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
Blog
Are stablecoins already delivering what CBDCs promise?
Many proposals for a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a digital form of the US dollar issued by the Federal Reserve, have circulated…
Center Square
After rate hike, economists weigh tariffs’ role in inflation
CEI’s Senior Economist Ryan Young was quoted by Center Square in their analysis of tariffs impact in inflation. Ryan Young, senior economist…
News Release
Federal Reserve raises interest rates, eyes on future economic policy: CEI analysis
Today, the Federal Reserve has decided to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, the first increase in over three years. The decision…
Search Posts
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%…
Spectator
Coastal business | S.C. exports rise, not in local port
Newsletter
Beach House Bailout, Voting Rights and Trade War with Mexico
Congress to likely consider a controversial plan for taxpayers to subsidize disaster insurance in risk-prone states. Attorney General Eric Holder keeps quiet about the recent…
Newsletter
Turning Down Stimulus Dollars, Legal Malpractice and a “Socialist” President
A group of governors turn down federal stimulus funding for their states, citing the strings attached by Congress. The Supreme Court rules that drug maker…
Spectator
The Beach House Bailout?
Spectator
Obama and Dodd Hypocritical on AIG Bonuses
In response to public outrage, Obama is belatedly criticizing the millions of dollars in bonuses that AIG, which is being bailed by taxpayers…
News Release
CEI Asks: Is a Beach House Bailout Next?
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Spectator
Obama and Dodd Hypocritical on AIG Bonuses
In response to public outrage, Obama is belatedly criticizing the millions of dollars in bonuses that AIG, which is being bailed by taxpayers…
Newsletter
Liar Loans, Rising Sea Levels and Gambling Online
Democrats in Congress quarrel over new bankruptcy rules for homeowners. Newspaper headlines claim that sea levels are rising twice as fast as before. Finance Committee…
Spectator
Bailouts for Liars, Illegal Aliens and Unjust Bonuses
The inept managers of the insurance giant AIG, which is being bailed out by taxpayers at a cost of over $170 billion, are using…
Spectator
States Insurance Funds Should Not Receive Federal Backing
Newsletter
Obama’s Greenhouse Gas Plan, Accounting Rules for Economic Recovery and Science v. Politics
The Obama administration plans to dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. The House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing on the economic…
News Release
Florida’s State-Run Insurance Edges Closer to Sanity
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Newsletter
Stocks Rise, Fossil Felonies and Reforming Online Gambling
Stock values make their biggest one-day gains since last November. Congress considers a land management bill that could punish paleontologists and rock collectors with arrest…
Newsletter
A Fundamentally Weak Economy, Alternative Energy Mandates and Where Soros is Putting His Money
The White House budget director describes the U.S. economy as “fundamentally…weak.” Maryland’s governor proposes legislation to require greater use of alternative energy sources.
Spectator
Greening America – At What Cost?
Iain Murray explores the disasterously high costs of de-carbonizing America.
Spectator
No to State Backed Hurrican Fund
Newsletter
$75 Billion for Bad Mortgages, Card Check in Congress and Lowering Global Warming Expectations
The White House unveils the details of its $75 billion mortgage “rescue” spending package. Democrats in Congress push for changes in labor organizing rules. President…
Spectator
The Mortgage Entitlement Bailout: Even Worse Than You Think
Spectator
States Broke the Insurance Regulatory System
About six months after the U.S. government first injected taxpayer money into AIG, the company continues to teeter on the brink of bankruptcy…
Spectator
Speak out against ‘fishing expedition’
Sir, Kudos to former ambassador Faith Whittlesey for her valid points about the Obama administration exerting “raw Goliath power” and breaching a bilateral tax agreement…
Letters
The Calculation of Climate Change Risk in the Provision of Insurance
Full Document Available in PDF It is obvious to anybody that a risk of climate change exists: weather patterns…
Newsletter
Beer Taxes, the Beige Book and Drug Safety Before the Supreme Court
Oregon becomes one of the states seeking to raise new revenue by increasing taxes on beer. The Federal Reserve releases its…
Newsletter
Genachowski for FCC, Obama Meets with Gordon Brown and the Threat of a Carbon Tax
President Obama nominates technology advisor Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits the White House to discuss international…
News Release
Obama Foreclosure Plan Hurts Middle-Class Investors, Retirees
Contact: Cord Blomquist 202-615-0600 Obama Foreclosure Plan Hurts Middle-Class Investors, Retirees Washington, D.C. , March…
Letters
Proposed Taxes on Reinsurance Will Hurt Consumers
Full Document Available in PDF Additional taxes on reinsurance transactions would wreak havoc with…
News Release
Think Tank Questions Revised AIG Bailout
Early this morning, federal regulators and AIG officials announced revised terms for the bailout of the now-government-controlled insurance giants. The terms ease AIG’s obligations in…
Staff & Scholars
John Berlau
Senior Fellow and Director of Finance Policy
- Banking and Finance
- Deregulation
- Financial Regulation
Iain Murray
Vice President for Strategy and Senior Fellow
- Banking and Finance
- Trade and International
Steve Swedberg
Finance and Monetary Policy Analyst
- Banking and Finance
- Deregulation
- Financial Regulation