–Senate Majority Leader: Open To Amend, But Wants To ‘Limited’ Debates
–Sen. Reid: Willing To Spend ‘Appropiate’ Amount of Time On Reg Bill
–Senate Expected To Vote Next Week On Derivs, Consumer Agency
–Senate Banking Chief Expects Senate Debate To Extend ‘Week or Two’

By John Shaw

WASHINGTON (MNI) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday
the Senate will spend the day debating financial regulatory reform
legislation, adding that votes on amendments will begin next week.

In comments on the Senate floor, Reid said the regulatory reform
bill will be open to amendments, but he wants to agree on a “limited
time on these amendments.”

Reid said he is willing to allow a full Senate debate on the bill,
but said he wants to “complete it in a time that is appropriate.”

“We have a lot of work to do,” he said, referring to other items on
the legislative agenda.

The Senate is now considering the bill that was largely crafted by
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd.

It establishes a new independent Consumer Protection Bureau at the
Federal Reserve Board, creates a process to liquidate failed financial
firms, sets up a council of regulators to oversee systemic risk in the
economy, establishes a regulatory structure for over-the-counter
derivatives, requires hedge funds that manage over $100 million to
register with the SEC and creates a new office within Treasury to
monitor the insurance industry.

Dodd’s bill has been coupled with a package that was approved by
the Senate Agriculture Committee which requires OTC markets to adopt
aspects of the regulated markets such as mandatory clearing through
derivatives clearing organizations and trading on exchanges or
exchange-like facilities.

It has a narrow exemption for commercial “end users” who use
derivatives to hedge against such economic contingencies as fluctuations
in fuel prices or in currency and interest rates.

The most controversial features of the package is a provision that
requires a bank that qualifies as a “swap dealer” or a “major swap
participant” to either divest its swap desk or forego access to federal
credit assistance such as the Federal Reserve Board’s discount window of
FDIC deposit insurance.

This provision is certain to be challenged on the Senate floor when
the amendment process begins next week.

Dodd has said the Senate will begin voting on amendments on Tuesday
and expects the debate to extend for a “week or two.”

One of the first amendments that was filed was offered by
Democratic senator Barbara Boxer from California and says that “no
taxpayer funds shall be used to prevent the liquidation of any financial
company.”

Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking Republican on the Banking panel,
has described several issues in which Republicans are likely to try to
make changes through amendments.

He said that he was most troubled by the bill’s provisions on a
consumer protection agency and on derivatives regulation.

Shelby said the Dodd bill would create a “sprawling new consumer
protection bureau” that would have “unchecked authority to regulate
whatever it wants, whenever it wants, however it wants.”

Shelby also said the derivatives language from the Agriculture
panel’s bill would have “far reaching and devastating effects” on the
U.S. economy.

Two Democratic senators, Sherrod Brown and Ted Kaufman, have
introduced an amendment that would ban any bank from holding 10% of the
nation’s total deposits.

Two other Democratic senators, Jeff Merkley and Carl Levin, will
offer an amendment to ban banks from proprietary trading.

The House passed a sweeping financial regulatory reform bill in
December.

President Obama has said that financial regulatory reform is one of
his central goals for the rest of this legislative session.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: (202) 371-2121 **

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