The StrategyDriven family would like to thank you, our listeners, for recognizing our StrategyDriven podcasts as some of the best business podcasts on the internet according to Podcast Alley! In October, the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Podcast was ranked second among the over 2,950 business podcasts listed on Podcast Alley and the StrategyDriven Podcast fourth among all business podcasts.
The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. With your support, our community of listeners and readers has grown tremendously in the past several months. Please help us continue to grow by recommending the StrategyDriven Podcast to family, friends, and colleagues who you believe will benefit from listening.
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The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act represents the most sweeping change in the regulation of the U.S. financial industry in over half a century. Contained with the act are 243 new rules that will be developed by 11 different government agencies1; fundamentally reshaping how business is done at financial and non-financial institutions. But do these regulations treat businesses fairly and equitably or do they establish an unfair environment that favors a select few?
StrategyDriven believes the answer to this question is the latter. Not only does the Dodd-Frank Act create an unfair advantage for some businesses, the advantages provided favor those companies responsible for the meltdown of the U.S. financial system.
The financial reform act directs absolute rather than scaled coverage in its implementation. Subsequently, small institutions will be subjected to the same regulatory rules as larger ones and those ‘too big to fail’ institutions responsible for our financial marketplace challenges. While the various audits and forms will inevitably have fewer $000s, the cost to perform these reviews and compile and submit these documents will be roughly the same. For small financial institutions, the high cost of compliance will be passed on to a relatively smaller customer base causing a disproportionally high increase their customers’ fees which will in-turn drive these individuals to the ‘too big to fail’ institutions… the very same institutions whose poor performance necessitated the legislation in the first place.
“Small banks, forced to use their limited resources to comply with burdensome new reporting requirements, will suffer, as will the communities they serve.”2
Bob Corker
United States Senator – Tennessee (R)
StrategyDriven Recommended Practices
StrategyDriven believes the Dodd-Frank Act unduly penalizes small financial institutions not responsible for the financial meltdown of 2008. The full scope of the marketplace imbalance created will take years to be understood as the final details of the many new regulations will not be defined anytime soon. Thus, company leaders must remain vigilant in order to mitigate, transfer, or eliminate the evolving financial industry risks and costs facing their organizations. In this specific case, StrategyDriven suggests company leaders consider the following:
Follow the FDIC’s rule making process and understand how these new regulations are impacting financial institution partners; focusing on the changing costs of doing business with these organizations particularly if they are relatively small.
Consider whether the relatively higher cost associated with doing business with smaller banks is warranted given other beneficial factors such as community good will.
Provide financial advisory programs to employees; ensuring they are apprised of the costs and benefits of maintaining a relationship with both small and large financial institutions.
As always, we’ll provide our thoughts on how business leaders can best prepare for the implementation of the financial reform law and weather the storm in the long-term. We also hope you’ll share your thoughts, lessons learned, and recommended resources with us and the StrategyDriven audience.
Final Request…
The strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us and sharing your perspectives regarding the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Sharing your thoughts improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast!
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From the outset of the financial collapse of 2008, it was apparent that the troubles of large financial institutions such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, and AIG could and did profoundly impact all aspects of the American financial system. Given their sheer size, such firms represent a ‘systemic risk’ to the whole economy and were subsequently labeled as ‘too big to fail;’ suggesting not that these firms couldn’t fail but that they should not be allowed to fail because of the risk posed to the U.S. economy.
The ‘too big to fail’ philosophy found a home in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This act provides the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) with the power to seize and break up ‘too big to fail’ companies if it believes they are headed toward financial collapse.1 The FDIC’s authority covers non-financial corporations with at least $50 billion in assets as well as financial institutions. While this may sound like a reasonable solution to the ‘too big to fail’ problem, it only serves to make matters worse.
“One of the highest priorities is identifying the universe of non-bank financial companies that – because of their leverage; off-balance sheet exposures; nature, scope, size, scale, concentration, interconnectedness, and mix of activities; or other factors identified in the Dodd-Frank Act – should be subject to enhanced prudential supervision by the FRB.”2
Sheila C. Bair
Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
on Systemically Important Institutions and the Issue of “Too Big to Fail” before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
September 2, 2010
The ‘too big to fail’ provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will not prevent companies systemically linked to the health of the U.S. economy from collapsing and in several ways promotes conditions that will exacerbate the next financial downturn. Consider:
the Dodd-Frank Act does nothing to prevent companies from failing, it only prescribes a method for dealing with them once failure becomes eminent
it places Washington bureaucrats in charge of dispositioning troubled companies; the same individuals who are often unable to balance the U.S. government’s budget, can’t tell citizens and businesses what the tax rates for 2011 will be three months in advance, and have compliance issues with respect to paying their personal income taxes
by directing the dismantlement of large companies, fewer such large companies within the given sector will remain effectively increasing the impact their future collapse will have on the nation’s economy should such a collapse occur
by providing a government supported collapse mechanism the financial risk associated with large companies is reduced which in turn will help them secure lower interest rates on borrowed funds and encourage further risk taking3
While the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act seeks to minimize the impact of the collapse of a ‘too big to fail’ company on the U.S. economy, it’s mechanism of corporate dismantlement and risk removal leaves the door open to even more impactful collapses in the future. As such, the solution provided addresses only half the issue. What the act missed is the prevention of a systemically linked company’s collapse to being with or, dare we suggest, the elimination of ‘too big to fail’ companies all together in a non-crisis setting.
StrategyDriven Recommended Practices
The significant marketplace uncertainty created by the Dodd-Frank Act will not likely be resolved soon; necessitating that company leaders act to mitigate, transfer, or eliminate these risks facing their organizations. In this specific case, StrategyDriven suggests company leaders consider the following:
Follow the FDIC’s ‘too big to fail’ rule making process and understand how these new regulations will impact the operations of your firm’s ‘too big to fail’ partners, suppliers, and customers.
Evaluate the financial position of those ‘too big to fail’ companies providing resources or services to your organization and the impact of an FDIC takeover on continued operations; implementing compensatory measures as appropriate
Assess the financial position of those ‘too big to fail’ companies that are your clients and the potential impact an FDIC takeover would have on the demand for your products and/or services; implementing compensatory measures as appropriate
Analyze your company’s overall supplier and customer portfolio and ensure the risks associated with ‘too big to fail’ companies previously identified are mitigated to an appropriate extent through the use of portfolio balancing
Final Thought…
The somewhat ill-conceived ‘too big to fail’ provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act serve as a lesson in problem resolution. As noted earlier, the Dodd-Frank Act does nothing to mitigate, transfer, or alleviate the problem of ‘too big to fail’ companies actually succumbing to financial collapse thereby doing nothing to prevent the initiating event of the Financial Crisis of 2008. Additionally, provisions of the act create circumstances that may make it more likely for a financial collapse to occur in the future, one with even greater impact. Remember that to effectively resolve any issue it is important to first define the problem and its causes and then to define and select a solution set that fully addresses the defined problem and its causes. Additional information on sound decision-making practices can be found in StrategyDriven’s Decision-Making topic area.
In an upcoming edition of the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective, we’ll look at the potential impacts of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that could present a proportionately larger burden on small companies.
As always, we’ll provide our thoughts on how business leaders can best prepare for the implementation of the financial reform law and weather the storm in the long-term. We also hope you’ll share your thoughts, lessons learned, and recommended resources with us and the StrategyDriven audience.
Final Request…
The strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us and sharing your perspectives regarding the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Sharing your thoughts improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast!
Sources
“FDIC puts breaks on ‘too big to fail’ reforms,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2010
“Statement of Sheila C. Bair, Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Systemically Important Institutions and the Issue of “Too Big to Fail” before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission,” Sheila C. Bair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, September 2, 2010 (http://fdic.gov/news/news/speeches/chairman/spsep0210.html)
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StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcasts examine the unnecessary marketplace uncertainty created by today’s headline events and the actions business leaders should take to ensure their organizations succeed under these circumstances.
the significant issues America’s oil addiction brings with it
actions that should be taken to end America’s addiction to foreign oil from a national perspective
actions business leaders should take that will serve to both end America’s oil addiction and help improve their organization’s bottom line
specific business sectors and offerings representing business opportunities that leaders should consider pursuing in light of America’s effort to reduce its oil consumption
Information related to America’s oil addition as discussed during our conversation are available from the following sources:
“The term Peak Oil refers to the maximum rate of the production of oil in any area under consideration, recognizing that it is a finite natural resource, subject to depletion.”
Colin Campbell, PhD
Founder and Honorary Chairman
Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas
Energy Sources and Consumption
Annual Energy Outlook, 2010 by the U.S. Energy Information Agency (released May 11, 2010)
An impressive representation of the peak oil concept has been captured by The Oil Age Poster.
About the Author
Lewis Reynolds is author of America the Prisoner: The Implications of Foreign Oil Addiction and a Realistic Plan to End It. Lewis has spent years as a financial advisor and consultant to a wide range of companies, particularly in the energy industry. His billions of dollars worth of transaction and advisory experience, background in economics, and passionate desire to help renew America’s promise provide unique perspective on our energy dilemma. Working with pioneer energy companies, he has gained inside knowledge of the technologies that can change our world. To read Lewis’s full biography, click here.
StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcasts examine the unnecessary marketplace uncertainty created by today’s headline events and the actions business leaders should take to ensure their organizations succeed under these circumstances.
the fundamental issues with our current healthcare system and whether the recently passed healthcare reforms will adequately address these challenges
how reengineering can lead to more efficient, safer delivery of healthcare services
the role business leaders should play in reengineering the healthcare system
methods leaders can use to promote wellness within their workforce
Final Request…
The strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us and sharing your perspectives regarding the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Sharing your thoughts improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast!
A VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS | Call or text now for a FREE consultation: +1 (770) 765-3692 | 
The StrategyDriven family would like to thank you, our listeners, for recognizing our StrategyDriven podcasts as some of the best business podcasts on the internet according to Podcast Alley! In October, the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective Podcast was ranked second among the over 2,950 business podcasts listed on Podcast Alley and the StrategyDriven Podcast fourth among all business podcasts.
Additionally, please consider voting for us monthly on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our monthly ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, grows our community.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act represents the most sweeping change in the regulation of the U.S. financial industry in over half a century. Contained with the act are 243 new rules that will be developed by 11 different government agencies1; fundamentally reshaping how business is done at financial and non-financial institutions. But do these regulations treat businesses fairly and equitably or do they establish an unfair environment that favors a select few?
StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcasts examine the unnecessary marketplace uncertainty created by today’s headline events and the actions business leaders should take to ensure their organizations succeed under these circumstances.
. Lewis shares his thoughts on America’s seemingly endless need for foreign oil and the actions business leaders should take to strengthen their organizations while helping to end our addiction, including:
. Jim shares his thoughts on the recently enacted healthcare law and what business leaders can do to help promote better health and wellness among their workforce, including:
Jim Champy, author of 
, sold more than 3 million copies and spent more than a year on The New York Times best seller list. He also authored the best seller, 
, which was recognized by Business Week as one of the top ten best business books of 1995. His columns and articles appear in such magazines a Forbes, ComputerWorld, Sales and Marketing Management, Leader to Leader, and Baseline. To read Jim’s full biography, 
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