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
Inflation increases slightly in July, Americans still paying higher prices: CEI analysis
July’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report shows inflation increased 0.1 percent across all sectors, in line with economists’ predictions. With new proposed tariffs…
Blog
Forecasts, not puppet strings: The myth that prediction markets rig reality (Part II)
Prediction markets have become an increasingly prominent tool for forecasting elections, economic indicators, geopolitical developments, and other uncertain events. Their growing popularity has also…
News Release
Fed decides to maintain interest rates during July FOMC meeting: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve announced it will maintain interest rates, signaling a continued commitment to the fight against inflation. The Fed is remaining…
Search Posts
Citation
Dinallo’s actions on Allstate ‘very likely illegal,” group says
Citation
State Insurance Programs Flawed
The Times argues that the federal government should provide a "backstop" for state insurance funds like the California Earthquake Authority. The Times is wrong. States like Florida…
News Release
Florida Lawmakers Urged Not to Weaken Property Insurance Overhaul
Florida Lawmakers Urged Not to Weaken Property Insurance Overhaul Provisions in House Bill Stronger, More Market-Freeing; Amendment to Senate Bill Questioned Washington, D.C.,…
Newsletter
Bailout Power Grab, Abuse of Power in New York and Rising Sea Level Panic
White House economic advisers plan to convert government holdings in bailed out banks to common stock, increasing direct government control. New York State insurance chief…
Letters
Letter to New York State Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo
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Newsletter
Hemispheric Diplomacy, Greenhouse Gases and Anti-Tax Protests
President Obama attends the Summit of the Americas with other leaders from North and South America. The Environmental Protection Agency declares greenhouse gases to be…
Op-Eds
State insurance programs flawed
Re “Insurance assurance,” editorial, April 9 The Times argues that the federal government should provide a "backstop" for state insurance funds like…
News Release
CEI Analysts Blast New York Insurance Head
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Newsletter
CO2, Microsoft’s Antitrust Overseers and Anti-Tax Activists
The Environmental Protection Agency prepares to release a document that could require the federal government to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide. The Justice Department extends…
Citation
History offers an answer to piracy: bounty hunters
"If we have 100 American wannabe Rambos patrolling the seas, it's probably a good way of getting the job done," said Competitive Enterprise Institute's Eli…
Newsletter
Tax Day Protests, Small Car Safety and Union Organizing
People across the country gather to protest high taxes and excessive government spending. A new crash test study finds that smaller cars are especially vulnerable…
Op-Eds
1,000,000 Tea Bags Find a Home
After park officials turned away Tea Party protesters' 1 million tea bags, the press conference was moved to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We were happy…
News Release
April 15th Tax Burden Worsened by Hidden Taxes
April 15th Tax Burden Worsened by Hidden Taxes Americans Hit by Excessive Federal Regulations, Threatened by New Energy Rationing Washington, D.C., April 14,…
Study
Why Florida Should Not Receive a Pre-Funded Federal Bailout
Full Document Available in PDF Since early 2009, Florida state…
Newsletter
Somali Pirates, GM Executives and FDA Regulators
The U.S. military considers attacking Somali pirate bases. Treasury officials instruct General Motors to plan for bankruptcy. The Food and Drug Administration reconsiders its ban…
Op-Eds
‘Backstop’ idea appears too risky: Catastrophe fund may have opposite effect
Texans have many reasons to worry about hurricanes. Two large storms struck the state last year, insurance rates have risen steadily in most coastal areas,…
Newsletter
Banning Bottled Water, Remembering Jack Dreyfus and Greenhouse Gas Legislation
Activists campaign for college campuses to ban sales of bottled water. Legendary investor Jack Dreyfus passes away at age 95. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and…
Op-Eds
Geithner promises repeat of Bush’s regulatory mistakes
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s testimony before Congress last weekrightly angered a lot of conservatives, small-government leftists, libertariansand other friends of the free market. And Geithner’s…
News Release
CEI Comment on Feds Rejecting Florida Insurance Bailout
FEDS RIGHTLY REJECT FLORIDA INSURANCE FIASCO Washington, D.C., April 9, 2009— The U.S. Treasury Department has rejected Sen. Bill Nelson’s (D-Fla.) request for…
Letters
Letter to Senators Dodd and Shelby, and Congressmen Frank and Bachus regarding National Regulatory Modernization
Full Document Available in PDF This letter written to Senators Dodd and Shelby, and…
Op-Eds
Government’s Mistakes Have Deepened This Recession
Steven Gjerstad and Vernon Smith suggest one unexplored aspect of our financial crisis: the role of egalitarian policies. To see this, note…
Newsletter
Modified Mortgages, Unions Losses and Hurricane Insurance
The White House pushes mortgage companies to “modify” more home loans, while the number of defaults continues to rise. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) announces she…
Op-Eds
The Late Jack Dreyfus Really Roared
Jack Dreyfus, the mutual fund pioneer who died March 27at 95, was known as "the Lion of Wall Street." And for decades, the…
Op-Eds
Hoover’s Deficit Spending
William Hettinger [letters, April 3] rewrote history by falsely claiming that “President Herbert Hoover’s response” to the 1929 stockmarket crash “was to balance the…
Citation
Florida Senate passes bills to address hurricane fund shortfall
News Release
CEI Analyst Hails Passage of Insurance Reform Bills
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Newsletter
G20 Stimulus, A Plan for Carbon Dioxide and Mark-to-Market Reforms
World leaders pledge to spend an additional $1 trillion to stimulate the global economy. Global warming activists call for policies to lower the concentration of…
Citation
Lawmakers told to overhaul property insurance
Citation
Lawmakers told to overhaul property insurance: A coalition pushes for reform to help prevent economic disaster.
Citation
Legislature aims to overhaul property insurance system
News Release
Statement on the Progress of the London G20 Summit
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News Release
Statement on the Expected Vote to Relax Mark-to-Market, or “Fair Value,” Accounting Mandates
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Blog
Virginia Postrel on Her Own Brush with Cost-Effective Drug Research
One letter writer argues that Herceptin was a poor example because "Multiple cost-effectiveness analyses have shown that, despite its high cost, Herceptin is both effective…
Spectator
Obama’s Inauspicious Start
Newsletter
Countering Earth Hour, Mismanagement at Freddie Mac and Good News for Coal
Lights go out around the world in observance of “Earth Hour”. Regulators push mortgage giant Freddie Mac to…
Newsletter
A Reverse Tea Party, Geithner’s Insurance Plan and Trade War with Mexico
Environmental activists pour bottled water into Boston Harbor to protest “water privatization.” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner proposes a vast expansion of federal regulation of financial…
News Release
CEI Florida Insurance Project Lauds Legislative Action on Proctor Bill
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News Release
CEI Analysis of Geithner Insurance Proposals
Testifying before Congress today, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will propose broad new federal oversight for a variety of financial services, including insurance. Analysts at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a…
Spectator
Geithner’s Power Grab: Not All Bad
Testifying before the House of Representatives today, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner asked for vast new powers to oversee banks, investment houses, hedge funds, and…
Spectator
Time to put an end to AIG’s misery
Sometimes, it seems like AIG’s crisis couldn’t get any worse. After all, what was once the world’s largest insurance company has already consumed…
Newsletter
Carbon Tariffs, Union Organizing and Geithner’s Toxic Plan
The House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on the impact of global warming on international trade. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) announces that he…
Spectator
Fla. Insurance Market Fix Outlined In Paper
Spectator
Taxpayers Getting Hosed By The Collapse Of AIG’s Insurance Business
News Release
Collapse of Insurance, AIG Could Lead to Tax Hikes
The collapse of state-regulated insurance subsidiaries could result in a significant tax hike for nearly all Americans, warns an insurance policy expert with the Competitive…
Newsletter
Toxic Assets, NIMBYs and Fish Pedicures
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner unveils a plan to sell off “toxic assets” as part of the federal bank bailout. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches…
Newsletter
Obama’s Debt, Wall Street Bonuses and the Economy vs. the Environment
A new congressional report estimates that President Obama’s spending proposals will produce over $9 trillion in debt. Debate continues over the plan to tax some…
News Release
CEI Statement on Latest Geithner Bailout Plan
CEI Comments on Latest Geithner Bailout Plan…
Spectator
Herbert Obama: Obama’s protectionism and tax increases compared to Herbert Hoover’s
Study
Restoring the Private Property-Insurance Market To Reduce Florida’s Risk of Financial Insolvency
Eli Lehrer examines why Florida could very well become financially insolvent.
Newsletter
Celebrating Human Achievement, Taxing AIG Bonuses and Cap and Trade in the Senate
Environmental activists encourage cities to celebrate “Earth Hour” by turning off lights for an hour on March 28th. The House of Representatives approves a 90%…
