Bank crisis may prompt Congress to ban lawmakers from trading stocks.

Lawmakers from both parties sold banking stocks during the financial turmoil in March, renewing calls for an outright ban of Congressional stock trading. Advocates of a ban say these trades further undermine the public's faith in Congress. At least four bills have been introduced this Congress that would levy such a ban on lawmaker trading, including one unveiled last week called the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks (ETHICS) Act. The current rules governing the trading of stocks by lawmakers were put in place when then-President Obama signed the STOCK Act of 2012.