BankThink

Holiday Notice: The Morning Scan will publish next on Monday, Jan. 6. Happy new year and best wishes. Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Volcker Rage Continued: The slow-motion car wreck that is the Volcker Rule took its latest gory spin Thursday when regulators sought to assuage banker rage over its uncertain treatment of trust preferred securities, or Trups. The securities Â-- which are issued mainly by banks and insurers and have debt and equity characteristics Â-- became a...

In her final column for American Banker , Editor-at-Large Barbara Rehm says there is no denying the system is safer than it was in 2007, and while further changes may be needed, it makes sense to Â"take a breather.Â"

Receiving Wide Coverage ... The Taper: The Federal Reserve announced it will begin cutting back on bond purchases next month, sooner than many economists expected. While this is generally viewed as a vote of confidence in the economy by departing Chairman Ben Bernanke, the central bank cautioned it would keep short-term rates near zero until "well past" when unemployment falls below 6.5% (it was 7% last month). The decision to "taper" asset purchases is one lessÂ...

If compliance burden sends traders packing for Russia, Brazil or Mexico, the U.S. would lose not only investment capital but also the ability to monitor algorithmic trading for manipulative practices.

Receiving Wide Coverage ... JPM Lawsuits, Etc.: JPMorgan Chase sued the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Tuesday for over $1 billion, alleging that the regulator did not honor its obligation to cover legal claims against Washington Mutual. JPM, of course, acquired WaMu in a hastily drawn-up deal at the height of the financial crisis. (We're saying "hastily drawn-up" here, since the agreement apparently lacks specifics over who exactly is liable for what.) JPM is not seekingÂ...