CEI has fought excessive regulation in the financial sector from laws such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank. We have scored major bipartisan victories for deregulation. These include the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, signed by President Obama in 2012, that lifted or relaxed some of the biggest burdens preventing small and midsize firms from raising capital and going public; and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, signed by President Trump in 2018, that lifted some of Dodd-Frank’s crushing burden on community banks and credit unions. We continue to fight to remove regulatory barriers that limit choices and increase costs for entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers.
Banking and Finance Issue Areas
Featured Posts
News Release
Supreme Court Disappoints on Funding/Powers Question in Ruling in CFPB Case
The Supreme Court today issued a disappointing ruling in CFPB v. Community Financial Services Association of America, a lawsuit challenging the unchecked funding of…
News Release
No surprises with April’s inflation report: CEI analysis
Inflation rose 0.3 percent in April compared to 0.4 percent in March. While this wasn’t a surprise for economists, the news indicates a tough…
Blog
Navigating the maze of federal regulations in 2024: What to know
In a bureaucratic whirlwind, the 2024 Federal Register is attaining new heights, topping 41,000 pages today. An unsettling new norm for the past few weeks…
Search Posts
Citation
the collapse of AIG and the future of insurance regulation
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the elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
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A Roundup of Bailout Reactions From People I Respect
Op-Eds
Doing Something?
“The government has to do something to keep markets from falling and the economy from getting worse.” How many times have you heard…
Citation
carbon dioxide cap-and-trade schemes
Study
Facts About the AIG Collapse: A Response to the NAIC
Full Document Available in PDF Following the collapse…
Citation
More on the Diversity Racket and the Home Loan Debacle
Op-Eds
Gale Force Foolishness: Congress pushes for a federal windstorm insurance program.
AS CONGRESS WINDS down its current session, there’s little doubt that plenty of bad ideas will pop out of the woodwork as members…
Citation
Kill the Bailout: Newt Gingrich Gets on Board
Op-Eds
Maybe the Banks Are Just Counting Wrong
In the year since the credit crunch began, reading the financial pages has become a bit like perusing a medical journal. Market…
Citation
The Mother of All Bailouts = The Death of Fiscal Conservatism
Op-Eds
Be wary of insurance rate cut
Although it may seem like an early New Year’s present, North Carolina drivers have every reason to be wary of the 16.1 percent…
Newsletter
Hurricane Recovery, Union Politics and Disaster Insurance
Residents of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast are being advised to avoid taps and drink only bottled water. Unions increase their spending on campaign advertisements and…
Citation
CEI Insurance Project and SC Department of Insurance hold joint conference
Newsletter
Congress Does Energy, Lehman Bankruptcy and Price Gouging
The House of Representatives considers a new bill on offshore oil drilling. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers shakes confidence in the U.S. economy. Texas Attorney…
Citation
CEI’s disaster insurance conference
Newsletter
Lehman Brothers, Flood Insurance and Energy Independence
Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Members of Congress consider reforming the National Flood Insurance Program. Democrats and Republicans debate U.S. offshore oil…
Op-Eds
Government Meddling
Bryan K. Mignone isn’t telling the whole story when he claims that economically harmful climate-change-mitigation policies are necessary as an insurance against…
News Release
CEI & South Carolina Department of Insurance Host Major Conference
Washington, D.C., September 16, 2008—The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank often skeptical of government action, is joining with the South Carolina Department of Insurance to host a…
Citation
the federal housing bailout
Comment
Comments to The Property and Casualty Insurance© Committee
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Newsletter
Mortgage Madness, Media Diversity and World Car Free Day
The bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is attacked as unfair to responsible consumers. The Federal Communication Commission considers reinstating the “Fairness…
Newsletter
Offshore Drilling, Mortgage Bailouts and Union Campaigns
Democrats propose a compromise plan for drilling in U.S. offshore oil fields. Troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are de-listed from the S&P…
Study
Exploring Wind Insurance as a Pilot Program
A pilot federal program could cost taxpayers more than a larger program while destabilizing the National Flood Insurance Program…
Newsletter
Fannie Mae Takeover, Stimulus Scams and Censoring TV Ads
The federal government assumes direct control over troubled mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Democrats in Congress seek a second round of federal spending…
Newsletter
Stem Cells, Regulating Lawn Mowers and Standing up to the SEC
The National Academy of Sciences argues for continued use of embryonic stem cells. The Environmental Protection Agency requires that new gas-powered lawn mowers come with…
Newsletter
Economic Projections, Comcast Sues the FCC and Cholesterol Drugs
A new report from the Federal Reserve projects continued slow growth and a weak business climate. Comcast sues the Federal Communications Commission over…
Newsletter
Banning Grocery Bags, Hurricane Gustav and Pelosi on Oil Drilling
Lawmakers in Hawaii join others in San Francisco and Los Angeles in voting to ban plastic grocery bags. Hurricane Gustav blasts past Jamaica on its…
Citation
The Costs of Federal Regulation
Products
CEI Planet: September – October 2008
View the new Montly Planet by downloading the PDF of the issue. Below you’ll find previews of the articles in this issue:…
Newsletter
Fannie Mae, HIV Rates and Greenhouse Gases
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae announces a shakeup of its senior management. A new study finds New York City’s HIV infection rate to be three times…
Op-Eds
Soggy, slow-moving Fay offers lessons
Paying for insurance The Aug. 22 editorial, “Soggy, slow-moving Fay offers lessons,” contains a lot of common sense, but your call…
Op-Eds
Congress Should Develop Smart, Cost-Effective Natural Catastrophe Policy
Although it’s cold comfort to Florida residents dealing with the massive flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Fay, the slow moving…
Citation
Credit Card Bill Unlikely to Dent Bankers’ Prospects
Newsletter
West Nile, Union Corruption and Federal Courts
The West Nile Virus has infected individuals in 28 states so far this year. The Los Angeles Times publishes a 3-part series on corruption allegations…
Citation
Sarbanes-Oxley and the Constitution
Newsletter
Oil Speculators, Immunity for Phone Companies and Global Warming Reports
Members of Congress blame oil “speculators” for driving up the cost of oil with their investments. Legal wrangling continues over Congress’ grant of immunity to…
News Release
Appeals Court Rules on Federal Accounting Board
In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected a constitutional challenge to the Sarbanes-Oxley Public Company…
Op-Eds
Congress Should Develop Smart, Cost-Effective Natural Catastrophe Policy
Although it’s cold comfort to Florida residents dealing with the massive flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Fay, the slow moving…
Newsletter
Hurricane Damage, Wind Power and Comcast in the Crosshairs
Florida residents watch the shifting course of Tropical Storm Fay. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveils a plan to build a series of windmills…
Op-Eds
Oil Speculators ‘R’ Us
Those dastardly speculators! As well as oil company CEOs, traders in commodity futures have become convenient whipping boys for politicians of both…
News Release
CEI Praises National Wildlife Federation Report
A Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free market group critical of many of the environmental movements’ views on global warming, today endorsed…
Newsletter
Renewable Energy, Anti-Whaling Protesters, and Fed Chairman Bernanke
The state of Colorado expands requirements for the use of renewable power. Japanese authorities plan to arrest anti-whaling protesters from the group Sea Shepherd. Federal…
Newsletter
Day Laborers in LA, Nuclear Power and Corporate Finance
Los Angeles lawmakers require home improvement stores to construct shelters for day laborers who wait for work in their parking lots. Electricity provider Constellation Energy…
Citation
auto insurance reform
Op-Eds
Sarbanes-Oxley Challenge Is Rooted in Law’s Flaw
Re: Jane Bryant Quinn’s column, “Accounting Cleanup Board Is Facing a Gutting’’ (July 16): In her attack on our constitutional challenge to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act…
Citation
NC Auto insurance industry
Op-Eds
Billionaires won’t keep Florida from fiscal disaster
On July 29, Florida’s State Board of Administration voted to spend $224 million in return for a billionaire’s pledge. Warren Buffett, the…
Newsletter
Losses at Fannie Mae, Satellite TV Merger and Toxic Chemicals
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae reports a loss of $2.3 billion. Cable TV provider Dish Network proposes a merger with DirecTV. Former New York Times environmental…
Newsletter
Global Warming Allergies, Change at the SEC and Accounting for the Cost of Government
Global warming gets blamed for an increase in allergies. Paul Atkins steps down as Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Taxpayer advocates observe…
News Release
SEC Commissioner Earns Praise for Service to Investors, Entrepreneurs
On Aug. 1, Paul S. Atkins ended his six-year term as Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Competitive Enterprise Institute President Fred…
Newsletter
Bottled Water, Government Bonds and Wind Power
California’s attorney general threatens to sue Nestlé over a bottled water plant’s alleged environmental impacts. House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) champions legislation…
Op-Eds
Flood Control Subsidies Soak the Treasury
Since the first comprehensive flood control legislation went into effect the early 20th century, America’s federal government has fought a never-ending battle to control floods.
Citation
Telling McDonald’s it can open franchises only in the white part of town
Op-Eds
Barney’s Big Idea
A few powerful members of Congress have got it in their heads that it would be a good idea to shake up…
Citation
N.C. Auto Insurance System Needs Reform
Citation
New report calls for changes to rate-making process for N.C. auto insurance
Newsletter
Whole Foods Merger, Ethanol’s Impact and Health Savings Accounts
A federal court calls into question the recent merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats natural food stores. South Asian leaders meet to discuss food…
Newsletter
FCC Takes on Comcast, GM Crops and the Housing Bailout
The Federal Communications Commission puts Comcast in the hot seat over its network management practices. Security becomes the number one cost for scientists developing genetically…
Study
North Carolina’s Unfair Auto Insurance System
North Carolina’s government-controlled auto insurance subsidizes risky and dangerous drivers by overcharging good driver…
Newsletter
Ethanol’s Sins, Menthol Cigarettes and Property Rights
USA Today details the troubling side effects of using corn-based ethanol as an auto fuel. Legislation to give the Food and Drug Administration authority over…
Newsletter
Fairness Doctrine, Wind Power and Flood Insurance
Lawmakers debate the return of the “Fairness Doctrine” for news broadcasts. Famed Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens launches a multimedia campaign to replace oil use…
Op-Eds
Bailing Out Kelo
Of all the unintended consequences of the housing bill that passed the House on Wednesday, the most ironic and far-reaching may be this:…
Citation
Report calls for privatizing many aspects of flood insurance, but not in New Orleans
Newsletter
Online Gambling, Fannie Mae Bailout and WTO
Congressman Barney Frank sponsors legislation to legalize online gambling. President Bush endorses the taxpayer bailout of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. India raises…
Study
Reforming the National Flood Insurance Program after 35 Years of Failure
It is time to rethink a federal program that has caused much harm.
Newsletter
Satellite Radio, Mortgage Bailout and Union Organizing
The Federal Communications Commission continues to stall the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies amid antitrust concerns. The New York Times reports that…
Citation
Sarbanes-Oxley accounting regulations
Op-Eds
Advice to Disregard
I was astounded to see the July 16 op-ed by former Fannie Mae chiefexecutive Franklin D. Raines, "The Help Fannie and Freddie Need."…
Newsletter
Expensive Regulations, Fannie Mae Bailout and Baseball Stadiums
Americans for Tax Reform marks the annual “Cost of Government Day.” Plans to spend billions of taxpayer dollars to rescue mortgage companies Fannie Mae and…
News Release
Burned Investors Call for Government Bailout
With the recent collapse of IndyMac bank in California and billions in losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac piling on top of the existing…
Newsletter
Banking Crisis, Globalization and Internet Poker
Federal officials charge that a letter from Sen. Chuck Schumer sparked the run on deposits that triggered the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history this…
Newsletter
Bank Failure, Offshore Oil Drilling and Online Gambling
The multi-billion dollar failure of IndyMac bank in California fuels calls for greater government regulation of financial institutions. President Bush lifts the White House ban…
Study
Can Someone Deal Internet Poker a Good Hand?
Recent attempts to reform the legal environment for online gaming fall short.
Newsletter
Bank Failure, EPA Reports and the Future of Wind Power
Federal officials seize control of IndyMac bank in the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history. An Environmental Protection Agency report casts doubt on whether greenhouse…
Citation
More on the Mother of All Bailouts
Newsletter
The Cost of Government, Cell Phone Fees and the Housing Bailout
American for Tax Reform prepares to observe “Cost of Government Day.” Verizon settles a lawsuit over its “early termination” fees for mobile phone customers. The…
News Release
Cost of Federal Regulation Grew to $1.16 Trillion
What goes up and doesn’t come down? The federal budget and the cost of federal regulations. A new report finds that the cost of federal…
Comment
Comments before the National Conference of Insurance Legislators on the Geller/Keiser Resolution
Comments before the National Conference of Insurance Legislators Geller/Keiser Resolution As Prepared for Delivery July10, 2008 New York, New York Eli Lehrer Senior Fellow,…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments
CEI's Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State…
Newsletter
Oil Prices, Housing Markets and Power Plants
The president of OPEC predicts even higher oil prices in the near future. Washington, D.C. suburb Fairfax County, Virginia plans to spend $10 million to…
Newsletter
Credit Card Fines, Offshore Drilling and Mortgage Securities
Visa and MasterCard agree to pay American Express $4 billion for allegedly violating antitrust laws. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slams proposals…
Op-Eds
It’s time to tune up N.C.’s system
North Carolina's insurance system is headed down the wrong path, Eli Lehrer explains why and how to reform it.
Op-Eds
Swimming in Subsidies: The National Flood Insurance Program must dry up.
Already, the news of the massive flooding in the Midwest has disappeared from most newspaper front pages. And, indeed, the worst…
Newsletter
Fingerprints, Obscenity and Foreign Investment
The Liberty Coalition releases an open letter opposing a new federal fingerprint registry. Free speech advocates challenge local obscenity standards in Florida as hypocritical. Investments…
Newsletter
Credit Cards, Tax Increases and George Carlin
The Federal Trade Commission sues a credit card issuer that lowered credit limits after profiling its customers’ purchases. Political observers predict significant tax increases in…
Letters
Opposition to the Fingerprint Registry in Senate Housing legislation
Dear Senators Reid and McConnell: We are diverse organizations, but we hold in common a deep commitment to privacy rights, civil liberties and the…
Newsletter
Fingerprints, Telecom Lawsuits and Al Gore’s Carbon Footprint
The Senate considers a bill creating a new federal fingerprint registry. The House of Representatives votes to shield telecom companies from lawsuits arising from the…
Op-Eds
Bailing out homeowners
Your June 16 editorial “Tornado warning” is absolutely correct to point out that “every part of the country has its risks.” But these…
Newsletter
Drilling for Oil, Regulating Wall Street and Speaking Out On Unions
One million Americans sign a petition urging Congress to allow offshore drilling for oil and gas. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson calls for the Federal Reserve…
Study
Optional Federal Charter for Insurers
An optional federal charter for insurers would help consumers by creating competition between regulators.
Newsletter
Google, Ethanol and a Housing Trust Fund
Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) grills Google on consumer privacy concerns. Gas prices dip slightly from their record high. The Senate considers a housing “rescue” bill.
Newsletter
The Fairness Doctrine, Windfall Profits and Recycling Mandates
Lawmakers clash over FCC broadcast regulation known as the “Fairness Doctrine.” Prominent politicians debate a windfall profits tax for oil companies. European lawmakers pass stringent…
Op-Eds
Distrust Fund
It’s almost a D.C. truism that anytime Congress creates a "trust fund" for a certain policy issue, the money flowing into the…
Op-Eds
The Value of Hedge Funds
Re “The Great Seduction” (column, June 10): While David Brooks makes some good points about debt and thrift, he paints with…
Newsletter
Termination Fees, Windfall Profits and a Federal Wilderness Land-Grab
The Federal Communications Commission holds a hearing to investigate “termination fees” for customers who cancel their cell phone, cable or Internet contracts early. Senate Republicans…
Citation
“Affordable Housing” Push Fed Subprime Bubble
Newsletter
Gas Prices, the Federal Reserve and Insurance Regulation
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) claims that the global warming legislation she recently endorsed would not result in an increase in gas prices. Federal Reserve Bank…
News Release
CEI Commends Insurance Reform Hearings
The House of Representatives today convenes its first hearings on proposals to create a first-ever federal insurance overseer, an Office of Insurance Information. That’s…
Newsletter
Energy Legislation, Interest Rates and Futurism
The Senate prepares for a vote to end debate on major global warming legislation. The value of the dollar climbs slightly after the Federal Reserve…