The issue focused on legislation introduced by Attorney General Eric Holder that makes illegal financial transactions involving banks with criminal histories easier for federal prosecutors to prosecute. In addition, legislation aimed at tightening regulations on derivatives trading also faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators as well as lawsuits filed by lawyers representing investors who lost millions in securities trades made during the 2008 financial crisis.

Yet none of those regulatory battles resulted in legislative proposals or congressional hearings about criminal prosecutions for misconduct related to Wall Street's risky borrowing practices. Instead, criminal prosecution legislation