I’m sitting in the Grand Ballroom at the JW Marriot (filled to capacity) and listening to Tucker Carlson give his thoughts on likely GOP challengers to the President. I’ve seen him before – he did a great bit with Paul Begala a few years ago at the MBA in San Diego; very likable and very, very funny (told a great story about receiving a call from Donald Trump that I don’t think I can reprint here). His early pick for the Republican nominee is New Jersey’s Chris Christie.
Last night Dechert welcomed over a hundred clients to DC Coast for dinner and cocktails – the room was filled with participants from every corner of the industry. The general atmosphere of the event was certainly more optimistic than in previous years – there’s a definite sense that the industry is getting back to work.
Today’s events rounded out with a forum on Financial Reform and Legislative Proposals (Rick was among the panelists) and a brief speech from Senator Chuck Schumer. These programs were well attended – the Government’s regulatory framework – Dodd Frank, GSE reform, covered bond legislation – were the central topics of interest this year. The clear takeaway from this session is that we are no closer to a cogent regulatory scheme than we were last year (and may be further away given the recent power shift in Congress).
By: Matt Clark.
