Lee Reiners – The FinReg Blog

Comments to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on the proposed creation of a carbon markets subcommittee of the Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee

Posted on September 23, 2021September 23, 2021 by John Kostyack, Lee Reiners and Dr. Steve Suppan

The following is an edited comment letter that was submitted to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC, or Commission) on September 22nd for the invitation to comment on the proposal by the Commercial Energy Working Group to form an EEMAC carbon markets subcommittee.[1] The proposed stakeholder group would produce a report on principles for designing the derivatives […]

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: How Can an SEC Climate Risk Disclosure Rule Survive Cost-Benefit Analysis?

Posted on August 9, 2021August 9, 2021 by Lee Reiners and Mario Olczykowski

In a recent post, we summarized comments submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) regarding the request for public input on climate change disclosures (RFPI) released by then Acting Chair, Allison Herren Lee on March 15, 2021. With the Commission set to release a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on climate disclosure by […]

Summary of Comment Letters for the SEC’s Climate Risk Disclosure RFI

Posted on July 9, 2021July 9, 2021 by Lee Reiners and Mario Olczykowski

Recognizing that “investor demand for, and company disclosure of information about, climate change risks, impacts, and opportunities has grown dramatically,” former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) Acting Chair Allison Herren Lee released 15 questions for consideration on March 15, 2021 “with an eye toward facilitating the disclosure of consistent, comparable, and reliable information […]

SEC Climate Risk Disclosure Comment Letter: Executive Summary

Posted on June 22, 2021June 22, 2021 by Lee Reiners

Climate change poses serious risks to almost every aspect of the economy, and its impacts will have long-term disruptive effects on financial markets around the world. Currently, these risks are not adequately addressed by financial regulators in the United States. As a result, climate-related information is not accurately incorporated into financial markets, leaving firms, investors, […]

A Trip Down Crypto’s Memory Lane

Posted on June 11, 2021August 2, 2021 by Lee Reiners

Last month, I published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that argued for a ban on cryptocurrency in order to combat the ransomware plague that is devastating our economy and businesses across the country. My premise is simple. Cryptocurrency has been around for over a decade; that is more than enough time for us to take […]

Duke Eviction Prevention Working Group Follow-up Letter to North Carolina Leaders

Posted on May 12, 2021May 12, 2021 by Lee Reiners, Bill Rowe, Steve Powel, Rick Glazier, Adam Abram, Mark Goldhaber, Jesse McCoy II, Kelly Marks, Jennings Snider and Joseph A. Smith, Jr.

The following is a copy of a letter was recently sent to North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper; North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore, Phil Berger; and North Carolina House Speaker, Tim Moore. This letter is written to you on behalf of the Eviction Prevention Working Group. The Working Group was formed under the sponsorship of the […]

Restoring Order in Crypto’s Wild West

Posted on April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 by Lee Reiners

Last week marked another milestone in the evolution of cryptocurrency. Visa announced they would let USD Coin, a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, settle on its payment network, and PayPal launched “Checkout with Crypto,” a service that allows customers to pay with cryptocurrency at checkout. These moves represent the latest brick to be removed […]

Duke Eviction Prevention Working Group Letter to North Carolina Leaders

Posted on February 25, 2021February 25, 2021 by Joseph Smith, Lee Reiners, Jesse McCoy II, Mark Goldhaber, Anthony Scott, Jennings Snider, Rick Glazier, Bill Rowe and Steve Powel

The following is a copy of a letter was recently sent to North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper; North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore, Phil Berger; and North Carolina House Speaker, Tim Moore. This letter is written to you on behalf of the Eviction Prevention Working Group. The Working Group was formed under the sponsorship of […]

Beware of the Bitcoin Balance Sheet

Posted on February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 by Lee Reiners

Tesla made news earlier this month when the release of their 2020 annual report revealed the firm had purchased $1.5 billion in bitcoin and would begin accepting bitcoin as a form of payment for their “products in the near future.” Following this revelation, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk tweeted: “Having some Bitcoin, which is simply a […]

From Laggard to Leader: Updating the Securities Regulatory Framework to Better Meet the Needs of Investors and Society

Posted on February 23, 2021February 23, 2021 by Lee Reiners and Tyler Gellasch

The following is the executive summary of a just released report from the Global Financial Markets Center titled: “From Laggard to Leader: Updating the Securities Regulatory Framework to Better Meet the Needs of Investors and Society.” The full report can be accessed here. Climate change, systemic racism, and unprecedented income and wealth inequality pose direct […]