Washington ? Closer watch over Wall Street will help consumers make better informed choices about investing and shine light on the shadowy deals that caused the financial crisis, President Barack Obama said Saturday in pushing Congress to pass overhaul legislation.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama said the bill also would curb predatory lending practices, prevent banks from taking on too much risk and give shareholders more of a say.

“Put simply, Wall Street reform will bring greater security to folks on Main Street,” the president said.

“My responsibility as president isn’t just to help our economy rebound from this recession; it’s to make sure an economic crisis like the one that helped trigger this recession never happens again,” he said. “That’s what Wall Street reform will help us do.”

The Senate is debating the broadest rewrite of the rules governing Wall Street since the Great Depression. A final vote is possible as early as the coming week. The bill would then have to be merged with the House’s version.