Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan usually gets royal treatment when he visits Capitol Hill.
But Sen. Tom Harkin, who already has a hold on Mr. Greenspan's nomination to a third term, put the 70-year-old economist through another an indignity recently.
When the Iowa Democrat delayed their scheduled April 18 meeting, Mr. Greenspan was forced to watch television in the lawmaker's lobby - while a brood of reporters stared through a window.
Although press reports characterized the holdup as a slight to Mr. Greenspan, an aide to Sen. Harkin denied that was the case.
Mr. Greenspan waited no more than 10 minutes, the aide said, and talked with Sen. Harkin for more than an hour.
Sen. Harkin is blocking a vote on Mr. Greenspan's reappointment, as well as two other nominations, because he opposes the Fed's slow-growth economic policies. Sen. Harkin wants Republican leaders to allow debate on the Fed chairman's reappointment.
Republicans, reluctant to hand their rivals an opportunity for showboating, have not scheduled time for debate.
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Sure, two promotions forced Leann G. Britton, senior deputy comptroller for bank supervision operations, to endure the hassle of moving twice in three months.
But her quick advance through the ranks of the Comptroller's Office did wonders for her paycheck. During the first three months of this year, Ms. Britton's salary climbed 46%, to $151,908.
Ms. Britton was making $103,803 as director of the OCC's Minneapolis field office. In January, she became deputy comptroller for the agency's central district, headquartered in Chicago, and her salary jumped to $135,400.
Ms. Britton began working in Washington as a senior deputy comptroller on March 11.
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Banking expert Robert E. Litan returns to the Brookings Institution this week from the White House budget office.
The author of "What Banks Need," Mr. Litan has long advocated "narrow banks" with strict investment limits.
He left Brookings in 1993 to become deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's antitrust division, where he clamped down on ATM networks.
In early 1995, Mr. Litan moved to the Office of Management and Budget as associate director, spending much of his time working on the Savings Association Insurance Fund rescue.
Back at Brookings, Mr. Litan will be director of the economic studies program. In addition to managing 15 scholars, Mr. Litan said he hopes to do some research on banking in cyberspace.
"I'm thinking of looking into the coming electronic money revolution," he said. "It's going to change the way we do business."
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Friday was Bob Miailovich's last day after 33 years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Mr. Miailovich, 57, had a hand in every major banking regulation written in recent years. Retiring as associate director for policy in the agency's supervision division, Mr. Miailovich said he has no firm plans.
"I'm available, but I don't know what I'm available for," he said. Asked how he felt about leaving the only job he's ever had, Mr. Miailovich said: "It's bittersweet. I'm definitely ready to move on, but I've been very blessed to have work I enjoy doing."
