Bankruptcy Blogs

The False Promise of Narrow Banking

11/18/13

Seeking to narrow the range of activities in which well-capitalized and well-managed bank holding companies can engage is a mistaken endeavor. Prohibiting activities will lessen competition, increase risk and raise costs for customers.

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Five Reasons Washington Should Leave Bitcoin Alone

11/18/13

As a fast, low-cost payment system, Bitcoin provides healthy competition for legacy banks. It's also a bulwark for financial privacy and freedom of speech.

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Securitization, Foreclosure, and the Uncertainty of Mortgage Title

11/18/13

I've got a new article out in the Duke Law Journal entitled The Paper Chase:  Securitization, Foreclosure, and the Uncertainty of Mortgage Title.  The article is about the confusion securitization has caused in foreclosure cases because of the shift in legal methods for mortgage transfer and title that accompanied securitization. 

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The Bitcoin Delusion

11/18/13

The same thing that doomed communism will likely undermine Bitcoin: the fantasy that a protocol, a procedure, a network, an algorithm can neutralize the ugly selfish traits of human beings.

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Banks Squander Opportunity in Bitcoin

11/18/13

With their regulatory status, refined customer identity procedures and global infrastructure, banks could offer bitcoin exchange services and lead the modernization of financial services. Instead, they’re freezing Bitcoin entrepreneurs’ accounts.

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The Daily Docket: LightSquared Sues Dish and Ergen

11/18/13

LightSquared on Friday sued Dish Network Corp. and Chairman Charlie Ergen, saying Mr. Ergen illegally purchased LightSquared debt before Dish bid on the company’s assets. Read the Daily Bankruptcy Review story in The Wall Street Journal.

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The Daily Docket: LightSquared Sues Dish and Ergen

11/18/13

LightSquared on Friday sued Dish Network Corp. and Chairman Charlie Ergen, saying Mr. Ergen illegally purchased LightSquared debt before Dish bid on the company’s assets. Read the Daily Bankruptcy Review story in The Wall Street Journal.

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All I Want for Christmas is a Copy of the Volcker Rule

11/18/13

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Holiday Reading: The long-simmering battle between five federal agencies over the Volcker Rule appears to be in its final stage. The current draft is around 1,000 pages, and it's expected to be finalized before the end of the year. The basic dynamics here — with the Fed and the SEC pushing for looser restrictions, while the CFTC seeks tighter rules — are old news. But the New York Times has a detailed...

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Voice--the credit card, not the TV show

11/18/13

For years, "product innovation" in financial services made consumer advocates squirm. This was the cover term for the 2/28 teaser ARM, automatic and costly overdraft protection, and direct deposit "payday" style loans. It was a great term because it's hard to be anti-innovation, especially in a world where every day a new app or technology proves useful. A new credit card, called "Voice" from Huntington Bank, is innovating in the credit card space.

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