Trump executive order targets regulations on Wall Street

By Renae Merle, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to reconsider regulations put in place after the 2008 financial crisis to rein in Wall Street, according to a White House spokeswoman.

The move addressed another one of Trump’s campaign promises: dismantling 2010’s financial overhaul legislation, known as Dodd-Frank. The legislation forced banks to take various steps to prevent another financial crisis, including holding more capital and taking yearly “stress tests” to prove they could withstand economic turbulence. The financial industry, particularly its small community banks, complained the rules went too far.

“We expect to be cutting a lot out of Dodd-Frank,” Trump said during a meeting with business leaders Friday. “Because frankly, I have so many people, friends of mine, that had nice businesses, they just can’t borrow money … because the banks just won’t let them borrow because of the rules and regulations in Dodd-Frank.”

Trump also signed a separate presidential memorandum to delay the Labor Department’s rules that would require financial professionals to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own. The “fiduciary rule,” scheduled to go into effect in April, has long been a target of Republicans, including close Trump Wall Street ally Anthony Scaramucci, who call it burdensome and costly.

The Labor Department should consider whether it could harm investors or disrupt the retirement services industry, Trump’s memorandum said, according to a White House spokesman. The order comes as the fate of the rule is also being weighed in the courts. A decision on a lawsuit from major business groups challenging the rule, including the Chamber of Commerce, could come any day now.

These efforts are sure to anger Democrats in Congress and progressive groups who argue Wall Street needs more oversight — not less. It will also bolster critics who say Trump, despite promising during the campaign to “drain the swamp,” has become cozy with Wall Street since the election. Trump has tapped several Goldman Sachs alumni for key positions in his administration, and his strategic and policy panel is led by Stephen Schwarzman, founder of Blackstone, a massive investment firm.

Trump’s order does not mention Dodd-Frank but directs the Treasury secretary to report back in 120 days on what rules promote or inhibit the administration’s priorities.

During his meeting with several high-profile CEOs, Trump noted that there were several bankers in the room, including Larry Fink, chief executive of the massive investment firm Blackrock. “Larry’s got a lot of my money and I have to tell you, he got me great returns,” Trump said to laughs in the room. Later he noted that Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest banks in the world, was also there. “There is nobody better to tell me about Dodd Frank than Jamie,” Trump said motioning to Dimon across the table.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, a member of the Banking Committee, quickly pounced on Trump’s effort to roll back the fiduciary rule. “President Trump’s action will make it harder for American savers to keep more of what they earn,” Brown said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted: “After literally standing next to Wall St CEOs, realDonaldTrump made it easier for investment advisors to cheat you out of your savings.”

Trump has said Dodd-Frank is a “disaster” and that he would do “a big number” on the legislation. But it is unclear exactly which provisions he is likely to curtail or kill. The law gave the government new authority to seize and wind down large, troubled financial firms, set up a regulatory council to monitor threats to the financial system and mandate oversight of the vast market for derivatives, the instruments that helped fuel the crisis.

Big banks, which have spent millions complying with the law, have called for a tweaking of the rules, rather than a complete overhaul. Adjusting to a new regulatory environment would be too costly, they say. But smaller banks are expected to push for more aggressive changes. They say they are too small to pose a threat to the financial system but still face extreme regulatory burdens.

“Many of the regulations created by Dodd-Frank would be difficult to eliminate without action from Congress, but there are a number of changes that regulators can make (especially on the enforcement of these rules) which could have a significant impact on the business models of banks and other financial services firms,” Edward Mills, a policy analyst at investment bank FBR Capital Markets, said in a research report Friday morning.

The administration’s efforts could also land on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created by Dodd-Frank. Republicans have been pushing for an overhaul of the way the agency is run, including calling for its director, Richard Cordray, to be fired. But Democrats say the independent agency has played an important role in cracking down on big banks and corporations accused of misleading consumers. They have stepped in to defend the agency and Cordray over the last few weeks.

Trump’s actions are aimed at attacking “overregulation,” Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “We have to get the United States banking system working again.”

“Today banks do not lend money to companies. Banks are forced to hoard money because they’re forced to hoard capital and they can’t take any risk. We need to get banks back in the lending business. That’s our number one objective,” Cohn said.

Cohn met with Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee on Friday to discuss the effort. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the Financial Services Committee, is expected to unveil legislation soon to overhaul Dodd Frank.