This course examines the broad range of policy issues applicable to U.S. banking and financial institutions -- including those related to monetary policy, financial stability, consumer protection, and community reinvestment. This area includes a number of questions that are at the forefront of the current U.S. policy debate about the appropriate role of government and how best to regulate financial institutions and financial markets. Key questions include the following:
• What were the key provisions enacted in 2010 as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DFA) and what are alternative perspectives on the likely effectiveness of these provisions in preventing future financial and mortgage crises?
• Are some banks still “too big to fail” and, if so, what are alternative policy solutions that have been proposed to address this problem?
• What is the structure of consumer financial protection post-DFA and what are alternative perspectives on the consumer protection policies that are now in place related to mortgage lending and payday lending?
