Did the Bank Bailout Do Enough for the Country?

New York Times
Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Panelists offer perspectives on the legacy of the bank bailout. Lee Sachs, former counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury, argues that the bailout was a success; higher capital requirements and new regulations have led to a substantially safer financial system. Other panelists critique that view, arguing that Treasury missed an opportunity to force the big banks to downsize to smaller, safer institutions. Several panelists argue that the bailout failed altogether in its primary mission of preventing another financial crisis by focusing too narrowly on banks while failing to reform mortgage refinancing or the mechanisms that spread financial contagion.