Obama Picks First Woman to Lead SEC

(NEWSER) - The heat is apparently getting to Tim Geithner. At a meeting last week with high-level financial regulators, the treasury secretary indulged in a potty-mouthed diatribe about delays in the administration's highly touted plan to overhaul the regulatory system, declaring, "enough is enough," the Wall Street Journal reports. Attendees included Ben Bernanke, FDIC chair Sheila Bair, and SEC chair Mary Schapiro. More»

Obama nominee wants better cooperation among agencies in nabbing next Madoff

(NEWSER) - Mary Schapiro, Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, told senators today she would make enforcement a top priority, CNN reports. Her confirmation hearing was also peppered with questions about how Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme slipped past regulators; Schapiro currently heads an industry watchdog group. “I am under no illusion that this will be an easy job,” she said. More»

Confirmation hearing today for Schapiro

(NEWSER) - As Mary Schapiro, Barack Obama's nominee to lead the SEC, heads to Capitol Hill to face Senate confirmation hearings today, questions linger about her light touch with big Wall Street firms. A seasoned regulator, Schapiro nevertheless spent much of last year cracking down on small brokerages and minor players, reports the Wall Street Journal, even as the mortgage storm howled and Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme went undetected. More»

Schapiro brings a wealth of experience to her new position

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama named Mary Schapiro as chair of the beleaguered SEC today, the Wall Street Journal reports. Schapiro's hefty resume includes stints as an SEC commissioner under former presidents Reagan and Bush, and another as acting commissioner in 1993 by Bill Clinton. Since then, Schapiro served on and eventually headed the National Association of Securities Dealers. More»

Eight employees got disciplined, however

(NEWSER) - SEC staffers managed to miss Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme for more than a decade despite numerous warnings, but that is apparently not a fireable offense. The agency disciplined eight employees involved in the case, with the most severe punishment being a 30-day suspension coupled with a demotion, reports the Washington Post . The others got a range of lesser penalties, including pay cuts and, in one case, only a "counseling memo." More»