Regulation

A lawmaker and a Treasury Department official Thursday pushed for a permanent extension of the Build America Bond program, but acknowledged that the greatest obstacle is finding a way to pay for it.

Database would give the SEC details on each trade

The Securities and Exchange Commission task force on hedge funds, buyout funds and mutual funds is looking to hire five fund managers, chief operating officers or executives with “direct exposure to trading and operations,” according to a help-wanted ad it placed last month.

The Office of Thrift Supervision was more focused on blocking the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. from reining in Washington Mutual Inc. than it was in regulating the thrift company itself, congressional investigators and two watchdogs said Thursday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission task force on hedge funds, buyout funds and mutual funds is looking to hire five fund managers, chief operating officers or executives with “direct exposure to trading and operations,” according to a help-wanted ad it placed last month. The SEC has also retained executive search firm Korn/Ferry International.

Sen. Ron Wyden, who recently caused a stir in the municipal bond market by proposing a tax-reform bill that would eliminate tax-exempt bonds and replace them with tax-credit bonds, said yesterday he is open to discussing possible modifications to the legislation with critics.

While the subject continues to be hotly contested, at least one regulator, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair, is satisfied that the pending regulatory reform bill would put eila Bair, is satisfied that the pending regulatory reform bill would put a stop to government bailouts.

Republicans and Democrats escalated the rhetorical war over regulatory reform on Wednesday, with each side accusing the other of playing politics.

Over the past few months, the Obama administration has gradually backed away from providing a near-term plan for Fannie and Freddie after missing a self-set February deadline.

One defendant claimed he didn’t know his associate’s last name because “you do not ask a comrade for a last name.”