In July 2010, US President Barack Obama signed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, also known as the Dodd-Frank bill, aimed at reforming Wall Street and eliminating the practices that caused the 2008 financial crisis, which some have suggested were criminal.

However, legal enforcement has been slow and critics warn of powerful lobbyists preventing real progress from being made. The lack of prosecutions of American financial institutions has led to increased frustration and played a role in the birth of “Occupy” movements around the world. Within the American "Occupy" movement, a small group of former Wall Street bankers, business analysts, traders and hedge fund managers have been quietly working within the system to eliminate bad practices.

How much influence this group can exert is yet to be seen. Despite the crash, banks have paid more than $80 billion in bonuses since 2008.

In this episode of the Stream, we speak to William Kurt Black, former bank regulator and author; John Fullerton (@CapInstitute), Founder of the Capital Institute; and Alexis Goldstein (@alexisgoldstein), member of Occupy the SEC.

What do you think? Has anything changed? Is Wall Street simply too big to be controlled? Send us your thoughts and comments on Facebook or Twitter using hashtag #AJStream.