High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Volcker Rule is a specific section of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act originally proposed by American economist and former United States Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to restrict United States banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments that do not benefit their customers. Volcker argued that such speculative activity played a key role in the financial crisis of 2007–2010. The rule is often referred to as a ban on proprietary trading by commercial banks, whereby deposits are used to trade on the bank`s personal accounts, although a number of exceptions to this ban were included in the Dodd-Frank law. The rule`s provisions are scheduled to be implemented as a part of Dodd-Frank on July 21, 2012.