Posted on 03/25/2009 9:54:31 PM PDT by freespirited
In a bid to quash Wall Street excesses that nearly caused the collapse of the U.S. financial system, the Obama administration will propose tough restrictions on financial firms, hedge funds and derivatives markets.
The U.S. Treasury will work with Congress to form a powerful systemic risk regulator with the authority to look deep into financial firms other than banks, such as hedge funds and private equity companies, administration officials said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will outline the plans in testimony before Congress on Thursday, and the proposals will form the basis for discussions on regulatory reform when President Barack Obama meets with leaders from the Group of 2O rich and developing nations on April 2.
The U.S. plan does not specify which agency should take on the role of risk regulator to spot potential threats to the financial system. The decision on which regulator should play that role will be made in consultation with lawmakers, the officials said.
The proposals are part of a tough regulatory response by the Obama administration to the 18-month-long financial crisis. In coming weeks it will detail investor and consumer protection rules and plans to work with other countries to set global rules.
"The crisis has made clear that certain large, interconnected firms and markets need to be under a more consistent, and more conservative regulatory regime," one of the officials said.
On Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress they want authority to seize control of failing institutions such as American International Group to avoid bankruptcies. The government has the power to swiftly shutter commercial banks.
The proposals to be detailed on Thursday seek to shine a spotlight on hedge funds and other private pools of capital and are likely to prove controversial. The administration wants to require advisers to hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds to register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission if their assets exceed a to-be-specified amount.
These advisers should be subject to investor and counterparty disclosure requirements and regulatory reporting that would include information necessary to assess how much debt they are taking on and whether they pose a threat to financial stability.
The Obama administration also plans to regulate credit default swaps and over-the-counter derivatives for the first time, forcing all standardized OTC derivatives contracts to be cleared through central counterparties, officials said.
BIG, LEVERAGED, INTERDEPENDENT
Systemically important firms would be defined in conjunction with Congress, but among the determining factors would be size, leverage, interdependence with other firms, reliance on short-term funding and role as a source of credit for households, businesses and governments.
Capital requirements for such firms must be more conservative than for other institutions and be sufficiently robust to withstand a wider range of "deeply adverse" economic scenarios than is typically required, the officials said.
The systemic risk regulator would get powers to order prompt corrective action if capital levels decline -- similar to those the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, a U.S. bank regulator.
Despite the strong prescriptions to increase scrutiny and capital requirements, the Obama administration signaled some flexibility on accounting, with the officials saying that fair value accounting rules should be reviewed with the goal of identifying changes that could reduce wild swings in profit and capital levels as markets move up and down.
Bank balance sheets have been squeezed as markets have fallen, reducing the value of investment holdings, while many complex securities on banks' books are now nearly impossible to value because there is no market for them.
The officials also said accounting for loan loss reserves should be revised to account for losses throughout the business cycle to ensure that they are adequate.
What we really need is a bid to quash the RAT excesses that are collapsing the global economy.
Dictator Wannabe.
Will give the Barney Franks and Chris Dodds even more power as businesses will need to pay protection money and curry favor with their overlords.
Fire Frank and Ditch Dodd.
King Obama’s power grab getting stronger.
The Man Who Would Be King.
Not specified because it would point right back into their faces
And then there is little old me, a person that thinks that Christopher Dodd belongs in a place far, far, from freedom, along with his fellow traveler, “non doubloun” Frank.
I’ll make a prediction, nothing will happen, and even if it does, the president we have in office now, will force the speach writers to do thier magic, and make a way to splain to the common folk how, and why, criminals like Chris Dodd and Frank SHOULD be allowed to destroy the US economy further.
And since 52% of suposedly rational clear thinking folk voted for the POTUS based upon clear and rational thought”s” or policy, or intelligece, or “something” other than hype or race, I’d say we have pretty much 0% chance of exposing these fools. Not because the 52%tards were wrong, but because even though they most certainly were, it’s too late now anyway. I’m not happy to say it, as a concerned American I’m ashamed to admit it. My eldest sister voted for a (the) Marxist.
Who can “we” blame, unless you’ve been stalwart - in opposition to this stupidity, you can up a bit and at least blame yerself a bit(I did what I could do). If you had been anything like most moms (my mom is 210% cool.) I’m so simple, I have zero debt, not that that means anything, The truth is that I have 0% credit as well.
I am so qualified to be in charge of taxpayers dollars, I’d balance the entire (state / fed) budget in like 2 seconds.
I’d be saying “no borrow”. and of course they’d be saying but but but, and I’d be saying the truth that a person born today is already at least 400K in debt.
And of course the only people that would care are people that pay taxes - call me dumb.
This economic approach worked SO WELL in Zimbabwe.
To be called the “Politician's Full Pockets Act”.
Imagine all of the lobbying and campaign contributions that are going to be flying around to NOT be on this list...:^)
These are exactly the “RAT excesses” that you’re referring to. So many pundit “economists” and other idiots in the press really think this is going to help the economy when the fact is that it’s going to guarantee decades of economic stagnation at best.
“Wall Street excesses that nearly caused the collapse of the U.S. financial system”
Commie propaganda.
When are the little politically correct tools in the business world going to stand up for themselves?
Hey, CEO’s! Hey, business leaders!
Had enough yet?
I’ve been watching most of you suck up the PC crowd for more than decade now. Disgusting to watch, really. I knew where all of it was heading, where were you?
Anyone of you leaders of capitalism ready to stand up against this onslaught?
Cessna did it, Satelli did it...
Just a handful of real American businessmen left, huh?
Anyone one among you have eggs? Any men out their?
TEST FOR ECHO!!
We sure could use someone to get behind.
If not, get ready to move from kissing the butts of the PC crowd to kissing the a**es of your masters in government.
But then, many of you have gotten so good at kissing tail you might just excel in the new country too.
We need to tighten the screws on BO.
Great idea, Obi. That's like treating a heart attack with a bullet.
Only if, we the People, let him.
They know they are about to become part of the nomenklatura. They will call it The Network. What’s not to like?
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