The Center for Financial Policy brings together leaders from the regulatory, academic and financial industry to facilitate a collaborative exchange of ideas on the key topics facing financial markets.
Upcoming Events
Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation
The SEC Division of Risk and Analysis, CFA Institute, Center for Financial Services at Lehigh University and the Center for Financial Policy to host the seventh annual conference on financial market regulation in Washington, D.C.
Annual Federal Reserve Short-Term Funding Markets Conference
The Federal Reserve Board and Center for Financial Policy to host the third annual conference on short-term funding markets in Washington, D.C.
Annual Mortgage Risk Summit
The summit, hosted by SEBA International, the University of Maryland’s R.H. Smith School of Business, Mortgage Bankers Association, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae, will explore developments in risk management practices and processes in mortgage-related enterprises.
CFP-UBS Quant Insight Series
UBS and the CFP are hosting a series of webinars with experts on how economic stories become popularized, transmitted, and morph in the media.
Past Events
Risk Perspectives in Turbulent Times
July 31, 2020
In our inaugural Risk Leadership Webinar Series, we'll interview Anil Hinduja, chief risk officer for Freddie Mac to gain perspective on topical risk issues. Learn more.
Financial Markets and News About the Coronavirus
July 22, 2020
Harry Mamaysky, professor of professional practice at Columbia Business School, Russ Wermers, and Paul Winter examine how financial markets interact with news about the COVID-19 pandemic.
A twelve-topic model optimizes the trade-off between the number of topics and topic coherence. Using this model, Mamaysky shows that before mid-March 2020 markets react more to the same quantum of news when volatility is higher — a phenomenon he calls hypersensitivity. Formal tests identify a structural break in mid-March, post which markets are no longer hypersensitive. In the hypersensitive stage, markets are overly volatile and overreact to news. Despite hypersensitivity, lagged prices better forecast future COVID-19 case counts than does lagged news.
Responsible Business in a Time of Crisis
July 10, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen some inspired corporate responses, such as Unilever donating €100 million of food and sanitizer, and guaranteeing the jobs of all 150,000 workers including contractors. But what if you’re a small business without millions to donate? Or in an unrelated industry without relevant products to give?
The Great Value Debate Part II
July 2, 2020
Session two examines the other side of the debate: is value dead? Are we measuring value correctly? And are we set for a historic value rally relative to growth over the coming decade? Presented by Campbell R. Harvey, distinguished professor of finance at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, and a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. LinkedIn | Research paper
The Great Value Debate Part I
June 22, 2020
This session explores the performance of value over the past decade and poses the question 'can we make value great again?' Or should we focus our attention on new differentiated sources of alpha. Presented by Gerald Garvey, head of Asia-Pacific Research and co-head of global research at Blackrock Systematic Active Equity & Russ Wermers, dean’s chair in finance & director of the Center for Financial Policy at Maryland Smith.
Narrative Economics
June 16, 2020
Robert Shiller, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University and winner of the 2013 Nobel Memorial Prize in economic sciences, and Russ Wermers, dean’s chair in finance & director of the Center for Financial Policy at Maryland Smith, discuss the power of viral stories and how they can affect economies. The stories people tell — about economic confidence or panic, the American dream, or Bitcoin — affect economic outcomes. Our event explores how "narrative economics" can influence the ability to predict, prepare for, and lessen the damage of major economic events.
Webinar: COVID-19 and African Economies
April 24, 2020
Federal Reserve Short-Term Funding Markets
March 29, 2019 | Washington, D.C.
Women on Wall Street: Working in a male-dominated industry
March 15, 2018 | College Park, MD
Federal Reserve Short-Term Funding Markets
April 6, 2018 | Washington, DC
Second Annual Maryland Junior Finance Conference
April 20, 2018 | College Park, MD
Annual Mutual Fund Directors Forum Conference
The Road Ahead – Disruption and Innovation in the Fund Industry
May 8, 2018 | Washington, DC
Fifth Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation
Co-sponsored by the SEC, CFA Institute and Lehigh Center for Financial Services
May 10-11, 2018 | Washington, DC
FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg on "The Financial Crisis and Its Aftermath"
November 3, 2017
The Active-Passive Debate
Co-sponsored by the CFA Institute
November 1, 2017
Pioneers & New Frontiers
May 23-24, 2017
Fourth Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation
May 4-5, 2017
Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: How do we get there?
March 8, 2017
December 6, 2016
Student Speaker Series: The state of emerging markets
Mansoor Dailiami
December 2, 2016
Consumer Finance Speaker Series: Options & Economic Decisions
Steve Heston
November 18, 2016
Professor Brown Bag: Haluk Unal
November 17, 2016
Post Election Market and Policy Outlook
November 16, 2016
The Future of Financial Regulation
October 21, 2016
Professor Brown Bag Series: Mark Lowenstein
October 14, 2016
Consumer Finance Speaker Series: Understanding Pensions
Bill Longbrake
September 30, 2016
Consumer Finance Speaker Series: Understanding Modern Financial Markets
Pete Kyle
May 13, 2016
Third Annual Conference on Financial Market Regulation
April 21-22, 2016
Kyle Conference: Market Mechanisms and their Impact
April 20, 2016
Changing Markets: Challenges for Fixed Income Funds
November 11, 2015
The Next Crisis
A panel discussion on fixed income market liquidity and transparency.
September 8, 2015
Forum On Global Market Volatility
The Center for Financial Policy at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business hosted a forum on Global Market Volatility on Sept. 8, 2015, aimed at making sense of the recent tumult in international markets — notably in China, but also spilling over into other regions, including the United States.
May 11, 2015
The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Financial Reform Conference
Hosted Jointly by the Center for Financial Policy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and The Clearing House
May 8, 2015
Panel Discussion: Crowdfunding
Co-hosted by the Center for Financial Policy and Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Smith Entrepreneurship Research Conference
May 1, 2015
Second Annual Conference on the Regulation of Financial Markets
Co-hosted by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis and CFA Institute
November 20, 2014
Best Execution In Today’s Complex Markets
Understanding High Frequency Trading, Changing Patterns of Liquidity and other Key Market Structure Issues
November 17, 2014
Reassessing Proxy Access
A luncheon discussion hosted jointly by the CFA Institute and the Center for Financial Policy
September 17, 2014
Conference On Market Fragility, Fragmentation And Fees
Hosted Jointly by the Center for Financial Policy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and FINRA
July 10, 2014
Risks In Banking Symposium
Hosted Jointly by the Center for Financial Policy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and The Clearing House
May 16, 2014
First Annual Conference on the Regulation of Financial Markets
Co-hosted by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Economic and Risk
November 21, 2013
Board Oversight of Valuation Roundtable
Co-presented by the Center for Financial Policy and the Mutual Fund Directors Forum (MFDF)
November 19, 2013
Distinguished Speaker Series: Martin Feldstein
October 31 – November 1, 2013
The Henry Kaufman Forum on Religious Traditions and Business Behavior
October 3-4, 2013
Investment Company Institute/Center for Financial Policy Academic & Practitioner Conference
May 14, 2013
Talk by U.S. Treasury Office of Financial Research Director Richard Berner
April 26, 2013
Emerging Markets at the Crossroads: Challenges, Prospects and Opportunities
In partnership with the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)
April 23, 2013
Congressional Briefing - Andrew Olmem, former Minority Chief Counsel, Senate Banking Committee
April 15, 2013
Shadow Banking: Issues and Regulatory Approaches
Distinguished Speaker Series: Jaime Caruana, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements
November 28, 2012
Board Oversight of Alternative Investment Products Roundtable, co-hosted by the CFP and MFDF
September 18, 2012
Global Philanthropy – Hand Up or Hand Out? An Insider’s Critique of "Aid" Strategies and Alternatives
A talk by Charles Waigi, co-hosted by CFP, CIBER, and CSVC
July 19-20, 2012
Next Generation Financial Cyberinfrastructure Workshop
June 12, 2012
Directors’ Institute
Fiorina Calls for More Teamwork, Transparency; Less Collegiality
April 25, 2012
Policy Chat with Craig Lewis, SEC Chief Economist and Director of the Division of Risk, Strategy, and Finance Innovation
April 17, 2012
Policy Roundtable on the Future of Financial Regulation, Jointly Presented by the IMF and Center for Financial Policy
April 13, 2012
Emerging Markets Forum, hosted by the Center for International Business Education and Research
February 8, 2012:
CFP Advisory Board Member Eric Billings speaks to the Quantitative Smith Finance Fellows and Advanced Smith Finance Fellows in College Park
Conference on Systemic Risk and Data Issues, October 5-6, 2011
Distinguished Speaker Series with Sarah Bloom Raskin, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve 'Monetary Policy and Job Creation', September 26, 2011
Watch the C-SPAN video | Read the transcript
The Directors’ Institute, April 6-8, 2011
GSE Conference: Joint event with NYU Stern School’s Salomon Center, January 24, 2011
Chief Risk Officer (CRO) Speaker Series, December 15, 2010
Reception with US Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), November 29, 2010
Conference on Financial Economics and Accounting, November 12-13, 2010
Center for Financial Policy’s First Policy Chat with Art Murton from FDIC, November 8, 2010
Dr. Henry Kaufman, Distinguished Speaker Series, October 2010
GSE Reform Roundtable, Mark Zandi (keynote), Chief Economist, Moody’s Economy.com, May 2010
Director's Institute: Current Developments on Governance, William E. Mayer (keynote), Park Avenue Equity Partners, April 2010
Robert C. Pozen, “Too Big to Save”, Distinguished Speaker Series, January 2010