Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates "Break Up the Big Banks" At Kaufman Center, October 16th

Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher To Weigh In
 
Five years after the U.S. Treasury committed 245 billion in taxpayer dollars to stabilize America's banking institutions, Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) will debate "Break Up the Big Banks" on October 16th. Today, banks that were once "too big to fail" have only grown bigger, with JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs holding assets equal to over 50% of the U.S. economy. Were size and complexity at the root of the financial crisis, or do calls to break up the big banks ignore real benefits that only economies of scale can pass on to customers and investors?

Richard Fisher, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and Simon Johnson, former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund and professor at MIT will argue in support of the motion. Douglas Elliot, fellow at the Brookings Institution and former investment banker and Paul Saltzman, president of The Clearing House Association, the oldest banking association in the U.S., will argue against the motion. 

This debate is presented in partnership with the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy, a joint venture of Columbia Business School and Columbia Law School. The Richman Center fosters dialogue and debate on emerging policy questions where business and markets intersect with the law. 

WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates "Break Up the Big Banks"
WHEN: Wednesday, October 16, 2013 / Reception 5:45-6:30 / Debate 6:45-8:30 PM
WHERE: Kaufman Center/129 W. 67th Street (bet. Broadway and Amsterdam)/New York, NY 10023
TICKETS: $40 ($12 for students w/ID). To purchase, visit http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/

The debate will take place in front of a live audience at Kaufman Center in New York City. Before the debate, audience members will vote on the motion; afterward, the audience votes again. The team that moves the most voters to its side will be the winning team in this provocative debate.

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATES (IQ2US)
Winner of the 2013 Silver Radio Award for Best Public Affairs Program and named one of "Five Podcasts that Will Change the Way You Think" by Forbes Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded in New York City in 2006 by Robert Rosenkranz, and has grown into an internationally syndicated series heard and watched by millions. The debates have attracted some of the world's top thinkers including Paul Krugman, Karl Rove, Malcolm Gladwell, Alan Dershowitz, Peter Thiel and Arianna Huffington. Intelligence Squared U.S. has presented over 75 debates on a wide range of provocative topics including global warming, genetically engineered babies, science refuting God, and legalizing drugs. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008. The executive producer is Dana Wolfe.
 
For more information about IQ2US, please contact Andrea Bussell (abussell@shorefire.com), Rebecca Shapiro (rshapiro@shorefire.com) or Mark Satlof (msatlof@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171