除了美國要進行金融改革，一連串的法案正在國會裡審議，像上一周通過FED可以管制轉帳卡(debt card)的手續費，就是一例。那天 Visa 與 MasterCard 的股價都跌了 5% 左右。
上周英國新政府宣布內閣由 Vince Cable 擔任商業部長(商務大臣)，也宣示了對金融機構的規範，參與負責銀行監管改革的新設委員會。在聯合政府所發出的文件上列出了下列方向：
1. 對銀行業徵稅。
2. 對高額分紅採取具體強而有力的行動。
3. 培植mutual sector (可能是指 mutual fund 共同基金)，加強銀行競爭力。
4. 幫助小企業獲得融資。
New government promises crackdown on banks as Vince Cable is named as business secretary
• Pledge to investigate breaking up biggest banks
• Clampdown on "unacceptable bonuses"
• Small businesses welcome appointment
Vince Cable
Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman Vince Cable may be heavily involved in banking sector reform in the new Conservative-Lib Dem coalition. Photograph: Kevin Coombs/Reuters
The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government today pledged to look at ways of breaking up the banks, imposing a punitive levy on their businesses and clamping down on "unacceptable bonuses".
Anxiety about how such plans would be implemented loomed over the UK banking sector today after Vince Cable was named business secretary.
Cable, the former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, is also believed to have been handed responsibility for banks. This means that the MP who launched some of the most outspoken attacks on the greed and excesses in the City is now being unleashed on the financial services industry.
The coalition government appears to have backed down on the Conservative plans to disband the Financial Services Authority but intends to hand more powers to the Bank of England for "control of macro-prudential regulation and oversight of micro-prudential regulation".
A crackdown on City bonuses, which have remained largely intact since the financial crisis, is now promised, while an independent commission will be formed to consider ways of breaking off the "casino" investment banking arms of banks from their high-street banking operations. Cable will have a seat on the commission but it will be chaired by the chancellor, George Osborne.
Such a move would hinder the big universal banks such as Barclays, HSBC and state-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland the most as they all have large investment banking businesses; they can be expected to fight hard against any moves to break them up. The commission will have one year to report its findings.
Among the items included under banking reform in the document published by the new coalition government today are:
• a banking levy (no further detail supplied).
• "Robust action to tackle unacceptable bonuses" (no further detail supplied).
• Fostering the mutual sector and prompting competition among the banks.
• Getting a flow of credit to the small business sector and a major loan guarantee scheme.
The banks will fight attempts to break them up, arguing that many of those firms that failed during the financial crisis – notably Northern Rock and Lehman Brothers – did not have combined investment banking and retail banking businesses; Northern Rock was a pure mortgage lender while Lehman was a pure investment bank.
Forcing banks to lend more may also cause concern in the City about an explosion in bad debts if loans were granted to households and businesses which might not ordinarily be deemed creditworthy. But this commitment also makes Cable popular with business leaders, who welcomed his appointment.
David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "His relentless focus on making sure that the banks lend to viable, creditworthy businesses will be a critical part of his new position. However, with reform of the banking system on its way, he must ensure that these reforms do not lead to an upheaval for businesses."
By promising to create more competition in the industry, the government is preparing to hit Lloyds Banking Group, which now looms large over the high street as a result of the rescue takeover of HBOS in September 2008. While the EU is forcing Lloyds, in the which the taxpayer has a 41% stake, to sell off 600 branches and RBS to dispose of more than 300, the new government may well want to take further action to inject competition into the sector.
Bank shares have already endured volatility caused by concerns that the bailout of Greece could spread across the eurozone and even hit the UK, which has a budget deficit as a proportion of GDP second only to Greece.
Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland were down by nearly 3% this afternoon making it the biggest faller on the FTSE 100. Lloyds Banking Group fell slightly, while HSBC and Barclays rose.
The wider stock market gave a cautious welcome to David Cameron's new government, with the FTSE up 53 points at 5387 this afternoon.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/12/banks-fear-shakeup-conservative-lib-dem
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