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☆ U.S. House Financial Services chair to seek documents, hold hearing amid bank collapses -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee said he would request documents and hold a hearing after the collapse of two U.S. banks raised concerns about the banking sector and roiled world markets, according to a media report on Tuesday. McHenry spoke after briefing Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, about the weekend collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which continued to weigh on investors on Tuesday. "They currently have the tools, and they‘ve used them appropriately to resolve two banks," McHenry said. Biden also vowed new bank rules after regulations enacted after the 2008 financial crisis were rolled back under former Republican President Donald Trump. The panel's ranking Democrat, Maxine Waters, on Monday urged bipartisan work to ensure the stability of the financial system.

Silicon Valley Bank's collapse could have ramifications for the technology landscape over the coming years, analysts and investors said. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will give campaign contributions from former Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker and the bank's PAC to charities, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Schumer received the maximum individual contribution of $5,800 from Becker in June 2021, according to the Federal Election Commission. The campaign received $2,700 from the bank's political action committee in 2015, per an FEC filing. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said she will return the contribution she received from Becker, according to reporting from Politico.

☆ US lawmakers met Fed, FDIC to discuss Silicon Valley Bank's collapse - Coindesk
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 11 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers met with the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Friday to discuss the collapse of SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O), Coindesk reported on Saturday citing a source. Democratic U.S. Representative Maxine Waters held briefings with officials from the two regulators and the Treasury Department, hours after the startup-focused SVB's collapse, the report said. Separately, Representative Ro Khanna said in a tweet on Friday that he reached out to both the White House and the Treasury Department to discuss the situation with the bank. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday met with banking regulators on the collapse of SVB, as she and the White House expressed confidence in their abilities to respond to the bank failure. Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ House Republicans target the CFPB as the agency takes aim at 'junk fees'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers discussed ways to reform, or altogether defund, the nation's foremost consumer protection agency on Thursday, as the regulator takes aim at illegal "junk fees" levied on consumers. GOP lawmakers in the hearing criticized the Biden administration's push to eradicate "junk fees," largely regulated by the CFPB. On Wednesday, the agency released a list of illegal junk fees encompassing deposit accounts; auto and mortgage loan servicing; and payday and title lending. Subcommittee member Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., said Chopra has used junk fees as an excuse to expand his authority. The CFPB's working definition of junk fees is "any fee they don't like," argued Devin Watkins, an attorney at the conservative-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Since the start of the pandemic, Americans have been able to access free weekly credit reports. "Even when consumers are successful in having their complaint addressed, complaints call into question the underlying data contained in consumers' credit reports," the report read. Navigating the credit reporting system in the United States requires skill and often a good deal of patience. Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who chaired the panel at the time, said during the hearing that a public credit reporting agency "would be a major upgrade over today's broken, biased credit reporting system." Consumer advocates stress that not only should credit reports be easily accessible but that Americans should be able to scrutinize the information contained in credit reports.

☆ House Republicans move to regulate crypto industry with a new subcommittee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The unregulated nature of the crypto industry emerged as a pressing concern late last year after the collapse in November of crypto exchange FTX. Hill has been an enthusiastic supporter of the crypto industry. Emmer described actions taken by Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler as "haphazard and unfocused." Senate Democrats, meanwhile, have already begun to prepare their own efforts to oversee the crypto industry and dictate enforcement actions. The commission charged crypto lender Genesis and crypto exchange Gemini with the unregistered sale and offering of securities on Thursday, the same day that Hill announced the subcommittee.

☆ How a GOP-controlled House will attack ESG and corporate climate change strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"I don't think that's a proper characterization of my view," McHenry said in an interview with CNBC Senior Congressional Correspondent Ylan Mui. What I think corporations should do is focus on their key knitting," he said. Vanguard Group also had been scheduled to testify, but after the fund giant abandoned an investment industry climate alliance, that changed. McHenry, rated as one of the most moderate House Republicans by non-profit GovTrack US, doesn't seem interested in the state approach. "It plays politics with corporations, in the name of having corporations not play politics."

The Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday is holding a second day of hearings this week on the downfall of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, examining how the company's implosion could impact the nascent industry. Old school, old school." Bankman-Fried was charged by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York for a wide variety of crimes including wire fraud, securities fraud and violating campaign finance regulations. Though Ray and Bankman-Fried won't be part of the Senate Banking hearing on Wednesday, four cryptocurrency experts will be testifying instead, including Kevin O'Leary, a longtime paid FTX spokesman. "In my opinion, it is the largest Ponzi scheme in history by an order of magnitude."

☆ Here's how to watch FTX's current CEO testify before Congress — the same hearing ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was expected to speak at before his arrest
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The hearing, which was expected to include Sam Bankman-Fried before his arrest, will stream live. FTX Group's current CEO John J. Ray III is scheduled to testify at the panel. The hearing, titled, "Investigating the Collapse of FTX, Part I" was originally expected to feature testimony by both FTX Group's current CEO, John J. Ray III, and its founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, who has indicated plans to appear remotely. Ray III, FTX's current CEO, had some harsh words for Bankman-Fried in his prepared testimony. You can follow along with the House hearing below, which is expected to kick off at 10 a.m. Eastern.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before Congress on Tuesday. He could be grilled on his past statements — and expose himself to more legal risks.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sam Bankman-Fried plans to appear remotely before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday. The House Financial Services committee has its own investigative mandate, outlined by its role in inquiring into financial failures, and in helping to craft legislation to prevent similar episodes in the future. Participating could expose Bankman-Fried to more legal risksTestimony provided to House lawmakers would usually be under oath, thought not necessarily so. The House Financial Services committee, chaired by Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California, comprises progressive political stars like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The House Financial Services committee hearing is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reported that the charges against Bankman-Fried include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and money laundering. Bahamas Attorney General Ryan Pinder said the United States was "likely to request his extradition." "While the United States is pursuing criminal charges against SBF individually, The Bahamas will continue its own regulatory and criminal investigations into the collapse of FTX, with the continued cooperation of its law enforcement and regulatory partners in the United States and elsewhere," the statement said. The Bahamas and the United States have had an extradition treaty in place since the early 20th century, when the Bahamas was still under British control. Legal experts told CNBC that if the federal government pursues wire or bank fraud charges, Bankman-Fried could face life in prison without the possibility of supervised release.

CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin reported that the charges against Bankman-Fried include wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and money laundering. Neither the Attorney General of the Bahamas nor the Royal Bahamas Police Force would confirm the nature of the charges against Bankman-Fried. "I didn't ever try to commit fraud," Bankman-Fried said. The CFTC and lawmakers have begun their probes into FTX and Bankman-Fried, who told Sorkin he was down to his last $100,000. Failed lender BlockFi sued Bankman-Fried in November, seeking unnamed collateral that the FTX founder provided for the crypto lending firm.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowWASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before a U.S. House committee on Tuesday, the cryptocurrency exchange's founder and the congressional panel said on Friday, as regulators investigate his role in the wake of its collapse. In a statement late on Friday, the panel said it would hear from newly appointed FTX CEO John Ray and from Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder and former CEO, on Tuesday. "But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th," he added. loadingZhao said that after Binance, an early investor in FTX, sought to exit its stake over one-and-a-half years ago, Bankman-Fried made "offensive tirades" against Binance team members. Binance sold back to FTX its stake in the company last year.

☆ Send Sam Bankman-Fried to prison, Elon Musk suggests, while Binance's boss calls him a 'master manipulator'. 8 top figures weigh in on the disgraced FTX founder.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is racking up critics after the implosion of his crypto exchange. Here's what top voices like Elon Musk, Bill Ackman and Binance boss CZ have said, in 8 top quotes. Now the crypto CEO is under fire from all sides, from Elon Musk and Bill Ackman to "Shark Tank" investor Mark Cuban. Given that, the crypto exchange boss said he feels like the mainstream media has given Bankman-Fried softball interviews. The crypto bull believes Bankman-Fried will probably end up in jail, but doesn't think he was acting alone.

Companies Ledgerx LLC FollowWASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried is set to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services on Dec. 13, the cryptocurrency exchange's founder and the congressional panel said on Friday, as regulators investigate his role in the wake of its collapse. A day earlier, the committee's chair, Maxine Waters, told Reuters that she is prepared to subpoena Bankman-Fried if he does not agree to appear before the panel. In a statement put out late on Friday by the House of Representatives committee, the panel said it would hear from newly-appointed FTX CEO John Ray and from Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder and former CEO, on Dec. 13. "But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th," he added. loadingZhao said after Binance - an early investor in FTX - sought to exit its stake over one-and-a-half years ago, Bankman-Fried made "offensive tirades" against Binance team members.

☆ Premarket: Oil stocks are pointing to higher gas prices to come
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Brutally high oil and gas prices were the talk of the town in 2022 and one of the largest contributing factors to sky-high inflation. Oil prices and energy stocks are closely interlinked — so this discrepancy is an odd one and could mean that lower gas prices may not be here to stay. What’s happening: The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the US benchmark, which is a large driver of gas prices, has fallen to its lowest level of the year this week — under $72 a barrel. But even though gas prices are falling, they’re still higher than they have been over the past few years. Exxon and Chevron are also speculating that crude prices will remain elevated and that demand will grow.

☆ 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for dealmaking in live sports. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Big deals for the big (and little) screen. Next year is shaping up to be a big one for media deals. Like many other industries, media quickly turned quiet on the dealmaking front this year as the economy soured. However, a stabilization of interest rates, along with money burning a hole in investors' pockets, could lead to a big 2023, insiders say. The landscape for media deals is fascinating when you consider the two opposing forces, as Lucia pointed out to me.

☆ Former FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried says he thought of himself as 'a model CEO'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried said he considered himself a "model CEO who wouldn't become lazy or disconnected." "I had thought of myself as a model CEO, who wouldn't become lazy or disconnected. Which made it that much more destructive when I did," Bankman-Fried tweeted FridayHe added: "I'm sorry. In a Twitter thread Friday, Bankman-Fried said he would testify before the US House Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday. Bankman-Fried tweeted: "I still do not have access to much of my data – professional or personal.

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and chief executive officer of FTX Cryptocurrency Derivatives Exchange, during a Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has agreed to testify before the House Financial Services Committee at a hearing about the crypto exchange's collapse on Tuesday, he said in a series of tweets Friday morning. There's been a lot of back and forth in Washington over whether lawmakers would have to subpoena Bankman-Fried, who said he would voluntarily testify since the committee "still thinks it would be useful." In his tweet thread, the disgraced former "darling" of crypto appeared to lay blame on Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao. Before Bankman-Fried agreed to testify, CNBC reported that Waters was not planning to subpoena the ex-billionaire.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried says he'll take the hot seat and testify before lawmakers probing FTX
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Bankman-Fried tweeted that he would testify to a House committee this month. The House financial services committee is inquiring into his failed crypto lending company FTX. Committee chair Rep. Maxine Waters emphasized the stunning scope of 'over a million' FTX creditors. The onetime billionaire and former CEO of the crypto lending giant Tweeted on Friday morning that he would testify before the House Financial Services committee at a hearing scheduled for Dec. 13 on his company's failure. Bankman-Fried tweeted that he would address FTX's customers and how it could "return value" to its international base, and suggested more mea culpas could be forthcoming.

Dec 9 (Reuters) - FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried is willing to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Dec. 13, the cryptocurrency exchange's founder said in a tweet on Friday, as regulators investigate his role in the wake of its collapse. loadingA day earlier House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters told Reuters that she is prepared to subpoena Bankman-Fried if he does not agree to appear before the panel next week. "But as the committee still thinks it would be useful, I am willing to testify on the 13th," he added. In recent weeks, U.S. authorities have sought information from investors and potential investors in FTX, two sources with knowledge of the requests told Reuters. Federal prosecutors in New York are asking for details on any communications such companies have had with the crypto firm and its executives, including Bankman-Fried.

☆ U.S. House committee chair says Bankman-Fried subpoena 'definitely on the table'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters tweeted on Wednesday that a subpoena of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was "definitely on the table." loadingWaters' tweet was in response to a CNBC report earlier in the day that said she did not plan to subpoena Bankman-Fried to testify before Congress on Dec. 13. Waters had earlier said on Twitter that it was imperative that the FTX founder testify and that the committee was "willing to schedule continued hearings if there is more information to be shared later." Reporting by Jyoti Narayan in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Coinbase CEO slams Sam Bankman-Fried: 'This guy just committed a $10 billion fraud, and why is he getting treated with kid gloves?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The CEO of Coinbase said that it's "bizarre" Sam Bankman-Fried is "getting treated with kid gloves." "I mean, this guy just committed a $10 billion fraud, and why is he getting treated with kid gloves?" "We appreciate that you've been candid in your discussions about what happened at #FTX," Waters tweeted. Criminal Activity!," Waters tweeted. He's not the only crypto CEO who's criticized the former FTX CEO recently.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried: US lawmakers want answers from FTX founder
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Lawmakers are demanding that Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed crypto exchange FTX, appear before the Senate Banking Committee next week over “significant unanswered questions ” surrounding the collapse of his companies. FTX was one of the biggest crypto exchanges in the world until last month, when it faced a sudden wave of customer withdrawals that it couldn’t cover. One of the key questions prosecutors are likely to probe is whether FTX misappropriated customer funds when it made loans to Alameda. The Times said the issue is part of a broadening inquiry into the collapse of FTX, and it’s not clear whether prosecutors have determined any wrongdoing by Bankman-Fried. In a statement to the paper, Bankman-Fried said he was “not aware of any market manipulation and certainly never intended to engage in market manipulation.”

☆ 'It appears massive fraud was committed': Here are the 7 best quotes from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's interview on crypto, FTX, and the future of digital assets.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The implosion of FTX shook the crypto industry to its core in recent weeks as token prices continue to fall. CEO Brian Armstrong gave an interview to the Stratechery newsletter, and these are the best quotes. CEO Brian Armstrong spoke with the Stratechery newsletter on Thursday, addressing the future of crypto as well as the implosion of FTX and its impact going forward. On the prevalent fraud in crypto"I do think we have to admit as an industry that crypto has attracted more fraudsters than we'd like. On the future of crypto"There are enough great people working in crypto that I think this industry is going to do really well.

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