Better Markets

Federal Reserve Putting Lifelong Wall Street Lawyer-Lobbyist in Charge of Regulating His Former Bank Clients Endangers All Americans | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Dennis Kelleher, President, CEO and Co-founder of Better Markets, issued the following statement in response to reports that the Federal Reserve Board has appointed of a lifelong Wal...

STATEMENT: Appointing Randall Guynn as next Director of the Division of Supervision and Regulation is "like appointing a lifelong arsonist as a fire chief." bettermarkets.org/newsroom/fed...

Better Markets Director of Securities Policy Testifies Before Congress on SEC Accountability | Better Markets On February 4, 2026, Benjamin Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy, testifies before the Capital Markets Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee at a hearing...

TODAY: Ben Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy, testifies before the HFSC Capital Markets Subcommittee at 2pm. Watch here: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/bet...

FSOC Policies Will Harm Economy and the Financial System | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Phillip Basil, Director of Economic Growth and Financial Stability for Better Markets, issued the following statement in connection with Better Markets’ new Fact Sheet entitled “Fina...

Ahead of Thursday's FSOC Annual Report to Congress, read how FSOC ignoring its core mission--promoting a stable financial system and economy--in favor of a Wall Street-friendly deregulation agenda. bettermarkets.org/newsroom/fso...

Millions in bets ride on what Trump will say, do or invade next More than $200 million is staked on political or government actions on Polymarket and Kalshi, raising concerns about insider trading from officials in the know.

Our president & CEO @denniskelleher.bsky.social spoke with @lisabonos.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com about how some prediction markets related to politics and world events could violate the Commodity Exchange Act. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

FDIC Is Allowing Savers to Be Misled About Insurance Coverage | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Phillip Basil, Director of Economic Growth and Financial Stability for Better Markets, issued the following statement in response to the FDIC finalizing a rule implementing industry-...

The FDIC just finalized a rule that will allow banks to potentially mislead hard-working savers about FDIC insurance. This could leave Americans vulnerable to fraud and losses, and erode trust and confidence in the banking system. bettermarkets.org/newsroom/fdi...

SEC’s Vote to Reduce Accounting Firm Watchdog’s Budget Endangers Investors | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Benjamin Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy for Better Markets, issued the following statement in connection with the vote by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to cu...

The PCAOB ensures that accounting firms do what they are supposed to do: prevent public companies from cooking their books. Cutting the resources of the PCAOB is a recipe for accounting scandals that will ultimately harm investors. bettermarkets.org/newsroom/sec...

The Trump Administration’s 2025-2026 Report Card | Better Markets Protecting Consumers from Fraud and Financial Predators The Trump administration is killing the consumer agency that protects hardworking Americans from financial scammers and crooks who rip them off....

After one year in office, the Trump administration deserves a failing grade on its economic and financial policies. Read more in our Report Card: bettermarkets.org/analysis/the...

SEC Anti-Investor Crusade Continues: Weakening CAT Handcuffs the SEC and Lets More Financial Lawbreakers Get Away | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Benjamin Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy for Better Markets, issued the following statement in connection with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of a proposa...

This week, the SEC took steps to weaken the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) which let more financial lawbreakers get away. Read our statement: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/sec...

The Better Markets Rap Sheet Report | Better Markets Chronic Lawlessness in the Banking Industry, the Harm It Inflicts on American Consumers, and the Administration’s Role in Making the Problem Worse Below is the Summary of the Rap Sheet Report. Read th...

The Better Markets Rap Sheet Report: Chronic Lawlessness in the Banking Industry, the Harm It Inflicts on American Consumers, and the Administration’s Role in Making the Problem Worse

Read the report here: bettermarkets.org/analysis/the...

ICYMI: Recent Better Markets Analysis and Headlines Hope your new year is off to a great start!

A lot has happened over the past few weeks. Check out our latest Substack for insights on the dangerous push to end independent agencies, the risks of unregulated prediction markets, a major victory for consumer protection, and more. bettermarkets.substack.com/p/icymi-rece...

Master of Distraction: Trump’s Attack on the Federal Reserve Should Not Divert from His Failed Economic Policies Hurting Main Street Americans | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.—Dennis M. Kelleher, President and CEO for Better Markets, issued the following statement in connection with Trump’s Department of Justice serving the Federal Reserve (Fed) with grand ...

Trump is a master of distraction and his latest attack on the @federalreserve.gov and Chair Powell is more of the same. Read the full statement from @denniskelleher.bsky.social: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/mas...

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Better Markets Month in Review Newsletter | Better Markets Below is the opening of our monthly newsletter. View the full newsletter online here. As we move into 2026, I want to thank you for standing with Better Markets in our 15-year fight for an economy tha...

Read our monthly newsletter to keep up with everything going on Better Markets: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/bet...

A Republican-Only SEC Echo Chamber Without Commissioner Crenshaw Harms Investors and Markets | Better Markets Introduction The United States has the broadest, deepest, most liquid capital markets in the world. That’s not by accident, but by design, including importantly because those markets are well-regulate...

With Caroline Crenshaw’s departure, the SEC loses its only minority-party voice—leaving investors without an advocate as the agency risks becoming an echo chamber for Wall Street.
bettermarkets.org/analysis/a-r...

Prediction market user made $436,000 betting on Maduro capture A prediction market user won big after wagering $32,000 that the U.S. would capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Was it insider trading?

"This isn't a case of light-touch regulation — it's a case of no-touch regulation." @denniskelleher.bsky.social spoke with @cbsnews.com about the CFTC's lack of oversight of prediction markets. www.cbsnews.com/news/polymar...

Did you know? Better Markets celebrated 15 Years of Impact in 2025! We're grateful to everyone who supported us on this journey, and we're heading into 2026 refreshed and ready to continue fighting for an economy that works for everyone. Happy New Year!

Donate | Better Markets Help Better Markets fight for the public interest in our financial markets, protecting Main Street from Wall Street and avoiding another costly financial collapse and economic crisis, by donating.

Veterans, service members, and their families deserve financial security—not predatory practices. In 2024, service members and their families lost $584M to fraud—a 25% increase from the year before. In 2025, Better Markets fought back, and we'll keep fighting. Join us. bettermarkets.org/donate/

Webinar — Affordability & Inflation: What if we’re thinking about this all wrong? | Better Markets On Thursday, October 23, Better Markets hosted an engaging webinar, Affordability & Inflation: What if We’re Thinking About This All Wrong?, featuring Mark Blyth, Brown University political economist…

ICYMI: In October, Mark Blyth, author of Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers, joined us to ask, "Affordability & Inflation: What if we’re thinking about this all wrong?" Watch here: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/bet...

State of Economic & Financial Policymaking Conference | Better Markets The Better Markets Academic Advisory Board (BMAAB) held its first annual conference on September 19th, 2025. The day-long, in-person and virtual conference featured keynote speakers, panels, and…

ICYMI: In September, we gathered leading minds from our Better Markets Academic Advisory Board for our first annual State of Economic and Financial Policymaking conference. Watch here: bettermarkets.org/analysis/sta...

Donate | Better Markets Help Better Markets fight for the public interest in our financial markets, protecting Main Street from Wall Street and avoiding another costly financial collapse and economic crisis, by donating.

An economy that works only for Wall Street is an economy that’s broken. Better Markets is fighting for policies that protect hardworking Americans. Support our work:

bettermarkets.org/donate/

"The OCC has chosen an arbitrary threshold for heightened expectations without justification and despite the evidence from the 2023 bank turmoil that banks far below $700 billion in assets pose a systemic risk,” - Phillip Basil, Dir. Econ Growth and Financial Stability on proposed OCC rule change.

Proposal from FDIC and OCC Would Completely Destroy Bank Supervision | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Phillip Basil, Director of Economic Growth and Financial Stability at Better Markets, issued the following statement in conjunction with a comment letter regarding a proposal from…

A new FDIC/OCC proposal to define “unsafe and unsound practices” for the supervisory process stands to gut bank supervision. bettermarkets.org/newsroom/pro...

Better Markets Supports Maryland in Fight to Protect Citizens from Sports Wagers Masquerading as Legitimate Financial Instruments | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.—Stephen Hall, Legal Director and Securities Specialist, issued the following statement on the filing of an amicus brief in support of the Maryland Gaming Commission as it fights to…

"Congress never intended the derivatives markets to become a safe haven for sports books seeking immunity from state regulation, nor did it intend to preempt or nullify state laws applicable to gaming." - Steve Hall, Legal Director, on new amicus brief supporting Maryland in KalshiEX LLC v. Martin.

The SEC is Now the Shareholder Exploitation Commission | Better Markets Introduction At the beginning of the year, we questioned whether a Trump administration filled with wealthy individuals and Wall Street executives could fulfill its promises to America’s working class...

The SEC has spent the last year demolishing investor protection. Once known as the investor’s advocate, it is now the financial industry’s advocate. Read our new fact sheet: bettermarkets.org/analysis/the...

The OCC’s Proposal to Eliminate Recovery Planning Would Make Large Bank Failure More Likely | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Phillip Basil, Director of Economic Growth and Financial Stability at Better Markets, issued the following statement upon filing of a comment letter to the Office of the Comptroller ...

The OCC's plan to eliminate the recovery planning process ensures all large banks will be unprepared, making failures under stress much more likely. Read more in our comment letter to the OCC: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/the...

Trump Administration’s CFPB Proposal to Gut Fair Lending Must Be Rejected | Better Markets WASHINGTON, D.C.— Amanda Fischer, COO and Policy Director of Better Markets, released the following statement today on the filing of a comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“Bure...

The CFPB's proposal to weaken the Equal Credit Opportunity Act will enable discrimination, harm underserved borrowers, and undermine economic growth. Read our statement: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/tru...

Bessent Accelerates Regulation Overhaul to Jumpstart Growth

"This administration is gutting the FSOC and turning it into a vehicle for recklessly pursuing a deregulatory agenda,” @denniskelleher.bsky.social told @nytimes.com. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/u...

Happy to be here @houseagdems.bsky.social hearing on CFTC Reauthorization. @bettermarkets.bsky.social Ben Schiffrin will testify on the critical importance of the CFTC, and how it's getting captured by special interests like crypto. Be sure to tune in here: www.youtube.com/live/WIr0SSJ...

Better Markets Director of Securities Policy Testifies Before Congress on CFTC Reauthorization | Better Markets On December 11, 2025, Benjamin Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy, testifies before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture in the "CFTC Reauthorization: Stakeholder Perspecti...

Happening now: Benjamin Schiffrin, our Director of Securities Policy, testifies before the House Agriculture Committee on reauthorizing the CFTC. Watch the hearing and learn more about the importance of the CFTC: bettermarkets.org/newsroom/ben...

Meme Coins are Like Penny Stocks. We Must Regulate Them That Way. | Better Markets Introduction In August, Kanye West launched a meme coin—a type of crypto asset inspired by a celebrity or internet trend that is often heavily promoted and hyped. The coin surged almost 1000% in value...

Penny stocks are regulated to protect retail investors against abusive and fraudulent sales practices prevalent in the penny stock market. We need a similar legislative and regulatory response for meme coins. bettermarkets.org/analysis/mem...