News
US Treasury slashes forecast for cost of Tarp
US Treasury estimates cost of government bailout at $30 billion, less than a tenth of original forecast
Brussels crafts principles for bank account access
European Commission consults on principles to ground law granting universal access to basic bank accounts; 6% of adults do not have a bank account
Anglo bailout prompts Ireland downgrade
Fitch knocks Irish debt one notch; says higher bailout cost will impair fiscal consolidation plans
Japan edges towards zero bound
Bank of Japan cuts benchmark rate to 0% to 0.1% range, announces further stimulus
RBI names working group to review key open market operations
Reserve Bank of India names working group members assessing liquidity adjustment facility; six out of ten from central bank
IIF calls for accord to fix imbalances
Institute for International Finance (IIF) says major economies must broker agreements on critical macroeconomic and exchange-rate issues
Thailand relaxes FX controls
Moves follow baht’s appreciation
Basel Committee demands more rigorous governance standards
Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issues new corporate governance principles for banks; calls for independent chief risk officer
Paper problems delay release of new $100 note
Federal Reserve says sporadic creasing of paper on new banknote will setback release of new $100 bill
Swiss to make UBS and Credit Suisse pay for systemic status
Swiss commission proposal beefs up Basel III for Credit Suisse and UBS with 19% capital requirement and other measures to tackle 'too big to fail' problem
Bank of Spain's Roldán highlights Basel III flaws
Basel III’s architecture, hybrid capital and liquidity buffers among potential pitfalls; views shared by BaFin's Sanio
BaFin's Sanio: no fix for cross-border failure
Jochen Sanio says supervisors nowhere near to solving “key issue” highlighted by crisis; flags lack of communication on Lehman Brothers
Basel liquidity rules hit fresh objections
A reworking of part of the liquidity coverage ratio is rejected by the Basel Committee
Senate confirms two out of three Fed directors
Last-minute deal seats Yellen and Raskin, Diamond turned down
Basel II grievances stir transatlantic tensions on new accord
BNP Paribas chairman Michel Pébereau slams United States’ failure to implement Basel II across the board; says Basel III will unfairly impair Europe
Trinidad and Tobago’s central bank faces legal action over bankrupt insurance giant
Disgruntled policyholders of failed insurance giant Clico demand compensation from Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago over what they see as deficiencies in oversight
Weber, Blankfein praise Basel III leverage cap
Bundesbank president Axel Weber and Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein laud Basel III’s inclusion of leverage ratio, as opposition mounts
OECD reappoints Gurría as secretary-general
Angel Gurría commits to second term as secretary-general at Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Hungary’s Simor asks for independence to be written in statute: reports
National Bank of Hungary governor András Simor reportedly asks lawmakers to put central bank independence in constitution as controversial pay cut takes effect
Australia adds financial stability to monetary policy mandate
Australian government amends Reserve Bank of Australia’s monetary policy remit to include financial stability
Meirelles flags travails of financial reform
Central Bank of Brazil governor Henrique Meirelles says reform must be unified; Chinese, Indian ambassadors note shortcomings of G20
Ireland reveals fresh Anglo Irish bailout
Central Bank of Ireland outlines new restructuring for Anglo Irish Bank, finance minister acknowledges cost of bailout prevents government from meeting deficit cuts for year
No alternative to bail-in capital: Bank's Tucker
Bank of England's Paul Tucker attacks bankers' concerns that bail-in capital will rattle investors; Sweden's Ingves says conversions achievable
Extend 'systemic importance' to countries: Brazil's Meirelles
Central Bank of Brazil governor Henrique Meirelles calls for concept of systemic importance to be extended to countries; panellists broach challenges posed by central counterparties