Monday, July 20, 2015

Dodd-Frank's Job Isn't Done


On July 21, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, aimed at ensuring the financial system would never again bring the U.S. to the brink of economic disaster. Five years later, the job remains far from done.
Consider, for example, the law's impact on bank capital, a crucial element in protecting the economy from financial shocks. Also known as equity, this is the money provided to institutions by their shareholders. Unlike most types of debt, it doesn't have to be paid back -- a feature that allows banks to absorb losses and keep lending in bad times. The government had to rescue banks during the 2008 crisis because the cushion was insufficient.
Dodd-Frank has dramatically changed the way mortgages are done.

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