My Articles

My latest article, co-authored with Cornelius Hurley, was published today in Bloomberg Law. While we agree that U.S. banking regulation is in dire need of serious reform, we caution against speculation that the administration might cut the FDIC. As a former Chairman of the FDIC and, in Con’s case, a former Director of an FHLB, our long careers have helped us understand what works and what doesn’t in regulation. While the FDIC provides a vital service to American banking, we would advise the new administration to look at cutting a different entity: the FHLB system. Our article compares the historical context and present-day usefulness of these two bodies, and recommends a path forward.

My latest article in The Hill, coauthored with my good friend Tom Vartanian, offers guidance as the incoming Trump administration promises to modernize banking regulation. Regulation must become smarter, the number of federal financial regulators should be consolidated, and the roles of the FDIC and Federal Reserve should be refocused.

I enjoyed addressing the Association of FDIC Alumni in D.C. last month. My keynote remarks touched on many of the topics in my paper “It’s Broken, So Let’s Fix It.”

Here is a blast from the past, sent to me by Ralph Elosser, formerly of the FDIC when it won a coveted award for cash management from the U.S. Treasury. You might recognize the guy on the far right who was a very young Chairman of the FDIC.

The Federal Reserve continues to struggle with adoption of Basel III. I firmly believe it is a futile and useless exercise, which should be abandoned, as I state in my most recent article in the American Banker, summarized here. I declined to adopt Basel I when I was Chairman of the FDIC and believe it

In our latest article in The Hill, my good friend Thomas Vartanian and I outline five key challenges standing in the way of financial stability in the US banking system.

My latest article in American Banker explains how it was uninsured deposits, not brokered deposits, that led to 2023’s bank failures.

My latest article in The Hill emphasizes the importance of identifying leaders at the FDIC who can attract and retain talent by treating employees with respect and dignity. The FDIC is an important institution with a noble goal, and misbehavior must not be tolerated.