Articles by Rachelle Younglai and Rick Rothacker

Government to See $23 Billion Total Profit on AIG Bailout

The U.S. Treasury’s sale of its remaining stake in American International Group Inc. will fetch $7.6 billion, bringing the government a total profit of $22.7 billion from its crisis-era bailout of the insurer. The share offering will close the chapter …

Treasury Selling All of Its Remaining AIG Common Stock

The U.S. Treasury is selling its remaining stake in insurer American International Group Inc., bringing an end to government ownership of the company about four years after a $182 billion bailout. The sale will close the chapter on one of …

US Senate OK’s Russia Trade w/ Human Rights Bill; Angry Russian Reaction

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation to punish Russian human rights violators as part of a broader bill to expand U.S. trade with Washington’s former Cold War enemy. Passage of the bill, by a 92-4 vote, drew an immediate …

U.S. to Sell $6 Billion in AIG Stock; AIG to Pay More to Taxpayers

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it will sell $6 billion worth of American International Group stock and struck another deal for the insurer to pay down $8.5 billion more in obligations, taking a major step forward in an …

When Rating Agencies Judge the World – an Analysis

The man who holds in his hands the fate of U.S. credit, and with it potentially the global economy, favors small tie knots, sports a bushy mustache and smokes his fair share of cigarettes. Beyond that, he is a mystery, …

Treasury Defends Dodd-Frank Reforms; Promises Insurance Expert Soon

The Obama administration fired a fresh salvo at Wall Street Tuesday, telling critics of the U.S. financial reform law to knock off their attacks. “We will continue to oppose efforts to slow down, weaken, or repeal these essential reforms,” Deputy …

U.S. Oversight Council Urged to Be More Transparent

The U.S. risk council is hiding documents and needs to be more transparent in how it chooses which insurers and other major non-bank financial firms pose a risk to the financial system, lawmakers said on Thursday. Among the key decisions …

Credit Raters Triggered Financial Crisis, Says Senate Report

Moody’s Corp. and Standard and Poor’s triggered the worst financial crisis in decades when they were forced to downgrade the inflated ratings they slapped on complex mortgage-backed securities, a U.S. congressional report concluded on Wednesday. In one of the most …

New Systemic Risk Council Faces Key Test

The new council of U.S. regulators will face a major test on Tuesday when it unveils recommendations on how to enforce one of the most recognizable, if inscrutable, aspects of the six-month-old Wall Street reform law: the Volcker rule. The …

Republicans Want to Revisit Financial Regulation Reform Bill

Republicans will reopen the broad Wall Street reform law and overhaul the newly created consumer protection bureau if they regain control of Congress after the November elections, a leading lawmaker said Monday. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the powerful …