Ex-CFTC chief Gensler advising Biden on financial regulators

Ex-CFTC chief Gensler advising Biden on financial regulators
Gensler gained a reputation for standing up to Wall Street during the Obama administration
NOV 11, 2020

Former Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman Gary Gensler and former KeyBank executive Don Graves have been tapped to examine financial regulators as part of Joe Biden’s presidential transition, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Gensler’s presence is likely to please progressive Democrats, as he gained a reputation for standing up to Wall Street during the Obama administration. He also implemented a new regulatory regime for swaps -- products that played a key role in the 2008 financial crisis.

Gensler is a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner, giving him insight into how the industry works and how it tries to dodge oversight.

Gensler is close to Biden transition co-chair Ted Kaufman, as the two worked together to push for tougher Wall Street rules during Kaufman’s two years as a Delaware senator, and to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Gensler didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

Graves, who served as executive vice president and head of corporate responsibility and community relations at KeyBank until a couple of months ago, is a longtime Biden adviser. His involvement in reviewing bank regulators might give comfort to banks that moderates will win posts in a Biden administration.

It’s a routine aspect of presidential transitions that teams of volunteers examine the swaths of agencies that populate the federal government. Often, those involved in such reviews end up making recommendations on who should be nominated to run regulators.

Latest News

Inflation, healthcare costs drive retiree financial stress, Cerulli research shows
Inflation, healthcare costs drive retiree financial stress, Cerulli research shows

Retirees without an updated plan report nearly 70% moderate-to-high stress – and advisors have room to close the gap.

August is Make-A-Will Month: Are your clients as covered as they think?
August is Make-A-Will Month: Are your clients as covered as they think?

With one estimate pointing to just a quarter of American adults having a will in place, advisors have an opportunity to audit their books for painful probate court processes just waiting to happen.

Advisor moves: LPL, Raymond James land advisors with $590M in combined assets
Advisor moves: LPL, Raymond James land advisors with $590M in combined assets

Advisors previously with UBS, Edward Jones head for new firms.

Retirement: 401(k) balances rebound as participant engagement holds firm
Retirement: 401(k) balances rebound as participant engagement holds firm

Principal Financial Group’s Teresa Hassara shares data showing account balances rising and Roth adoption accelerating.

Independent contractor formerly associated with MML Investors Services charged with running Ponzi
Independent contractor formerly associated with MML Investors Services charged with running Ponzi

Trevor Uhls was charged with wire fraud and money laundering in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income