Economic Security

By Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman

Rushing to deliver the broad strokes of an overhaul of the financial regulatory system before leaders of the world's major economies meet in Toronto over the weekend, lawmakers Friday morning partially reinstated a ban on risky betting by commercial banks.

In a marathon session, negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate reached a compromise that would limit commercial banks from engaging in Wall Street trading if they're also conducting trading activities on behalf of clients.

by DAVID LIGHTMAN AND WILLIAM DOUGLAS

Final terms of the sweeping financial overhaul legislation being crafted in Congress would create new Offices of Women and Minority Inclusion at all federal financial regulators with the goal of promoting racial, ethnic and gender diversity throughout those agencies.

These offices are being hailed by supporters as an important milestone in pushing diversity at slow-to-change agencies that oversee financial institutions, but behind the cheers are concerns whether the step may be largely symbolic.

by Ronald D. Orol

As House and Senate negotiators continue to work out differences in their versions of bank reform, a House proposal to have $3 billion used to help unemployed homeowners avoid foreclosure may prove to be a sticking point.

Several other disputes still lay ahead, particularly a section that would force banks to spin off derivatives units and a provision known as the "Volcker rule" that would prohibit banks that have federal guarantees from trading on their own account.

by Shahien Nasiripour

As few as 0.1 percent of mortgage modifications initiated under the Obama administration's signature foreclosure prevention program involve reductions of principal, according to a federal report released Wednesday.

Research by state regulators, academics, and by the Federal Reserve shows that principal reductions lead to more sustainable loan modifications. In other words, they're the best way to ensure that troubled borrowers don't lose their homes.

by Danny J. Bakewell, Sr.

Let's start at the beginning: the Federal Reserve system was started in secrecy by the most powerful and influential financiers in America almost a century ago, allegedly in response to a growing need for an organized central banking system. The Federal Reserve Bank was created by the 1913 Federal Reserve Act.