Comments of the Week: Jan. 28 - Feb. 1
February 1, 2013 8:15 AM
On Obama's nominations of Mary Jo White as SEC chairman and Richard Cordray as CFPB director:
"Get ready for a witch hunt; it sells well on the front page."Related Article: Beware Obama's 'Cops on the Beat
On the Obama administration's stance toward the banking industry:
"Let's be Frank and not Doddge the issue ... If your goal was to undermine the very fiber of the American banking Industry, short of military force, could you devise a better plan than the current administration's course of action?"Related Article: Why So Much Affection for Shadow Banking? (Image: Bloomberg News)
On whether Cordray's second nomination as CFPB director is likely to be challenged:
"The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled unanimously that Obama violated the Constitution by making appointments while the Senate considered itself in session. Uh ... yes, this nomination may get just a little contentious."Related Article: Second CFPB Fight May Be Just as Contentious as First (Image: Bloomberg News)
On objections to Cordray's renomination:
"Well, heaven forbid that anyone should interfere with a bank's ability to make money off their most ignorant customers."Related Article: Second CFPB Fight May Be Just as Contentious as First (Image: Thinkstock)
On the OCC's senior leadership overhaul:
"I applaud [Comptroller Thomas] Curry for taking on the 'old-guard' power-structure at the OCC."Related Article: OCC Senior Leadership Gets Another Surprise Overhaul (Image: Bloomberg News)
On whether Congress is likely to approve another bank bailout:
"It's one thing to talk tough about not bailing out banks now. It's another thing to say you're not going to do it during a full-fledged crisis."Related Article: Financial Markets Are Crazy to Expect Future Bailouts (Image: Thinkstock)
On whether market discipline or intense regulation can end 'Too Big to Fail':
"Neither can work when financial institutions are so big that even their own executives cannot manage them."Related Article: Can We Put the 'Too Big to Fail' Genie Back in the Bottle? (Image: Bloomberg News)
On whether breaking up big banks would end 'Too Big to Fail':
"The large banks have the capacity to address the volume of remaining problems. In the short run, non-traditional banking activities produce revenue to keep the other side running. But carve up the banks and the remaining picture remains grim [with] no revenue to fund an ongoing cleanup."Related Article: Can We Put the 'Too Big to Fail' Genie Back in the Bottle? (Image: Thinkstock)
On a report from JPMorgan that found big banks were prolific lenders after the bailouts:
"The idea that banks would force loans out the door was stupid and wrong. The architects of this scheme came from Wall Street. Guess who is making millions of dollars while millions of people are suffering?"Related Article: JPMorgan Defends Big Banks' Lending Levels (Image: Thinkstock)
On why laws are often ineffective:
"The problem is that after a crisis, the emotional response is 'do something, do anything.' Later, when we realize how bad the legislation is, rather than repeal, we issue more legislation to 'correct' the problem."Related Article: Guns, Drugs, and Banks: None Can Be Controlled
On the ineffectiveness of laws:
"Just because a law doesn't completely solve a problem doesn't mean that it isn't of value. This binary premise is illogical."Related Article: Guns, Drugs, and Banks: None Can Be Controlled (Image: Thinkstock)
On how Basel III hurts community banks:
"This is yet another example of developing a plan to 'save the world' by killing the people. The net effect of Basel III will be a reduction in credit availability."Related Article: We're a Long Way from Bedford Falls Banking (Image: Thinkstock)
On legislators questioning the DOJ on 'Too Big to Jail':
"If banks have received a hall pass because of their 'Too Big to Fail' status, as alluded to by Mr. Holder and Mr. Breuer, then we are really in a fix. It's one thing to give them open access to Fed lending facilities; it's quite another to place them above the law."Related Article: Brown, Grassley Question DOJ on 'Too Big to Jail' (Image: Thinkstock)
On whether more banks will partner with startups looking to reinvent payday lending:
"Banks already have a short-term loan product. They just call it free checking."Related Article: Can the Payday Loan Be Reinvented? (Image: Thinkstock)
On the 'Innovator's Dilemma' argument:
"So, railroads should have started or bought airlines, to chase a few of their customers into the sky? Or competed with trucking companies? They lacked capabilities or competitive advantage for anything of the kind."Related Article: Banks Face the Innovator's Dilemma (Image: Thinkstock)
