In light of the recent unprecedented events in the financial markets, the new Obama Administration and Congress will turn their attention to financial reform in the near future. On January 15, the Group of Thirty (G30) issued a report, entitled Financial Reform: A Framework for Financial Stability, which recommends a massive, globally coordinated restructuring of the legislative and regulatory system which governs the financial services industry. The G30 report is important because of the ties of its primary author, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, to the Obama Administration. In addition, when viewed in the context of the momentum created by other recent proposals, such as the Treasury Department Blueprint for a Modernized Financial Regulatory Structure, the G30 report presents a roadmap for pending reforms and will likely play a significant role in shaping the financial reform agenda in the United States and internationally. Join us for the first program of our new series on real estate financing hot topics in 2009, as presenter Daniel Crowley of K&L Gates LLP focuses on the new Obama Administration, key Congressional leaders, and their priorities; recent legislative and regulatory financial reform proposals; the significance of and the recommendations contained in the G30 report; and the current policymaking environment.