News List

A proposal to punish the hard-money regional bank presidents. Among Washington's modern ironies is that liberals think a Federal Reserve that is increasingly a creature of the White House and Congress has too much independence. So along comes Barney Frank with a plan to make the central bank even more political than it already is, in particular by cutting out its regional presidents and… Read more »

Tomorrow, the Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee will hold a hearing on five proposals designed to help small businesses access the capital markets for the financing they need to grow their companies and hire more workers. This hearing continues the Full Committee’s ongoing efforts to promote small business capital formation and job creation. One of the… Read more »

Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus made the following comment on Tuesday about the Justice Department accusing Full Tilt Poker, an Internet gambling company, of being an illegal Ponzi scheme: “For years I have said these off-shore Internet gambling sites are criminal enterprises.  If these operations are willing to break one law, it should surprise no one that they… Read more »

Leading Congressional investigators on the House Oversight and Government Reform and House Financial Services Committees today released the following statements on the decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Inspector General to refer the matter of the ethics failure and conflict of interest involving former General Counsel David Becker to the Department of… Read more »

Two congressional subcommittees will hold a joint hearing on Thursday to examine how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) handled potential conflicts of interest involving David Becker, a former SEC general counsel who financially benefited from the Madoff Ponzi scheme. The joint hearing will be held by the Financial Services Committee’s Oversight and Investigations… Read more »

Five bills that would make it easier for small companies to raise money and create jobs will be on the agenda Wednesday during a hearing of the Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee. Raising capital is necessary for companies to create jobs, and the Financial Services Committee has focused its attention on promoting capital formation since the beginning of the… Read more »

The Financial Services Committee today released an updated schedule of the hearings it has planned through mid-October. All hearings will take place in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Wednesday, September 21: The Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. to discuss proposals to promote small business capital… Read more »

Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus on Tuesday announced the committee’s schedule of hearings for the week of September 19.  All hearings will take place in room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Wednesday, September 21: The Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on promoting small business… Read more »

The SEC’s budget is three times larger than it was 10 years ago. Is its performance three times better? Read more »

The Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday to examine reforms needed to improve accountability and the effectiveness of the Securities and Exchange Commission. While the agency experienced a tripling of its budget from 2000 to 2010, shortcomings and failures of the SEC came to light as the financial crisis unfolded, including the agency’s failure to detect the… Read more »