Dodd-Frank Essentials

The U.S. Congress passed Dodd-Frank in response to the 2008 financial crisis, and President Obama signed it into law in July 2010. Dodd-Frank represents the most significant regulatory reform with respect to the financial sector since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Spanning over 14,000 pages, the legislation is complex and introduces over 200 new rules and numerous amendments to existing legislation, such as the Commodity Exchange Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, making Dodd-Frank Certification training crucial to a successful culture of compliance.

The overarching purpose of Dodd-Frank is to address risks that could lead to the instability of the U.S. financial system. Its key objectives are to:

• Promote financial stability
• End "too big to fail"
• Protect consumers from abusive financial services practices and products.

It is important that employees partake in Dodd-Frank compliance and recognize the far-reaching implications of Dodd-Frank for the financial services industry in the U.S. and beyond. Financial institutions have begun to undergo vast organizational changes in order to remain compliant with the new regulatory requirements, such as disposing of non-compliant trading functions, overhauling compliance functions, and reviewing disclosure practices.

The topics covered in the course include:

• Background on Dodd-Frank
• Overview of Titles I to XVI
• New regulations and agencies
• Ending too big to fail
• Capital adequacy
• Consumer protection
• Credit rating agencies
• Investment advisers
• The Volcker Rule
• Regulation of over-the-counter derivatives
• Executive compensation
• Implementation challenges
• Looking ahead