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HomeToyota is to Wall Street as NHTSA is to SEC/FINRA
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 24th, 2010 6:26 AM |
In light of the Congressional hearings addressing the problems swirling around Toyota, I am reposting this commentary which was originally posted on February 12th.
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When regulators are in bed with industry, bad things happen. When regulators actually go to work for the industry, then really bad things happen.
Evidence of this dynamic on Wall Street is overwhelming. Yet, don’t think that Wall Street has a monopoly on this incest. Bloomberg highlights that incestuous activity has also played out in the disaster encompassing Toyota. Bloomberg reports, Regulators Hired by Toyota Helped Halt Investigations:
Former regulators hired by Toyota Motor Corp. helped end at least four U.S. investigations of unintended acceleration by company vehicles in the last decade, warding off possible recalls, court and government records show. (more…)
Is FINRA’s Future in Doubt?
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 23rd, 2010 2:04 PM |
Are the days of Wall Street’s self-regulatory organization known as FINRA numbered?
In the opinion of the very credible Project on Government Oversight, they should be. Why? Significant failures, massive conflicts of interest, and more. POGO’s comprehensive and scathing letter to four separate House and Senate committees touches upon every failing within FINRA, with the exception of the integrity of the proxy statement used in the formation of the organization itself. Strong allegations in a current lawsuit against FINRA make the case that Mary Schapiro lied verbally during roadshows and in the proxy statement. (For details on this lawsuit read here.)
Despite not addressing the issues embedded in that lawsuit, POGO touches all the other bases and covers all the other issues surrounding this organization. (more…)
Goldman’s Gerald Corrigan: Best Defense is Good Offense
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 23rd, 2010 11:15 AM |
$300 million is a lot of money.
Was it enough for the preeminent firm on Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, to risk its reputation? Apparently it was because that is the reported figure Goldman earned from transactions it structured and executed with the nation of Greece to help hide that nation’s fiscal woes. I do not discount that Goldman took risk in these transactions, but $300 million is a lot of money.
Believe me, every firm on Wall Street would sell its soul for a lot less than that. Goldman Sachs was not the only firm on Wall Street to enter into derivative transactions with Greece or other nations to cover declining fiscal positions. Goldman is merely the highest profile firm.
What does a firm like Goldman do now that it is being besieged by regulators, central bankers, and national leaders, primarily Angela Merkel of Germany, for structuring and executing these transactions? (more…)
Rev. James Meeks Takes on the New Slave Masters
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 23rd, 2010 8:38 AM |
Rev. James Meeks
“We don’t have slave masters,” he said. “We got mayors. But they still the same white people who are presiding over systems where black people are not able . . . to be educated.”
That is some statement.
Who expressed such strong and incendiary outrage? The Reverend James Meeks, founder and senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Chicago, the largest African-American church in Illinois.
In my opinion, Meeks did not look to score pure political points in launching into the mayors of our nation. To a very large extent, Meeks is taking on the Democratic Party establishment which has embraced the African-American community and championed their fight. Then why is Meeks railing on the mayors? (more…)
Volcker Rule Gains Support of Former Treasury Secretaries
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 22nd, 2010 3:59 PM |
Score major points for former Fed Chair Paul Volcker in his pursuit to restructure Wall Street. How so?
A letter in this morning’s Wall Street Journal from five former Treasury Secretaries endorses Volcker’s proposal to limit proprietary trading activities in our largest banks. The letter reads,
We who have served as secretary of the Treasury in both Republican and Democratic administrations write in support of the proposed legislation to prohibit certain proprietary activities of commercial banking organizations—the so-called Volcker rule, as part of needed financial reform (“It’s Time for Financial Reform Plan C,” by Alan Blinder, op-ed, Feb. 16).
The principle can be simply stated. Banks benefiting from public support by means of access to the Federal Reserve and FDIC insurance should not engage in essentially speculative activity unrelated to essential bank services. (more…)
Orin Kramer Provides More ‘Sense on Cents’
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 22nd, 2010 10:10 AM |
I first introduced Orin Kramer, chairman of the council overseeing the New Jersey State Pension, to readers of Sense on Cents on January 5th. On that date I wrote “Public Pension ‘Smoothies’ Will Cost $2 Trillion”, highlighting the massive gap in the funding of our public pension system.
Last evening on my radio show, my guest Ronald Holland addressed how we should ultimately expect our retirement funds to be taken over by the government partially for the purpose of funding these pensions. You can listen to the entire interview with Mr. Holland here.
We wake up this morning and are revisited by none other than Orin Kramer, who provides a succinct but enlightening View From the Top interview to the Financial Times: (more…)
New York Times’ Thomas Friedman: “We Have to Demand the Truth”
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 22nd, 2010 6:05 AM |
Without the truth, we are mere slaves to a corrupt system and will never control or master our destiny.
I don’t write this premise whimsically nor do I accept it as a given. The fact is, our forefathers are rolling over in their graves right now given the fatuous culture our society has not only tolerated but promoted. I continually call for the pursuit of truth, transparency and integrity while navigating the economic landscape for the very reason that without these virtues we are doomed as a nation.
High five to AL for pointing out that none other than Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times drills this very point in writing, The Fat Lady Has Sung. Whether you agree with Friedman’s politics is immaterial. (more…)
No Quarter Radio’s Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle Welcomes Ronald Holland
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 21st, 2010 8:02 AM |
UPDATE: This episode of NQR’s Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle has concluded. You can listen to a recording of the episode in its entirety by clicking the play button on the audio player provided below. Once the audio begins, you can advance or rewind to any portion of the episode by clicking at any point along the play bar.
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Is Barack Obama preparing to take over your retirement accounts? Far fetched? Think again. This idea is not only being bandied about around Washington but elsewhere around the world, as well.
Are we to stick our heads in the sand and hope it doesn’t happen? That is no way to properly navigate the economic landscape. Where can you go to learn more about this potential economic and financial bombshell? You have come to the right place as tonight from 8-9pm ET No Quarter Radio’s Sense on Cents with Larry Doyle Welcomes Ron Holland. Who is Ron Holland? >>> (more…)
WSJ Hits Mary Schapiro Hard on ‘Say on Pay’ but That’s Only Tip of the Iceberg
Posted by Larry Doyle on February 20th, 2010 11:58 AM |
The target on SEC Chair Mary Schapiro’s back is getting larger and gaining more focus. How so?
The lead editorial in this weekend’s edition of The Wall Street Journal goes after Schapiro hard in writing, Mary Schapiro’s Say on Pay. While the editorial leads with the ongoing battle Schapiro and the SEC are having with Bank of America’s lack of disclosure during its merger with Merrill Lynch, the Journal quickly turns the tables on Ms. Schapiro and addresses the lack of disclosure at Ms. Schapiro’s former haunt, FINRA.
Come to papa.
Regular readers of Sense on Cents are well aware of how consistently and steadily I have been banging this FINRA drum. It is long past due that America is truly introduced to Wall Street’s self-regulatory organization, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). (more…)
