PARTICIPANTS

John Cogan, Joe Grundfest, Ed Ifft , Dan Kessler, Ron McKinnon, Ken Scott, John Shoven, George Shultz, John Taylor, and Johannes Stroebel

ISSUES DISCUSSED

Dick Kovacevich, former Chair and CEO of Wells Fargo, addressed the issue: “What should we have learned from the financial crisis so it doesn’t happen again?” He discussed risk-management practices at top financial institutions during the crisis along with ways to change the culture and inventive system. He examined the capital adequacy and liquidity problems at many banks during the panic in the fall of 2008.

Kovacevich also considered the TARP, raising the question about the effects on banks with adequate capital that were forced to take TARP money. Kovacevich also addressed the implementation of stress-tests, arguing that these should be ongoing procedures and not preannounced. Other issues discussed include the role of Fannie and Freddie, of credit rating agencies, and the potential impacts of the Dodd-Frank bill.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, November 12, 2026 4:30 PM PT
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25 Years After 9/11: The History And Future Of Surveillance, Technology, And Democracy
How does a free society use increasingly powerful technologies to protect itself without compromising the freedoms it exists to protect? Register To… Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Monday, November 16, 2026
Reading Adam Smith in North Korea An Insider's View of the State
The Northeast Asia History Working Group of the Hoover History Lab invites you to attend Reading Adam Smith in North Korea: An Insider's View of the… Shultz Auditorium, George P. Shultz Building
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Rural America
Symposium On Domestic Rural Life And Institutions
Rural America encompasses diverse communities and experiences, shaped by a wide range of political, economic, social, and environmental forces. 
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