The OCC and Boston University Announce Symposium Commemorating 150 Years of National Banking

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Boston University Center for Finance, Law & Policy will host a symposium in Boston March 31 to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the founding of the OCC and the national banking system.

“With the financial crisis still fresh in our memory, the 150^th anniversary of President Lincoln’s National Bank Act is an opportune time to bring together some of the industry’s most thoughtful leaders to reflect on the industry’s past and to consider its future,” said Comptroller of the Currency Thomas J. Curry.

Comptroller Curry will deliver the keynote address, and other speakers will discuss the current state of domestic and international banking in the context of recent and historical events.  Featured will be public and private sector leaders who are shaping the course of the financial services industry including:

• Sheila Bair, former Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC);
• Sharon Bowles, Chair of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament;
• Christopher Dodd, former U.S. Senator and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs;
• Camden Fine, President of the Independent Community Bankers of America;
• Barney Frank, former U.S. Congressman and Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee;
• Thomas Hoenig, Vice Chairman of the FDIC;
• Professor Cornelius Hurley, Director of the Boston University Center for Finance, Law & Policy;
• Raymond Natter, Partner in Washington Law Firm Barnett, Sivon & Natter, P.C. and former Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency;
• Timothy Pawlenty, former Minnesota Governor and President of The Financial Services Roundtable;
• John Reed, former Chairman of Citicorp; and
• Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

“Boston University and its Center for Finance, Law & Policy are honored to join the Comptroller of the Currency in marking this significant milestone in our nation’s history,” said Mr. Hurley.

Specific topics will include a discussion of the state of the dual banking system, preemption in the wake of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, a view on banking from Europe, a discussion of the Volcker Rule by Mr. Volcker, a discussion on banking reform with Senator Dodd and Congressman Frank, the future of universal banking, a dialogue on Too Big to Fail, the future of banking in light of globalization and emerging alternatives to traditional banks.

The symposium will be held at the Hynes Convention Center, Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Breakfast and registration will begin at 7 a.m. and the symposium will run through 5 p.m. Details about the symposium and how to register are available online at http://www.bu.edu/bucflp/initiatives/building-on-150-years-the-future-of-national-banking/.

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