US Congress
Is SOX reform about to take off?
Peter Madigan investigates proposals for long-awaited changes to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Concern continues over Basel II in US
US Congressmen have questioned the effectiveness of Basel II risk modelling, and complained that it puts US banks at a disadvantage.
Plain English please
Complaints are reaching me about the way in which the US regulators have released the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR). My sources point out that the advance notice of proposed rulemaking – released way back in those halcyon days of August 2003 – came…
US Basel II gone AWOL
Well, has Basel II finally ridden off the rails in the US? This seems to be the case. The inclusion of a new study on Basel II, to be conducted by the General Accounting Office, does rather seem to threaten the timetable that the US regulators announced…
US Congressman blasts Basel II while supervisors forge ahead
A US Congressman sent waves of panic across Europe when he announced at a fringe event of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in late January that he had serious reservations about whether the US would ever adopt Basel II.
Testy politicians muscle in on Basel II negotiations
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) based in Brussels and members of the US House of Representatives in Washington DC are beginning to throw their weight around in the Basel II process.
US legislators question Basel II effectiveness
The Financial Services Committee of the US Congress said today it is not convinced that the current proposals under Basel II will be able to reflect modern risk management practices and eliminate regulatory arbitrage opportunities.
Glass-Steagall and Dingell?
Congressman John D. Dingell, the indefatigable Democrat from Michigan, has embarked on a crusade against the practice of 'tying' – where banks use loans to secure further business.
US Congress Basel II bill is put on hold, for now
Washington DC – The bill written by the House of Representatives' Financial Services Committee, which was designed to take control of the Basel II negotiation process away from US regulators and hand it to Congress, has been shelved for now, say…
Fed's Ferguson says Basel II will apply to 20 US banks
The number of US banks expected to implement Basel II is now likely to be twice the number unveiled to a stunned international banking community during Congressional testimony in February, Roger Ferguson, vice-chairman of the US Federal Reserve, has told…
US Congress tries to tame Basel II
Members of the US House of Representatives have proposed a bill that would place Congress firmly in control of the nation's Basel II debate.
US-based Basel opponents cry "foul" on commercial real estate
Small and medium-sized US banks will be hit hard by the treatment of commercial real estate under the proposed revisions to the Basel Accord, according to Sarah Moore, chief operating officer of the Colonial Bank Group, a regional US bank, at…
"Substantial flaws still remain" in Basel II, says CSFB's Ervin
"While there is much to admire in the new [Basel II] rules, there are also many elements that raise serious concern," said Wilson Ervin, a managing director and head of the firm's strategic risk management department of Credit Suisse First Boston, who…
US regulators restrict Basel II adoption amid agency infighting
In Congressional hearings on February 27, top US bank regulators sharply criticised the proposed Basel Accord revisions, and used their criticisms to justify plans to apply the new set of international banking regulations to only the top 10 banks in the…
US banks review legal options against operational risk charge
WASHINGTON - US opponents of capital charges as a protection for banks against operational risk are not giving up the fight following the reaffirmation by global banking regulators of their faith in such charges.
Basel II would mean banks less able to deal with NY attacks, US Senate told
WASHINGTON - The operational risk capital charge proposed by global banking regulators would create a "perverse incentive" against banks taking measures to cope with operational hazards such as the September 11 attacks in New York, the US Senate’s…
Stress tests and risk capital
For many financial institutions, "stress tests" are an important input into processes that set risk capital allocations. In the current regulatory environment, two distinct model-based approaches for setting regulatory capital requirements include stress…