WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday appeared to nail down the votes needed to approve a historic overhaul of U.S. financial regulations and set up a final vote by the end of the week.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid scheduled a key vote for Thursday morning after Senator Ben Nelson, one of the chamber’s most conservative Democrats, said he would support the bill, which would be the broadest rewrite of the Wall Street rulebook since the Great Depression.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday appeared to nail down the votes needed to approve a historic overhaul of U.S. financial regulations and moved to set up a final vote on it by the end of the week.

Senator Ben Nelson, one of the Senate’s most conservative Democrats, said he would support the bill after earlier raising concerns about how regulators might implement it.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sweeping Wall Street reform bill moving through the U.S. Congress calls for no fewer than 39 studies — an impressive level of trying to look busy while dodging controversy, even by Washington standards.

In what amounts to a full employment act for policy analysts, the 2,300-page bill seeks further inquiry on topics ranging from “ending the conservatorship of Fannie Mae (and) Freddie Mac” to “oversight of carbon markets.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The sweeping Wall Street reform bill moving through the U.S. Congress calls for no fewer than 39 studies — an impressive level of trying to look busy while dodging controversy, even by Washington standards.

In what amounts to a full employment act for policy analysts, the 2,300-page bill seeks further inquiry on topics ranging from “ending the conservatorship of Fannie Mae FNM.N (and) Freddie Mac FRE.N” to “oversight of carbon markets.”

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of
Representatives on Wednesday approved a landmark overhaul of
financial regulations but the Senate put off action until
mid-July, delaying a final victory for President Barack Obama.

Still, the 237 to 192 vote in the House marked a win for
Obama and his fellow Democrats, who have made the most sweeping
rewrite of Wall Street rules since the 1930s a top priority in
the wake of the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) – The financial overhaul bill
would not impose margin and capital requirements on swap
end-users, senior Democrats said on Wednesday, accusing Wall
Street firms of trying to frighten Main Street businesses.

At issue is a provision of the bill that would force big
players in the $615 trillion over-the-counter derivatives
market to front more in good-faith deposits to back up their
dealings in these financial contracts, including swaps.

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Reuters) – The Wall Street reform bill
would not impose margin and capital requirements on swap
end-users, a spokesman for Representative Barney Frank said on
Wednesday, downplaying concerns raised by a senior Republican.

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss on Tuesday said that a
mistake in the sweeping bill — which was moving to a final
vote soon in the House of Representatives and by mid-July in
the Senate — could burden commercial end-users of
over-the-counter derivatives, such as swaps.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Democrats are mounting a final push to send President Barack Obama a landmark overhaul of financial regulations, but the death of a colleague and cold feet among Republican allies could postpone a final victory.

Democrats scheduled a Wednesday vote in the House of Representatives, where the bill is expected to pass easily by late afternoon or early evening.

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) – U.S. Democrats on Tuesday
stripped out a controversial $17.9 billion tax from their
landmark financial reform bill in a scramble to win the votes
needed to pass it through Congress.

Democrats hoped the change would draw enough moderate
Republicans to allow them to quickly pass the sweeping overhaul
through both chambers of Congress. The goal had been to get the
bill to President Barack Obama’s desk by July 4, but that
timetable could slip by several weeks.

WASHINGTON, June 29 (Reuters) – Political momentum was
expected to carry a sweeping Wall Street reform bill to
approval in the U.S. Congress, but the death of Senator Robert
Byrd threatened to delay final action until mid-July.

Democratic backers of the bill scrambled on Monday to
replace a crucial vote of support that was lost when Byrd, 92,
passed away, with the bill’s fate turning on the views of a
handful of swing-vote senators.