Washington People: Bankers Aren't Buying President Clinton's Selling

Senior bankers chewed the fat last week with President Clinton, his chief of staff Leon Panetta, and Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.

In this election year, the President has been inviting leaders of various businesses to the White House to discuss priorities for a second term.

Beyond talk of the economy and creating a secure future for the middle class, the President pressed the bankers to support the administration's plan to rescue the Savings Association Insurance Fund.

But even an entreaty from the nation's commander in chief wasn't enough to change the bankers' view that any thrift fund fix must include charter reform.

"They just didn't buy it," one source described the bankers' response.

Industry representatives confirmed at the 75-minute, May 13 meeting include John McCoy of Banc One, Frank Newman of Bankers Trust, Charlie Rice of Barnett Banks, Terry Murray of Fleet, and Sandy Warner of Morgan Guaranty.

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After 10 years in senior positions at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Frank Maguire left the agency Friday.

He finally got the message.

Mr. Maguire was former Comptroller Robert L. Clarke's right-hand man, so when Democrat Eugene A. Ludwig took over the agency in 1993 no one expected the Republican operative to last long. But Mr. Maguire hung on.

In September 1993, Mr. Ludwig stripped Mr. Maguire of responsibility for congressional and public affairs. But he still held the title of senior deputy comptroller and handled applications submitted by national banks.

Last July, Mr. Maguire was given the title of special adviser to the comptroller but not given much to do. Mr. Maguire does not have a new job and did not return a phone call for comment.

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The staff at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. got an earful May 9 after Jack Anderson and Michael Binstein revealed the findings of the agency's big mutual fund mystery shopping survey in their nationally syndicated column.

FDIC Chairman Ricki Helfer was none too pleased about the leak, and she let her staff know it.

"All hell broke loose," one staffer said. "People were called out of meetings, assembled, and yelled at."

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