Overview of the Course: This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of banking and finance economics and law in the contemporary world. Beginning with a careful analysis of the nature of money, banking, and collateral, the course will address why banks must be highly regulated by looking at “the business of banking” – what banks do to make money, how their assets and liabilities are accounted for, the risks inherent in borrowing and lending funds, and how competing mechanisms for businesses to fund their activities are affecting banking. The course will then explore dramatic changes in the economic and legal environment for banks as a result of the 2008 financial crisis and the continuing Euro crisis, including the Dodd-Frank Act and the Basel III Guidelines. Special attention will be given to the role and risks of derivative transactions. The course will briefly review how risk is identified and allocated, and the roles of developers, banks, host governments, and public international lending institutions such as the World Bank and various regional development banks. FATCA and compliance with sanctions programs will also be covered. The course will be built around US legal developments, but with a focus on those elements that are global in character, taking an analytical, rather than historical, approach and avoiding the complexities of Federal/State relations in US banking regulation.
Course Length: 36 clock hours over approximately 12 weeks.
Casebook: The primary reading will come from Broome & Markham, Cases and Materials on Regulation of Bank Financial Service Activities (Fourth Edition, 2011) (West Publishing Co.), ISBN 978-0-314-26608-8 (“Broome”). Additional materials, such as Federal Reserve Bank reports, bank balance sheets, recent cases, and statutory materials, will be assigned through Internet links. A significant portion of the class time will be used for discussions and group-based learning. This is an integral part of the course and students will be required to participate actively.
Attendance: Students may take a total of 3 absences, recognizing that class participation and attendance is a portion of the grade. If a student is absent for more than 3 classes, the professor may at his discretion, allow the student to make up each absence by preparing a 1,000 word paper on an assigned topic. No student may continue the course after missing more than 6 classes. Students are responsible for providing notification of every absence, including those automatically allowed, in advance if possible.
