This piece came from the newsletter of Davis-Stirling an organization for condo management, but it contains information that would be valuable to individuals not necessarily involved in condos. It speaks of the banking crisis and what caused it–specifically, the Dodd-Frank Reform Act–and the differences of opinion between, Hillary Clinton
and Bernie Sanders on the issue. (At this point I have no idea what any of the Republican candidates would do about Dodd-Frank, if anything.)
Wall Street Reform. Following the collapse of the economy in 2008, Congress rushed through a bloated piece of legislation known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, sometimes referred to as “Dodd-Frankenstein.”
Massive Bill. The extent of the legislation was unprecedented. As the Economist Magazine* noted, “The law that set up America’s banking system in 1864 ran to 29 pages; the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 went to 32 pages; the Banking Act that transformed American finance after the Wall Street Crash, commonly known as the Glass-Steagall Act, spread out to 37 pages. Dodd-Frank is 848 pages long.”
Associations Affected. The Economist described the reach of Dodd-Frank over the economy as one that affects “veterans, students, the elderly, minorities, investor advocacy and education, whistle-blowers, credit-rating agencies, municipal securities, the entire commodity supply chain of industrial companies, and more.” To the “and more” we can add homeowner associations.
Bail-In Provision. When the economy collapsed, the Federal Reserve used taxpayer money to bail out distressed banks that were deemed “too big to fail.” Dodd-Frank now prohibits the Fed from providing emergency funds to failing banks. Instead, distressed banks must rely on depositor funds. This is known as the “bail-in” provision. It requires banks with assets of $50 billion dollars and more (BofA, JPMorgan Chase, Union Bank, Wells Fargo, etc.) to take depositors’ money to offset losses.
Seize Your Money. In other words, if the bank suffers losses from risky investments, it can use depositors’ money (from checking accounts, CDs, money market funds, IRAs, etc.) to cover its losses. It can bail itself out by seizing your money. Previously, banks were obligated to return your money upon demand. Now, under Dodd-Frank, you might get a share of stock in the bank instead of cash.
FDIC Insurance. Even though depositor accounts are insured by the FDIC for $250,000.00 for each depositor, the FDIC has only $67 billion in their fund to resolve account problems. The FDIC has a credit line of $511 billion with the Treasury which can be used as well. Unfortunately, derivative losses could be in the trillions of dollars. That means there will be no money to protect depositors.
Election Issue. Banking industry regulation has become a political issue between candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. They have clashed repeatedly on this issue in their recent debates. Bernie Sanders wants to reinstate Glass-Steagall, which was repealed by President Bill Clinton and was a factor in the collapse of the U.S. economy. Both candidates want to increase banking regulations, which could further impact an association’s deposits.*
Reprinted from
Davis-Stirling.com by ADAMS | STIRLING PLC
[*and individuals’ deposits]