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HomeObama on Dodd-Frank: Is He Serious?
Posted by Larry Doyle on August 20th, 2013 10:10 AM |
Three full years after the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, less than 40 percent of the watered-down rules within the reform have actually been written.
And those that have fall mostly under the heading of low-hanging fruit.
President Obama played the populist card again yesterday, calling on Congress and the independent regulators to complete their work on this reform.
Does President Obama think the American public actually believes Wall Street has been or will be reformed via Dodd-Frank? Really? Is he serious?
How Do China’s Seven ‘Speak-Nots’ Play in America?
Posted by Larry Doyle on July 30th, 2013 8:08 AM |
People of faith are likely very familiar with the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth.
I think it goes without saying that our nation would be a better place if we had less of these vices on display. That said, our greatest virtues emanate from the very freedom that allows the aforementioned vices to gain a foothold. What if we did not have our freedom, though? Then what?
To explore this question, let’s navigate to The People’s Republic of China and review a recent report from Global Post that highlights:
In a directive reportedly distributed last month to local party committees, China’s top propaganda officials issued new
restrictions banning discussion of seven topics deemed to be “dangerous Western influences.” (more…)
Preet Bharara: Big Bark, But Where’s The Bite?
Posted by Larry Doyle on July 19th, 2013 9:19 AM |
The US Attorney for the southern district of New York, Preet Bharara, certainly occupies one of the most powerful positions within law enforcement in the nation.
Yet here we sit 5 full years from the outset of what any reasonably intelligent individual knows is a fraud-induced and executed crisis, and what do we have to show for meaningful justice?
Aside from the prosecution of a handful of ne’er-do-well hedge fund nitwits and an array of shareholder paid fines, the record books to date have very little to show for justice.
I found myself thinking of this track record as I listened to Bharara inform CNBC’s Jim Cramer that nobody and no institution is or should be too big to jail. I am not saying Bharara’s job is an easy one but there comes a point in time when it is put up or shut up. I think most in America would say we have passed that point. (more…)
Bank America Mortgage Racket: We Were Told To Lie
Posted by Larry Doyle on June 14th, 2013 9:02 AM |
Not that we needed any further evidence of the racketeering enterprises run within the mortgage operations on Wall Street, but with the recently delivered testimony of Simone Gordon, a senior collection officer within Bank of America’s mortgage ‘racket’ . . . we got it.
I first questioned whether the activities within the mortgage servicing enterprises on Wall Street rose to the level of racketeering in early 2011 after having becoming aware of Wall Street’s practice of robo-signing mortgage documents in order to engage in the fraudulent conveyance of countless mortgages. (more…)
Sex, Lies, Stupidity, Oh My: SEC Whistleblower David Weber Vindicated, Receives Huge $ettlement
Posted by Larry Doyle on June 10th, 2013 8:21 AM |
“Doing the right thing can be hard” . . .
David Weber, former assistant Inspector General of the SEC, June 10, 2013
——————————
In a world in which it is all too easy to look the other way, to go along to get along, and to sit down when the public needs you to stand up, hope springs eternal.
I am heartened that America still has a chance to eradicate the corrosive and corruptible elements that have thrived within our financial regulatory system when I learn that there are still people who care enough to do the right thing. Who is one of those people?
Former assistant inspector general of the SEC David Weber. Today is his day and America should feel very good about that. (more…)
Taibbi Further Investigates Furey v SEC
Posted by Larry Doyle on June 3rd, 2013 10:11 AM |
Wouldn’t you like to have been a fly on the wall to witness what really went on — and still goes on — within the offices of the SEC and our other financial regulators?
Oh the stories and tales of woe that one might be able to share. Every now and then, though, one does not need to worry about being a fly because details of internal intrigue make their way out of the commission.
To that end, a few weeks back both Bloomberg’s Bill Cohan and I shed light on the incredible allegations of incompetence, negligence, if not outright corruption within the SEC made by an internal whistleblower Kathleen Furey.
Over the weekend Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi provided even greater transparency on the incredible — or in light of what we have learned about the SEC, perhaps not so unbelievable — allegations made by Ms. Furey in her whistleblower complaint. Those familiar with this case may recall that Furey alleged her superiors within the SEC’s New York office maintained that they did not handle cases dealing with investment managers. Incredible? Unbelievable? Maybe not so much.
(more…)
Volcker Sends Warning Shot to Fed, Wall St, and DC Recommended
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 30th, 2013 9:27 AM |
In what can only be described as a Sense on Cents Instant Classic, perhaps the most highly respected chair in the history of the Federal Reserve, that being Paul Volcker, delivered a tremendous address yesterday at the Economic Club of New York.
For anybody who cares about the well being of our markets, our economy, and our nation, I strongly recommend you take a mere ten minutes to fully read and absorb the wisdom of Volcker’s words.
What are some of the highlights? (more…)
Uncle Sam’s Rent-Seeking Economy circa 2013
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 29th, 2013 5:22 AM |
Are we in the midst of the greatest transfer of wealth in modern times?
I will allow others to debate the merits of that question, but I propose it in order to address what I see increasingly as the “new normal” reality of our current economic condition here in the United States. What lies at the core of this new normal dynamic? A rent-seeking economy, defined as:
When a company, organization or individual uses their resources to obtain an economic gain from others without reciprocating any benefits back to society through wealth creation.
An example of rent-seeking is when a company lobbies the government for loan subsidies, grants or tariff protection. These activities don’t create any benefit for society, they just redistribute resources from the taxpayers to the special-interest group. (more…)
IRS’ Doug Shulman: We No Longer Chase Bad Guys
Posted by Larry Doyle on May 28th, 2013 8:56 AM |
Have you ever read a passage or a line from a speech and thought, “He didn’t actually say that, did he?”
I had just that experience this morning in reading a delivery made by Douglas Shulman. Who is Mr. Shulman? The former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service during the time when the targeting of selected conservative groups was launched. For those who care about truth, transparency, and integrity I can only hope that we learn all the details of that activity.
What about Shulman himself, though, and his past? Where did he work prior to joining the IRS?
Under the heading of “you just can’t make this stuff up,” Shulman was vice-chairman of Wall Street’s favorite self-regulatory organization FINRA prior to being appointed chairman of the IRS by President Bush in early 2008. Oh boy!! (more…)
Did We Waste The Crisis? Is the Pope Catholic?
Posted by Larry Doyle on August 13th, 2013 8:16 AM |
Well, here we sit almost 5 years later. Is there any doubt that in terms of utilizing the crisis to implement the necessary meaningful financial regulatory and structural reforms, we have, in fact, wasted this crisis? Come on, do we even have to ask?
Adam Davidson of The New York Times would seem to believe the same as he wrote the following in a recent commentary: (more…)
Tags: Anat Admati, bank leverage, banks borrow too much, Charles Calomiris, Did We Waste a Crisis Adam Davidson, did we waste the crisis, Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform, financial regulatory reform, government rules are too confusing, is the Pope Catholic, Rahm Emanuel, Rahm Emanuel comment about crisis, the public has been misled, you never want a serious crisis to go to waste
Posted in financial crisis, General, Wall Street Washington Incest | 3 Comments »