• U.K., U.S. offer joint plan for "too big to fail" banks
  U.S. and U.K. regulators have made public their common view of how to cope with financial institutions considered "too big to fail." The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Bank of England discussed the problem in a joint paper. "We believe that, for many [global systemically important financial institutions], this strategy holds the best possibility of preserving stability while removing taxpayer support," Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the FDIC, and Paul Tucker of the Bank of England wrote in the Financial Times. "It holds shareholders, creditors and management in a failed GSifi accountable for its losses." The Telegraph (London) (tiered subscription model) (12/10), Financial Times (tiered subscription model) (12/10)      

• Next Treasury chief may not have deep Wall Street ties
  The next Treasury secretary is unlikely to have extensive ties to Wall Street given the low public estimation of the financial industry these days, Jim McTague writes. Among candidates considered to have a good shot at replacing Timothy Geithner are Jack Lew, the White House chief of staff; Laura D'Andrea Tyson, director of the National Economic Council under President Bill Clinton; and Mary Miller, Treasury undersecretary for domestic finance. Barron's (special access for SmartBrief readers) (12/8)      

• PwC predicts healthy M&A activity for 2013
  A number of mergers and acquisitions are pending that may not close by year-end, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report. Available capital and financing for buyers and solid balance sheets are expected to translate into a robust 2013 for M&A deals, the report says. Accounting Today (12/7)      

• Proxy companies update 2013 guidelines
  Glass Lewis and ISS have issued updates to their U.S. proxy-voting guidelines for 2013. There are no major changes, unlike last year, but there are some specific tweaks that companies need to consider as part of their 2013 proxy planning, Joseph McCafferty writes. Compliance Week/Boards & Governance blog (12/7)      

• 9 ways small employers can keep their stars
  Promoting from within, providing stimulating work and linking performance to bottom-line success are ways that small companies can hang onto their best employees, Samuel Bacharach writes. "Employees won't stay because of the size of the paycheck. They'll stay because they feel they are recognized, engaged, challenged, and part of a team," he writes. Inc. online (free registration) (12/5)      

• Give your employees the gift of leadership development
  The best bosses know when to step back and let their employees take the lead, writes Jennifer V. Miller. Leadership development shouldn't be reserved for people with a formal title, Miller explains. "When you provide your team members with an opportunity to exercise their leadership muscles, you're giving them a tremendous gift," she writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (12/6)      

• Rob Anderson has been named CFO of CapStar Bank. Anderson has held senior roles at Bank of America and Capital One Bank. American City Business Journals/Nashville, Tenn. (12/7)      

• Studies: Bike lanes can lead to greater retail sales
  Bike lanes have been shown to increase retail sales, studies show. One study showed that small businesses in New York City near bike lanes generated better-than-average sales. A study in Portland, Ore., found that bicyclists visited stores more often and spent more overall. NBC News (12/8)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief for CFOs readers in the past week.

• Corporations lack cash in U.S. but hold money offshore (The Wall Street Journal)

• How this restaurant handles negative Yelp reviews (Yahoo)

• Some House Republicans back higher tax rate for wealthy (The Washington Post)

• "Fiscal cliff" is becoming less of a worry for global investors (Reuters)

• Obama and Boehner begin one-on-one "fiscal cliff" talks (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

There remains strong competition for quality assets as both corporate and private equity continues to seek out deals to fuel their growth and deploy capital." --Martyn Curragh of PricewaterhouseCoopers, as quoted by Accounting Today