Financial Reform

Greed and recklessness on Wall Street caused a global financial crisis and recession, putting millions out of their jobs and homes. It’s time to hold the banks and financial corporations accountable. Public Citizen is fighting for strict new safeguards to protect consumers, investors, and workers.

 

What's New

May 17, 2012 - Report: The Repo Ruse
May 15, 2012 - Blog Post: Don't Get Fooled Again
May 14, 2012 - Report: Forgotten Lessons of Deregulation
May 9, 2012 - Blog Post: Fed Protects Bad Banks


Sign Up

To receive regular updates on our campaigns for Financial Reform. 

 

Recent Reports

May 17, 2012 - The Repo Ruse
May 14, 2012 - Forgotten Lessons of Deregulation
March 27, 2012 - Industry's Messengers
Nov. 11, 2011 - Banking on Failure
More - See All Financial Reform Reports

Explore Public Citizen's Financial Reform Program

Industry's Messengers

Forgotten Lessons


Members of Congress who worked to weaken the Volcker Rule received four times as much campaign money from the financial sector than those working to strengthen it. Read the report.
 
Inadequate regulation of derivatives was a major  factor in the 2008 financial crisis, but many have forgotten these lessons. Nine bills in Congress would erode rules meant to protect us from a repeat disaster. Read the report. 
    

Shareholder Protection

Online Activists Break Record


To protect shareholder interests, the Securities and Exchange Commission should require transparency in corporate political spending. Urge the SEC to act.
  The Volcker Rule has broken the record for the number comments submitted regarding regulations under Dodd-Frank. Most of the comments came from Public Citizen's online activists. Read the blog.
   

Follow Us on Twitter


Please wait while my tweets load

If you can't wait - click here

Public Citizen in the News

Nuclear regulator resigns under pressure - Mother Jones

FDA's $6.4 billion plan for quick reviews moves to the Senate - Bloomberg Businessweek

Don't get fooled again - The Huffington Post

Copyright © 2012 Public Citizen. All rights reserved. This Web site is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation.
  Learn More about the distinction between these two components of Public Citizen.


Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

 

Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen.

Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site.

You may make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., Public Citizen Foundation, or both. Contributions to both organizations are used to support our public interest work. However, each Public Citizen component will use only the funds contributed directly to it to carry out the activities it conducts as part of Public Citizen’s mission. Only gifts to the Foundation are tax-deductible. Individuals who want to join Public Citizen should make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., which will not be tax deductible.

 

To become a member of Public Citizen, click here.
To become a member and make an additional tax-deductible donation to Public Citizen Foundation, click here.