Preparing To Asset-strip Local Government? The Fed’s Bizarre New Rules

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance, SRI/ESG News

In an inscrutable move that has alarmed state treasurers, the Federal Reserve, along with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, just changed the liquidity requirements for the nation’s largest banks. Municipal bonds, long considered safe liquid investments, have been eliminated from the …

Wall Street Greed: Not Too Big for a California Jury

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance, SRI/ESG News

Sixteen of the world’s largest banks have been caught colluding to rig global interest rates.  Why are we doing business with a corrupt global banking cartel? United States Attorney General Eric Holder has declared that the too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks are too big to prosecute.  But an outraged California jury might …

Finding Green Dividend Yield

Jay OwenGreentech

Finding Green Dividend Yield by Harris Roen, Editor Roen Financial Report  February 14, 2014 In the vexing world of alternative energy dividend investment field for green investors, Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (HASI) and Pattern Energy Group Inc (PEGI). Though these two green companies operate in very different business areas, they both offer promising income …

MoneyWeek Roundup: The Bank of England threatens democracy…

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance

The Bank of England threatens democracy… Buy Turkey!… Everything you ever wanted to know about fracking… From Matthew Partridge, across the river from the City The Bank of England undermines democracy This week, our editor-in-chief, Merryn Somerset Webb, looked at how the Bank of England’s interest rate policy is hurting savers. …

Enough Is Enough: Fraud-ridden Banks Are Not L.A.’s Only Option

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance, Community Development Solutions

Enough Is Enough: Fraud-ridden Banks Are Not L.A.’s Only Option Posted on January 29, 2014 by Ellen Brown “Epic in scale, unprecedented in world history.” That is how William K. Black, professor of law and economics and former bank fraud investigator, describes the frauds in which JPMorgan Chase (JPM) has now been implicated. They involve more …

Climate Bonds has posted a new item, ‘AfDB’s long-awaited AAA $500m inaugural green bond is sold out’

Jay OwenSRI/ESG News

Climate Bonds has posted a new item, ‘AfDB’s long-awaited AAA $500m inaugural green bond is sold out‘ The African Development Bank (AfDB) has just issued the 3 year, USD500 million green bond they flagged over Summer; the deal closed yesterday at 14:30 London time. The bond 10% over-subscribed by the close of the half-day …

Public Banks Are Key to Capitalism

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance, Community Development Solutions

“Kudos to Ethical Markets Advisory Board Ellen Brown for this wide reaching piece in the New York Times.”  EMM Editor To ask whether public banks would interfere with free markets assumes that we have free markets, which we don’t. Banking is heavily subsidized and is monopolized by Wall Street, which …

The Armageddon Looting Machine: The Looming Mass Destruction from Derivatives

Jay OwenReforming Global Finance

The Armageddon Looting Machine: The Looming Mass Destruction from Derivatives Posted on September 17, 2013 by Ellen Brown Increased regulation and low interest rates are driving lending from the regulated commercial banking system into the unregulated shadow banking system. The shadow banks, although free of government regulation, are propped up by a hidden …

Call for economic overhaul: Column

Jay OwenBeyond GDP

Everybody is finding fault with the economy these days. When it doesn’t grow quickly enough, business leaders complain, then President Obama announces he is refocusing on the economy yet again. When job growth appears to pick up, as it did last week, investors flee from stocks fearing rising interest rates. It often …