Joe Neely - the man President Clinton nominated in July to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board - is coming to town today.
No, the nominee is not here for his confirmation hearing, which has not been scheduled yet by the Senate Banking Committee.
Rather, Mr. Neely is traveling to Washington with about 50 members of the Mississippi Bankers Association, who are making their annual pilgrimage to lobby lawmakers and federal regulators.
Mr. Neely, Mississippi's banking commissioner since 1992, usually accompanies the bankers, and this year is no different. He's racking up frequent-flier miles: Mr. Neely was in Washington last month as well, to be briefed by FDIC staff on issues facing the agency.
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As president of the thrift industry trade group America's Community Bankers, Paul Schosberg generally tries to stay on good terms with politicians of all stripes. But he has apparently decided that Washington Mayor Marion Barry is not someone he'll ever need to lobby.
Speaking last week at a thrift accounting conference in Washington, Mr. Schosberg opened his remarks with the line, "Welcome to perhaps the only city in the country where our mayor made his own license plate."
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At the same conference, House Banking Committee Chairman Jim Leach had a good laugh at the expense of Steve Verdier, lobbyist for America's Community Bankers.
After a speech Rep. Leach gave Wednesday, the Iowa Republican was asked how his committee expects to come up with the $2.4 billion in savings required by budget reconciliation legislation.
Rep. Leach, noticing Mr. Verdier scribbling notes in the midst of a throng of journalists, said: "It's all coming out of bank fees."
Mr. Verdier said he started to write down Rep. Leach's response, but looked up in disbelief only to find the lawmaker smiling at him.
"I'm flattered that he thought enough of me to shoot a joke at me," Mr. Verdier said.
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Peter Kravitz, who spends most of his time lobbying for the Independent Bankers Association of America, left the Beltway for a weekend this month and headed for the speedway.
At West Virginia's Summit Point Raceway, Mr. Kravitz piloted his MG Midget to a first-place finish, beating out six other cars in his class. He placed fourth overall in a field of 25.
The lobbyist said that the annual race is the perfect stress-reliever.
"It's a little different than what I do here in Washington."
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William R. Kline, best known for his studies of Third World debt, is leaving the Institute for International Economics to join the Institute for International Finance. Mr. Kline will be deputy managing director and chief economist at the institute, which represents banks involved in international lending.
