Stacy Kaper

The Senate voted 96 to 0 on Tuesday to compel the Federal Reserve Board to reveal recipients of its emergency lending programs during the financial crisis, but rejected a more sweeping alternative that would have audited all central bank actions including monetary policy.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said Monday he would consider adopting an amendment from moderate Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins to regulatory reform legislation that is intended to strengthen the bill's capital standards.

After more delays and partisan fighting late Thursday over whether and how to proceed on financial reform, the Senate rejected 61 to 33 a populist amendment that would have forced the break up of the nation's biggest banks.

Though it was clear from the start that a Republican alternative on the consumer bureau was going to fail (it eventually was defeated 61 to 38), GOP lawmakers dragged out the debate rather than allowing the measure to be voted on and moving on to some of the roughly 140 other amendments still to be considered.

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 98 to 0 on Thursday to approve an amendment championed by community bankers that would base deposit insurance premiums on assets instead of deposits.

WASHINGTON — Financial reform legislation finally began to move forward again Wednesday with the Senate taking steps aimed at eliminating "too big to fail."

Banking industry representatives argue the provision would be counterproductive, effectively increasing risk by forcing derivatives trading overseas or into less-regulated institutions such as hedge funds.

The banking industry is scrambling to devise a new strategy to weaken the regulatory reform bill after Republicans failed to cut a bipartisan deal before the legislation advanced to the Senate floor Thursday.

The stand-off preventing movement on regulatory reform legislation appears to be over as two key Republicans cleared the way for colleagues to vote on starting debate for the bill.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Richard Shelby said Wednesday that negotiations with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd over regulatory reform legislation had hit a wall. The panel's lead Republican said it was now up to his GOP colleagues whether to allow debate on the bill.

For the third time in as many days, Republicans voted to block debate from starting on a regulatory reform bill. The vote, 56 to 42, fell short of the 60 necessary for Democrats to overcome a filibuster threat.

WASHINGTON — Though Democrats gave ground Tuesday on the Republicans' top agenda item for regulatory reform — ensuring the bill would not allow the government to bail out large financial firms — GOP leadership said it was not enough for them to support the legislation.

WASHINGTON — Republicans, as promised, banded together to block Senate debate on regulatory reform legislation Monday, picking up opposition from one Democrat Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

WASHINGTON — Even as top Senate Banking Committee leaders appear close to striking a final compromise on a regulatory reform bill, some Democrats continue to try and push the legislation further to the left.

WASHINGTON — Despite recent tough talk about problems with the regulatory reform bill, Republicans are unlikely to win significant concessions as the legislation moves to the Senate floor.

The Senate Agriculture Committee voted 13 to 8 to approve a tough bill to regulate derivatives on Wednesday, with one Republican — Sen. Charles Grassley — supporting the measure.

WASHINGTON — After more than a week of escalating partisan rhetoric over regulatory reform, Senate Republican leaders significantly changed their tone on Tuesday, suggesting a bipartisan bill was now within reach.

WASHINGTON — Seeking to win Republican votes for regulatory reform legislation, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd and other Democrats suggested Monday that they are open to eliminating a proposed $50 billion resolution fund for systemically important institutions.

WASHINGTON — The political pressure to enact financial reform intensified Friday as the government accused Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of defrauding investors and the Senate concluded two days of hearings highlighting the assertedly lax supervision that preceded the largest bank failure in the country's history.

The political pressure to enact financial reform intensified Friday as the government accused Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of defrauding investors and the Senate concluded two days of hearings highlighting the assertedly lax supervision that preceded the largest bank failure in the country's history.