Streetwise Professor

The amendment that would have limited dealer ownership of clearinghouses to 20 percent  has been stripped from Barney Frank’s OTC derivatives bill:

In a bill passed last week by the House of Representatives’ financial services committee to reform the  over-the-counter derivatives markets, an amendment was inserted at the last minute by Massachusetts congressman Stephen Lynch that appeared to limit the stake banks could collectively own in a clearing house to 20 per cent.

. . .

Susan Milligan, special counsel at the OCC, said it was “purely anti-competitive” and would have favoured for-profit clearers compared with quasi-utility clearers like the OCC.

Steve Adamske, spokesman for the financial services committee, said on Thursday the 20 per cent limit had intended to limit dealer control of clearing houses but legal experts had decided it was invalid as it conflicted with another amendment.

The bill would, however, limit to 20 per cent the voting rights of dealers for “designated contract markets, exchanges and alternative swap execution facilities” – and not for clearing houses.

Wonderful, isn’t it, to observe the careful deliberation with which our Solons weigh decisions that affect trillions of dollars of risk exposures?  Just throw a bit of offal into the grinder–who’ll notice?  And at whose behest was this inserted?

Legislators react with high dudgeon to bankers’ cavalier attitudes towards risk and limited accountability, but they run far greater risks with other people’s money with virtually no accountability every day.  They have no room to talk.  Whatsoever.