Briefly Noted

Race to the Bottom discusses the 9th Circuit's decision in Rubke v. Capitol Bancorp Ltd. (551 F.3d 1156) and the application of PSLRA pleading standards to claims under section 11 of the '33 Act.

Reuters DealZone reports that Barclays is a step ahead of US banks - it is planning to sell a unit rather than taking bailout money and then trying to get out of it later.

The Harvard Corporate Governance Blog offers a transcript of SEC Chair Mary Schapiro's recent speech to the Council of Insititutional Investors.

Treasury unveils a TARP program for Mutual Banks.

Pom Talk blogs about the Council of Institutional Investors white paper on the regulation of credit rating agencies.