BloombergBusinessWeek says while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has vowed to repeal Dodd-Frank, it’s more likely he would water down some of the restrictions on the most lucrative and profitable investments while providing sufficient oversight to protect the banks. Specifically, banks would toss restrictions on investments in private equity and hedge funds, reduce the reach of the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau (CFPB), and block the Volcker Rule. MHProNews has learned Matthew Albrecht, an analyst with Standard & Poor’s, says the eight biggest U.S. banks could lose between $22 billion and $34 billion due to Dodd-Frank. Mark Calabria, a former Republican Senate aide, says, “From a bank’s perspective, you’d rather have piecemeal reform of Dodd-Frank, not only because there are things in the law you want to keep, but also because you’re going to have more control over the process.” Bank executives are aware of the public’s anger in its role in causing the recession and publicly may favor Dodd-Frank while their lawyers fight behind the front line to weaken the rules.
