Podcast Center
Video Center
Webcasts
Resource Center
Events
December 06, 2009 at 07:00 PM
Legislation giving the federal government broad authority to deal with troubled financial institutions, including insurers, as well as a bill creating a Federal Insurance Office passed the House Financial Services Committee on Nov. 4.
The House is likely to consider the legislation very soon.
The bills are part of a package of legislation designed to reform regulation of the financial services industry.
Included in the package is H.R. 3817, the Investor Protection Act, which would give the Securities and Exchange Commission the authority to harmonize the standard of care investment advisors must use in selling investment products. Insurance agents are deeply concerned about the bill.
As for the bills passed by the House FSC panel last week, the Financial Stability Improvement Act, H.R. 3996, requires that only financial companies with assets of $50 billion or more must contribute to a fund that will be used to bail out troubled companies. It passed by a party-line vote of 31-27.
The committee also passed by a voice H.R. 2609, the Federal Insurance Office Act, which creates an office within the Treasury Department designed to coordinate dealing with international matters, provide information to the systemic risk regulator about potentially risky insurers, and collect data on insurance solvency.
Both the American Council of Life Insurers and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors voiced support for creating the new office.
“The Treasury Department needs to develop expertise on a $5 trillion industry that affects the lives of tens of millions of Americans. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, it is important to eliminate the knowledge gap within the federal government,” said Frank Keating, ACLI president and CEO.
