New Taxes on Global Reinsurers Would Hurt Response to Natural Disasters
A new tax under consideration aimed at reinsurers based outside the United States would be punitive and could reduce aid for natural disasters by billions of dollars, the authors write.
View ArticleInquiries to Watch in a Second Term
There are not likely to be any new, sweeping investigations involving white-collar crime in President Obama’s second term, but prominent cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the...
View ArticleWilliam Baer Confirmed as Justice Department Antitrust Chief
William J. Baer is expected to continue what has been widely seen as the agency’s reinvigorated enforcement of antitrust laws after a period of lax oversight during the Bush administration.
View ArticleFor White-Collar Defense Bar, It’s Happening in Vegas
“What happens in Vegas is the same thing that happens here in Washington: the blurring of lines between the regulator and the regulated,” contends a consumer advocate.
View ArticleBritish Proposal to Rein In Banks Is Faulted
British lawmakers warned on Monday that proposed legislation to protect Britain’s financial services sector from future crises did not go far enough and might fail to stop banks from engaging in risky...
View ArticleIntrade Sheds Light on How Gray Markets Can Go Dark
While Intrade’s predictive record was good, it didn’t foresee the rising controversy over under-regulated speculation.
View ArticleAfter Financial Crisis, Prosecutors Navigate Tricky Waters
The dearth of prosecutions since the financial crisis is again stirring controversy, but there is still time for political leaders to hold corporate executives responsible when a company engages in...
View ArticleThe Fine Line Between Political Intelligence and Insider Trading
The imprecise rules governing insider trading are an ineffective means to regulate how political intelligence firms operate, the author writes.
View ArticleEurope Votes to Curb Banker Bonuses
European politicians approved major new rules on Tuesday to cap the amount that bankers at the region's largest institutions can receive in bonuses.
View ArticleThe Seductive Simplicity of a New Banking Bill
Senators Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, and David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, not only want to toughen the overhaul of the financial system, but also simplify it.
View ArticleShould Smaller Banks Really Have Less Capital Protection?
A new proposal by Senators Brown and Vitter is an unprecedented attempt to unfairly advantage smaller “regional banks” and disadvantage bigger “megabanks,” the author writes.
View ArticleBanks Resist Strict Controls of Foreign Bets
Wall Street bankers and some of the world’s top finance ministers are waging a bitter international campaign to block American financial regulators from extending their policing powers far beyond the...
View ArticleCongress’s Role in the I.R.S. Focus on Conservative Groups
The I.R.S. is supposed to enforce the tax code. Under current law, however, it has little choice but to exercise discretion in the constitutionally dangerous waters of campaign finance.
View ArticleWhy Did Citigroup Try to Overturn an Overhaul?
Citigroup's direct involvement in shaping a House bill suggests it feels that it should work behind the scenes to shape legislation for its benefit. Fears about its bottom line may have been what...
View ArticleA Year Later, the Missed Opportunity of the JOBS Act
The recent I.P.O. of the upscale grocer Fairway is an illustration of the real forces that drive the market for offerings.
View ArticleDefining Real Estate Broadly to Avoid Corporate Taxes
Iron Mountain, an information storage company, is a great example of how companies are trying to qualify as real estate businesses to take advantage of tax benefits, the author writes.
View ArticleLawsuit Tries Creative Approach Against Fannie and Freddie Bailout
Shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are relying on a constitutional argument against the government rescue of the two to try to recover money from the government, the author writes.
View ArticleFormer Chairman of the F.T.C. Is Set to Join Davis Polk
Jon Leibowitz is the latest among high-ranking government lawyers in Washington to assume a rich position in the private sector.
View ArticleAlbany May Tighten Rein on Banking Consultants
Benjamin M. Lawsky, New York's superintendent of financial services, is said to be considering invoking a state law dating back to 1892 to crack down on the industry.
View ArticleHow the I.R.S. Encourages Oil and Gas Spinoffs
A tax loophole has in effect become a subsidy for fossil fuel production, the author writes.
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