Corporate Governance

The Treasury Department's proposal on Friday to exempt foreign exchange swaps and forwards from central clearing and exchange trading requirements got mixed reviews. 

Treasury determined that the exchange swaps and forwards market including many of the goals included in the Dodd-Frank law including "high levels of transparency, effective risk management and financial stability," Assistant Treasury Secretary Mary Miller told reporters.

Imposing new rules would mean "introducing an additional process into what is a very well-functioning market today, and you would be putting more steps into the settlement process," she said.

A Senate investigatory panel sent its financial crisis findings to federal authorities, bashing the investment firm's practices.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced a proposal on Tuesday to address extraordinary market volatility in U.S. equity markets in response to the May 6 "flash crash." 

Under the proposal establishing a new “limit up-limit down” mechanism, trades in listed stocks would have to be executed within a range tied to recent prices for that security, which would be set at a percentage level above and below the average price of the security over the immediately preceding five-minute period. 

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Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.): We can reform Wall Street.

The rich are increasingly becoming the targets of audits by the IRS.

The fight over debit card fees has a new front — a courtroom in South Dakota.

Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) are pushing for passage of a Colombia free-trade agreement.

Banks and credit card companies are warning hackers may have accessed client information.

Subprime bonds that helped set off the financial crisis are gaining favor again with some investors.

Federal workers — once again — are worrying about the possibility of a government shutdown.

Median pay for CEOs jumped 27 percent in 2010, compared to just 2.7 percent growth for all private workers.

The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is taking issue with how top executives at the agencies were paid large salaries.

Documents released by the Federal Reserve indicate the central bank lent to a wide variety of institutions during the financial crisis.

The head of a major Wall Street company echoed White House officials Wednesday, warning that a default on America's debts would be "catastrophic."

Speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said America has a "moral obligation" to ensure it pays its debts on time.

"This chatter about not meeting our obligations, I just don't understand it," he said. "It's a moral obligation to ourselves. ... They should know that the United States is good for its money. Period."

Dimon's comments come as some conservative senators are vowing to vote against raising the current $14.3 trillion debt limit, which the Treasury Department expects to hit by May 31.

Despite the growing concern over national debt, members of Congress are reluctant to hand over portions of their paycheck to the cause.

Five of the nation's largest banks have made the government their own offer for a global settlement over widespread mortgage servicing problems.

An internal report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claims that the five largest mortgage firms have saved billions by taking servicing shortcuts since the housing crisis.

Some companies are dealing with higher food prices by quietly shrinking product sizes on grocery shelves.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is promising to keep a close eye on the implementation of Dodd-Frank financial reform law.

Officials with the business lobby said Monday they are worried that as the sweeping Wall Street reform law is put into action by various regulators, the new rules will arbitrarily benefit and harm various companies.

"The great danger is that as we move from the architecture stage ... once regulators start building the house, that will start creating winners and losers," said David Hirschmann, president and chief executive officer of the chamber's Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness. "The goal should be having the best regulatory structure without picking winners and losers."

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a sex-discrimination suit against Wal-Mart that could involve millions of female workers.

The White House and Democratic lawmakers are putting together another $20 billion in spending cuts to send to Republicans.

A home-state newspaper dings Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for pushing limits on debit-card fees.

Rising Medicare premiums could eliminate any cost-of-living payment boosts for millions of Social Security beneficiaries.

Companies that count the federal government as a major customer are prepping for tighter times as government spending shrinks.

Harry & David, best known for luxury fruit baskets and other gifts, has filed for bankruptcy.

General Electric found a way to avoid paying any taxes in America through specialized tax breaks and fancy accounting.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is feeling pressure from Tea Partiers back home.

A Portuguese bailout could top $100 billion.

Household wealth fell nearly a quarter nationwide from 2007 to 2009, according to a new Federal Reserve study.

Michigan became the first state to cut unemployment benefits as states struggle with budget gaps.