Law and regulation

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is considering a bill that would require mutual funds, pension plans and other large institutional investors to publicly reveal how they vote their proxies, to impose proper corporate governance on otherwise passive investors who, seemingly, don't vote in the fiduciary interest of their end investors.

As it waits for the fee income that will come once interest rates rise, Bank of New York Mellon will continue to try and control costs and focus on expanding its asset management and asset servicing businesses overseas, the firm said during an earnings call last Wednesday.

BOSTON -- Mutual fund companies must stay on top of their compliance programs, particularly because Congress is likely to pass new financial regulations, executives warn.

Critics pan plan to limit growth and risk as vague and unworkable

Claim SEC Exceeded Its Authority

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair said the FDIC may shelve its use of rating agencies in setting insurance premiums for large banks.

Among the many losers in Massachusetts' special election this week: the Obama administration's bank tax.

With so many investors burned by the across-the-board dismal performance of 2008 and continued volatility into 2009, more are likely to conduct due diligence on hedge funds and exercise greater market discipline, said speakers at a recent conference hosted by Cayman Islands law firm Walkers.

Like any public policy, the Obama administration's proposed bank tax will likely yield some unexpected outcomes.

WASHINGTON — While much of the industry's attention is centered on congressional efforts to revamp financial services, a proposal from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision also could significantly rewrite the rules of banking.

Industry watchers' description of the plan to charge a 15-basis-point fee on net liabilities ranged from an annoying, yet manageable, cost to a misguided policy.

With it increasingly likely that a bipartisan reform bill in the Senate would not include an independent, powerful Consumer Financial Protection Agency, lawmakers are exploring alternatives.

After spending the second half of last year exchanging its long-term expansion plans for extra capital, Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. announced it received approval from the Treasury Department to begin repaying the $154 million in outstanding Series C preferred stock that was issued to the Treasury as part of its Capital Purchase Program.

Tarp, TLGP recipients to pay 15 basis point fee

WASHINGTON — House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank laid out his near-term agenda Wednesday, including a Jan. 22 hearing on executive compensation at financial companies and a Feb. 3 hearing on why banks are not lending more.

WASHINGTON — The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission's first public hearing on Wednesday gave the industry's top leaders an opportunity to express remorse for their role in the collapse of the financial markets but did little to enhance the public's understanding of the meltdown.

Tarp, TLGP Recipients to Pay 15 Bpt Fee

Asset Management Unit will Oversee Investment Advisors

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. unveiled its plans Tuesday to tie bank compensation practices to premium assessments, but the agency's outside directors made it clear they oppose the idea.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced Tuesday that it has filed new charges against Bank of America Corp. for failing to disclose extraordinary financial losses at Merrill Lynch prior to a shareholder vote approving the acquisition of Merrill.