WASHINGTON The Senate's debate on historic legislation to overhaul regulation of the financial world is unlike anything Congress has done in years - filled with quick bipartisan deals to defuse controversies and overwhelming bipartisan votes to change how the government oversees banks big and small.

The debate, which continued this week, has been influenced by a series of political and economic trends that came together at once:

The stock market's wild ride.

Anger at Goldman Sachs, the powerful investment firm accused by the federal government of defrauding a client.

Two veteran lawmakers, one from each party, with a history of consensus-building, teaming up to guide the bill.

Voters sick of partisan bickering and demanding action six months before important congressional elections.

"This is a subject that has wide, wide, wide popularity - people want us to do something about Wall Street," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Especially after the stock market's gyrations Thursday.

"We saw a living, breathing real-time example of the potential catastrophe that could take place if we do not have the ability to adequately use the technology," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., "and have safeguards, and realize how some of these firms are using this technology to get an advantage over the everyday Main Street investor."

Still to come are debates over derivatives, the exotic financial instruments that helped cause the economic crisis of 2008, and whether to authorize an audit of the Federal Reserve Board. However, no bitter battles are expected - a sharp contrast to Congress' recent behavior. Its yearlong health care debate sharply divided Democrats and Republicans. So did the 2009 economic stimulus plan.

Any chance that the financial regulatory overhaul would follow that path faded quickly last week after Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the panel's top Republican, crafted a compromise spelling out how the government would break up ailing financial institutions. It passed with 93 votes in the 100-member Senate.

"Improvements are being made to this financial regulatory bill in the right direction," declared Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., usually a harsh critic of Democrats.

The biggest remaining controversy had been expected to be over a Democrat-authored plan to create a strong consumer-finance agency to protect against abusive credit practices. Republicans warned that the agency would inhibit small businesses' ability to attract capital.

The fight was expected to drag on for days, but instead it ended quickly on Thursday, with two Republicans, Maine's Olympia Snowe and Iowa's Charles Grassley, joining Democrats to easily defeat the GOP alternative.