Living with the "don't call me" laws: the era of cold calling is now officially over, but...

If you were a conspiracy theorist, you could certainly regard the "Don't Call Me" laws as payback by the banks to the brokerage firms.

For years, brokers cold-called to look for CD money. As soon as they found it, it got moved in the blink of an eye to a bond fund or even a CD brokered by the firm. Billions got moved.

With the "Don't Call Me" law (officially known as the Telemarketing Sales Rule) now settling into place, the days of brokers cold-calling homes are certainly gone.

Who can call people at home now?

Brokers in banks can, be