) – Congressional Democrats pledged on Wednesday to engage the banking industry in a summer-long debate over the Obama administration’s call for the creation of a U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Agency. (more…)

By Kevin Drawbaugh and Christopher Doering h
WASHINGTON, July 22 (Reuters) – Over-the-counter derivatives markets, a “dark corner” of the U.S. financial system, would face much greater public and government scrutiny under proposals detailed by regulators on Wednesday.

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WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court ordered the Securities and Exchange Commission to reconsider a rule it adopted in the final weeks of former President George W. Bush’s administration to expand scrutiny over annuities linked to equity indexes. (more…)

WASHINGTON, July 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department sent a draft bill to Congress that would prevent credit rating agencies from consulting for the companies they evaluate, and said it hoped new disclosure and conflict-of-interest rules will curb the agencies’ power. (more…)

By Kevin Drawbaugh
WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) – A lobbying group for the U.S. securities industry said on Friday it supports an Obama administration proposal to hold brokers to a higher fiduciary standard — matching that of investment advisers — when they give personalized advice to clients. (more…)

    By Kevin Drawbaugh
   WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) – The two main regulators of U.S. financial markets should merge, the chief executive of America’s largest options exchange says in remarks to be delivered to a congressional panel on Friday.
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By Lisa Lambert and Rachelle Younglai
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) – Municipal bond issuers must disclose more information about events such as bankruptcies on a timely basis so that investors who buy debt from states and counties will be able to better monitor their investments, securities regulators proposed on Wednesday. (more…)

    WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) – The Securities and Exchange Commission will consider ways to increase disclosure of information about U.S. municipal bonds at a meeting on Wednesday, its chairman told Congress on Tuesday.
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WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) – U.S. securities regulators are looking at ways to rely less on credit ratings, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro told lawmakers on Tuesday. (more…)

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) – Credit rating agencies, such as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, are now being targeted by a squad of examiners set up by the Securities and Exchange Commission and are subject to ‘special’ examinations.

The heightened supervision was ordered by SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, who has also directed staff to consider bringing in new regulations, particularly to prevent companies from shopping around for favorable ratings. (more…)