Following the release of a report she requested, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, reacted to findings related to diversity and inclusion at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Last year, Waters led eight other Democratic members of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in requesting reports by Inspectors General at the CFPB and all other financial regulators, to assess whether any personnel practices and policies have... Read more

As the House of Representatives considered legislation weakening Wall Street’s cash-strapped regulators, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, delivered sharp remarks rebuking H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2015. Dubbing it as ‘anti-consumer,’ Waters criticized the burdensome, time-consuming rulemaking requirements outlined in the bill, which would make it harder for regulators to act independently and in the b... Read more

In remarks at the Financial Services Committee markup of its Oversight Plan, which is required by House rules to outline Committee work during the 114th session of Congress, Ranking Member Maxine Waters underscored some of her top priorities for the coming two years. Acknowledging a modest departure from the more contentious oversight plan of the 113th Congress, the Ranking Member highlighted areas of importance to prevent the mistakes that led to the financial crisis of 2008. Waters focused on ... Read more

Following President Obama’s State of the Union address, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, praised the President for underscoring the importance of the Wall Street Reform Act and making clear he will veto any legislative effort to undermine it. Waters, a tireless advocate for protection the law, also praised the President for his proposal to levy a fee on the largest financial institutions designed to discourage them from accumulating de... Read more

Democrats, led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee garnered 154 “no” votes against H.R. 37, a controversial Republican package of 11 bills that will roll back certain portions of the Wall Street Reform Act. Last week, House Democrats defeated Republican efforts to fast track the same measure through a process known as suspension of the rules, by denying them the two-thirds vote they needed they need for passage. She released the following stat... Read more

“If it were done,” says Macbeth as he contemplates killing Duncan — his kinsman, his house­guest, his king — “ . . . ’twere well it were done quickly.” A similar judgment seems to inform the newly empowered congressional Republicans’ rush to roll back the modest regulations that the Dodd-Frank Act imposed on Wall Street banks. Deregulating Wall Street is distasteful stuff that can claim no real public support or economic merit, but for reasons both political and financial, the Republicans have d... Read more

During a debate that did not begin until well into the evening, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, led House Democratic members in strong opposition to H.R. 37, a harmful package of 11 bills that will roll back certain portions of the Wall Street Reform Act. The legislation contains harmful provisions that undermine Dodd-Frank, which was passed in response to the worst financial crisis in a generation. These include a newly introduced me... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, gave the following testimony before the House Rules Committee on H.R. 37, a package of 11 bills designed to undermine the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. She also spoke out against H.R. 185 which, among other provisions, places onerous cost-benefit analysis requirements on federal financial regulators. Last week, House Democrats defeated Republican efforts to fast track the same measure throug... Read more

Today, after leading the effort to oppose House Republicans’ renewed attack on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), praised Democrats for standing strong to oppose, and ultimately defeat, the measure. Republicans attempted to move a package of 11 bills that contained controversial changes to provisions relating to derivatives and Volcker rule. The legislation was voted on under suspension of the rules, which provides no opportunity for transparency, robust ... Read more

The top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), today took her opposition to a provision that could bring back an era of Wall Street bailouts to the House floor. In a fiery speech, Waters expressed her concerns with a Wall Street-authored provision that repeals important taxpayer protections against reckless bank activity enacted as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. The provision was jammed into the must-pass government funding package... Read more

Following reports of the possible inclusion of a provision to roll back key taxpayer protections against derivatives trading in the soon to be released government funding package, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Service Committee, expressed her extreme disappointment with efforts to undermine the Dodd-Frank Act. She released the following statement on the provision to repeal the so-called “swaps push-out” rule: “I am disgusted that in a back room deal, s... Read more

Today on the House Floor, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee, criticized House Republican leadership and committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) for a bad faith negotiation on the renewal of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA). Waters, a strong supporter of TRIA, objected to the troubling process by which unrelated legislation making changes to the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Act was inserted into the TRIA renewal at the eleventh h... Read more

Following the passage of H.R. 5421, the Financial Institution Bankruptcy Act of 2014, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, made clear her position that this technical change to the federal bankruptcy code does not mean we should revisit or fundamentally change the important protections enacted under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. The bill, which would simply give bankruptcy courts additional authorities when resolving large, complex fina... Read more

Today, eight Democratic members of House Committees on Financial Services and Oversight and Government Reform (OGR) called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to send a strong message that corporate practices to deter whistleblowers from reporting violations of securities laws will not be tolerated. In a letter to SEC Chair Mary Jo White, Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) joined with Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and six ... Read more

In 2008 we saw the consequences of the risky, irresponsible lending and financial practices resulting from the false ideology that financial markets can somehow properly police themselves. Lax mortgage standards and an unhealthy amount of risk taken by financial institutions and other market participants led to an economy that was not rooted in reality. The result was a series of events that left an indelible mark on our financial system, our housing market and our way of life as Americans. In a... Read more

Following the news that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia largely rejected a challenge to the way the Commodity Futures Trading Commission applies its derivatives rules overseas, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, released the following statement: “Today, proponents of financial reform secured a major victory as a U.S. district court rejected industry attempts to vacate the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) guidan... Read more

Key Development: The House bill would clarify language in section 171 of the Dodd-Frank Act, delineating the Federal Reserve Board's authority over large insurance companies, but also additional measures that could harm its chances in the Senate. Next Step: Insurance companies favor the bill but the broader measures are not universally supported and aren't expected to advance in the Senate, said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). Sept. 16 (BNA) -- The House voted 320-102 to pass legislation (H.R. 54... Read more

WASHINGTON, DC – Citing abuse of the legislative process by House Republicans, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, voiced her strong opposition to two measures that came before the House tonight. Waters expressed her frustration with the circumventing of the legislative process to bring large and controversial measures to the floor through the expedited procedure known as “suspension,” which truncates debate for legislation that is generally non... Read more

As the House was preparing to consider a measure on Monday that would give the Federal Reserve flexibility in regulating the capital standards for insurance firms, the financial services industry campaigned for passage. But because the bill ( S 2270 ), which passed in the Senate was packaged with three others with broader changes in financial regulation, House Financial Services ranking Democrat Maxine Waters of California said she would oppose it on procedural grounds. In a message to lawmakers... Read more

The House on Tuesday is expected to pass a bipartisan regulatory change that’s a top priority for the insurance industry, but the Senate is not expected to accept the legislative package in its current form and the issue will likely have to be settled during a post-election “lame duck” session. While the insurance provision is supported by Republicans and Democrats in both chambers, House Republicans have packaged that bill with proposals concerning proprietary trading by banks, swaps rules and ... Read more

Maxine Waters — the fiery liberal from Los Angeles known for calling House Republican leadership “demons” and threatening to nationalize oil companies — has gone from the scourge of Big Business to a sympathetic ally for corporate America. It’s no accident. Waters is executing this transformation by seizing on the growing divide between conservative Republicans and Big Business and leveraging her position as the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, where in the coming weeks sh... Read more

WASHINGTON — The House Financial Services Committee passed a slew of bills on Wednesday, including one designed to ease capital requirements on mortgage servicing assets held by small institutions. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., won substantial bipartisan support, passing the panel by a vote of 44 to 9. It would delay implementation of a provision of Basel III capital rules that establishes higher requirements on MSRs. The delay would only apply to institutions wit... Read more

Wall Street banks face heightened scrutiny from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over their latest tactic to escape U.S. trading rules for overseas derivatives. The regulator sent letters today to JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. (C), and Morgan Stanley (MS) seeking further information about the practice of removing parent-company guarantees from overseas trades. An agency official who asked not to be named because the lette... Read more

At the last markup before the Congress breaks for August recess, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, criticized Republicans for wasting time while a number of major issues remain unresolved. The full Committee markup included six bills, the majority of which would be harmful to consumers and the economy. They include measures that would hamstring the Federal Reserve, water down important consumer protections in Dodd-Frank, place additional adm... Read more

At today’s Financial Services Committee Hearing entitled, “Assessing the Impact of the Dodd-Frank Act Four Years Later” Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) issued a strong rebuke to Republican attacks on the landmark law, recounting the devastation of the crisis, the success of the law thus far, and documenting Republicans’ efforts to return to the practices that brought the economy to its knees in the first place. The hearing follows Monday’s release of a Democratic staff report that documents ... Read more