"We obviously wanted to question Mr. Lewis about this list and are very disappointed that Bank of America has chosen not to produce it, " Lawsky said in a written statement.

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Whatever course of action the Bank might have chosen entailed considerable risks.

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Because all banks except Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi have now chosen historical cost accounting, however, all will report capital levels greater than the 8% minimum.

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But this was no more than a reminder of the Bank's formal remit, chosen with the governor's audience in mind.

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According to the new report, regulators have conflicting stories about how the nine firms, which represented about 75% of all U.S. bank assets, were chosen.

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In his first meeting as governor, Mr Kuroda has put the Bank of Japan on a path that many before him had not dared, or chosen, to take.

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Billionaire financier and important member of the Clinton Global Initiative, Frank Giustra, gave a stimulating interview to the Canadian press recently, which basically emphasizes his consistent opinion that the U.S. has chosen the path of debt and money printing as a method for the central bank to try and resolve the political logjam in Washington.

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That issue of the "collateral consequences" from bank spanking was cited by US Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer when explaining why the Department of Justice had chosen not to "fully prosecute" HSBC for its money laundering and sanctions breaching offences - and had instead put the bank on probation with a deferred prosecution agreement.

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