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5 Years of Wall Street Reform, By the Numbers:

Summary: 
Five years ago today, President Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law.

Five years ago today, President Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law. (It's commonly called "Dodd-Frank," or simply "Wall Street Reform," and you can read more about what it's doing here.)

Here are a couple numbers that help show exactly what the law has done these past years.


$11 billion

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—the new cop on the beat created by Wall Street Reform—has provided nearly $11 billion in relief for over 26 million consumers harmed by financial institutions—including a new action announced today.


$141 billion

In all, $141 billion has been paid by 14 of the biggest banks for mortgage-related violations in the lead-up to the crisis, including $50 billion in gross consumer relief to distressed homeowners through the National Mortgage Servicing Settlement.


>$600 billion

Banks have added more than $600 billion of additional capital, which is money they can lend and which increases resiliency. At the same time, banks have reduced their leverage, making them more stable and less reliant on borrowed money.

 


1/2

Banks have cut their reliance on unstable funding in half, replacing it with more stable sources. The largest, most complex banks have reduced their short-term, wholesale funding from 35 percent to 17 percent of their balance sheet.


12

To guard against hidden risks, Wall Street Reform created the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), whose membership includes the heads of the financial regulatory agencies. FSOC has designated 12 institutions for heightened supervision, including 8 financial market utilities and 4 nonbank financial companies; proposed recommendations on structural reforms to money market mutual funds; convened more than 50 times; and published five annual reports highlighting potential emerging threats and making recommendations.


30%

Bank lending to businesses is up 30 percent.


5.3%

Unemployment is down to 5.3% from a high of 10 percent, its lowest level in 7 years.


12.8 million

Businesses have created 12.8 million jobs over 64 consecutive months of private-sector job growth, the longest streak on record.