Some banks and securities houses have moved east to cheaper offices in London's docklands.

ECONOMIST: A survey of financial centres: Capitals of capital | The

The trouble is, rather than simply pressing for liberalisation, banks, securities houses and insurers have been playing politics.

ECONOMIST: Down with Glass-Steagall

It's not just securities houses that are coming under antitrust scrutiny these days.

FORBES: Wall Street Worries

Yup, according to a federal lawsuit in New York against ten securities houses, including Credit Suisse First Boston and Merrill Lynch (plus several of their institutional customers), these normally cutthroat Wall Street competitors got together to levitate the prices of initial public offerings, reaping billions of dollars in illegal profits.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Yup, according to a federal lawsuit in New York against ten securities houses, including Credit Suisse First Boston and Merrill Lynch (nyse: MER - news - people ) (plus several of their institutional customers), these normally cutthroat Wall Street competitors got together to levitate the prices of initial public offerings, reaping billions of dollars in illegal profits.

FORBES: Wall Street Worries

The fear hitting American finance will not subside dramatically until the value of mortgage-related securities is clearer and the size of investment houses' liabilities is known.

ECONOMIST: The Fed flexes its monetary muscle

As we all know by now, the practice of building financial houses of cards on various investment instruments based in non-transparent and problematic subprime mortgage-backed securities was a formula for disaster.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Into the fire

In times of less turmoil, the central bank generally only deals with primary dealers, a group of 20 big banks and brokerage houses with which the New York Federal Reserve conducts its open-market operations, buying and selling government securities to guide the federal funds rate.

FORBES: Magazine Article