65% of Americans Back Stricter Financial Controls

Even split on Obama's handling of issue, and reining in derivatives

By Caroline Miller, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 26, 2010 9:18 AM CDT

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65% of Americans Back Stricter Financial Controls — In this file photo made Monday, Jan. 4, 2010, an entrance to a Wall Street subway station is shown in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)

Two-thirds of Americans say they support tighter regulation of banks in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, and majorities also agree with the two main components of the Senate bill Democrats are poised to introduce this week: more federal oversight of consumer loans (59% to 38%), and making banks pay into a fund to cover the cost of future bank failures (53% to 42%). Respondents were more evenly split on new rules to rein in the derivatives market, with 43% for and 41% against.

Obama also gets a split decision on his handling of the issue, with 48% both for and against. But he is still ahead of the GOP on the issue, with 52% saying they trust the president to handle the issue and 35% siding with the GOP.
(Read more Barack Obama stories.)