Making Sense of the Financial Reform Bill

Posted on May 21, 2010

Flickr / epicharmus (CC-BY)

The Senate passed on Thursday what The Wall Street Journal described as “the most extensive overhaul of financial-sector regulation since the 1930s.” The New York Times breaks down what’s in the bill and how it might change when reconciled with the House version. Worth noting: Democrats Russ Feingold and Maria Cantwell voted against the measure. Both have been pressing for tougher regulation than what ended up in the Senate bill.

New York Times:

The Senate on Thursday approved a far-reaching financial regulatory bill, putting Congress on the brink of approving a broad expansion of government oversight of the increasingly complex banking system and financial markets.

The legislation is intended to prevent a repeat of the 2008 crisis, but also reshapes the role of numerous federal agencies and vastly empowers the Federal Reserve in an attempt to predict and contain future debacles.

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