London seizes on Sarbox as marketing tool

The city of London is in something of an economic development frenzy, and its financial marketing campaign has been built largely on Sarbanes Oxley. While it seems odd, it is a powerful theme that may have legs. London officials have opened an office in New York with the goal of luring more companies to its exchanges. This plays to the anti-Sarbox crowd and certainly has given Congress something to think about. Of course, there are other issues that make a London listing less attractive, so the focus on Sarbox in some ways diverts attention from the issue of fees, service, aftermarket liquidity, etc. The staying power of this issue has been surprising.

For more on London's plans:
- Here's an article from the New York Sun