The republican chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Richard Shelby, has thrown his support behind the new chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Christopher Cox. He also criticised former chair William Donaldson for failing to listen to his Republican peers.
Cuban immigrant Al de Molina has done an impressive job as treasurer of Bank of America (BofA). “In a difficult interest rate environment, he adroitly managed the ups and downs, with the treasury business ending up being an important contributor to the bottom line,” says Joe Morford, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.
President George W Bush is expected to focus on economic policies during his second term – inaugurated on January 20 – compared with his first administration, in order to achieve his government’s ambitious Social Security and US tax reform plans. To this end, Mr Bush also needs to fill several top-level, economic policymaking positions.
Welcome to Texas, where global banking heavyweights are racing to cater to the banking needs of the fast-growing Hispanic population. Monica Campbell reports. In Texas, as in other Hispanic US states, such as California, Florida and New York, both foreign and US banks are rushing to cater to a Hispanic market that they merely dabbled in not so long ago. It is easy to see why Hispanics are finally getting attention. The Hispanic population is the fastest-growing minority group in the US, and it is predicted to grow from 14% of the country’s population – 40 million people – to 24% by 2050, according to the US government.
Karina Robinson argues that, in practical terms, the policies of the Democrats differ little from those of the Republicans. At the end of the day, the US pursues the same strategic objectives regardless of who is in the Oval Office and, moreover, is prepared to go it alone.