Banking experts to debate whether “Too Big to Fail” is still a threat to U.S. economy

Five years after regulators and the U.S. Treasury determined that it was too systematically risky to permit Citibank and Bank of America to fail, banking experts are asking whether “too big to fail” is still a threat to the U.S. economy. This issue and proposed solutions will be the topic of a debate among banking experts at Penn State Law at 10:00 a.m. on April 11, 2014. The public is welcome and CLE credits are available. “Too Big to Fail” will be in the Greg Sutliff Auditorium of University Park’s Lewis Katz Building and simulcast to Room 106 of Lewis Katz Hall at the Carlisle Campus.

Participants at this event can expect to gain perspective from both sides of the issue, learn about the historical threat behind “too big to fail,” the changes made by the Dodd-Frank Act, pending Senate legislation such as proposals by Warren-McCain and Brown-Vitter, along with other possible solutions, concerns, and potential threats surrounding the issue.

“Attendees will hear from experts who are actively involved in shaping the opinions of Congress, the bank regulators, and the public on what may be the most important issue affecting the structure of the financial system over the next few years,” said Kathleen Collins, an adjunct professor of law at Penn State who is organizing the event.

Speakers and panelists include:

• Wayne Abernathy, Executive Director of Financial Institutions Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the American Bankers Association, and former Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions under President George W. Bush
• Harvey Rosenblum, financial economics professor at SMU’s Cox School of Business and former Executive Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
• Barbara Rehm, former Editor-at-Large of the American Banker and Special Advisor at Promontory Financial Group, who will moderate the panel discussion
• Kathleen Collins, senior counsel in Morgan Lewis’s Investment Management Practice and a Penn State Law adjunct professor will provide a historic overview of “Too Big to Fail”

CLE Credit for Lawyers

The Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board has approved this program for 2.0 hours of substantive law, practice, and procedure credit and 0.0 hours of ethics, substance abuse, and professionalism credit. Attorneys seeking credit in states other than Pennsylvania will be provided with a uniform certificate of attendance to self-report. These will be mailed to attendees following the program.

Registration

Cost for CLE credit is $59 for non-alumni attorneys and $39 for Penn State and Dickinson School of Law alumni. It is free to those not seeking CLE credit.

Register now