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The death of U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd could lead to a postponement until mid-July of the final adoption of the draft law reforming financial regulation in the United States, forcing the Democrats to seek further support.

The future of the bill now depends on the decision of a handful of senators after the death Monday of Robert Byrd, at the age of 92 years, denying the Democrats a voice in favor of the 60 needed to deprive Republicans delayed by a battle of adopting the text amendments.

The Democrats could expect that the governor of West Virginia named interim successor to Robert Byrd, but the appointment could take several weeks.

To ensure some additional support, the Democrats may have to change the text.

"If they need to review the bill and make concessions to secure additional votes (…), the text will emerge strengthened, not weakened," warns Barbara Roper, who heads an advocacy organization of consumers.

This bill, which President Barack Obama made one of his priorities, would launch a reform of financial regulation unprecedented since the 1930s.

The text aims to cut without a ban, the risky activities of banks, to establish a new process of liquidation for companies in financial difficulty, or to impose a tax credit on the largest financial groups, on larger groups to finance reform.

The House of Representatives should adopt the text Tuesday or Wednesday. But before being submitted to the presidential signature, originally scheduled on July 4, the text must also be approved by the Senate.However, due to the death of Robert Byrd, the Senate could defer their decision on July 12, after a week of leave, said a legislative assistant.

"We expect that this overhaul of banking legislation wins approval in U.S. House of Representatives, but the situation is complicated in the Senate," admits Brian Gardner, a political analyst for investment firm Keefe Bruyette & Woods.

THE MARKETS IN WAITING

If the vote of the law should dispel the uncertainties surrounding the bank stocks, the implementation of the text still has many question marks, analysts said Goldman Sachs.

Among outstanding issues is the appointments that the U.S. president should proceed, including the new head of the agency responsible for regulating mortgages, credit cards and other financial products.

Some clauses of the text should weigh on profits and growth of the largest banks, but have been relaxed during negotiations between representatives and senators, after a marathon negotiating session last 21 hours that ended Friday in the dawn.

For now, Democrats are thus seeking to support their cause some moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe, and Senators Scott Brown, supported the text but rather reluctant to introduce a tax credit.

It aims to prevent the bill strikes the U.S. public finance more.However, according to the Congressional Budget Office, an independent monitoring and evaluation of public accounts, expenses related to the reform in ten years, estimated at $ 26.9 billion, should be offset by as much revenue.

The vote Democratic senators Russ Feingold and Maria Cantwell, who voted against it last month, claiming it was not sufficiently binding, should also be courted.

Russ Feingold, however, already assured Monday that he would not change his opinion. Maria Cantwell for studying the issue and it still has not yet decided, said a spokesman.