Washington People: ABA Exec Denies He Misled Congress on Credit Unions

The war of words continued last week between the men who lead the largest banking and credit union trade groups.

The day after Credit Union National Association president Daniel A. Mica accused the American Bankers Association of misleading Congress, ABA executive vice president Donald G. Ogilvie responded.

"After carefully considering each of your concerns, I find no reason to change anything we told the members of the House and Senate," Mr. Ogilvie's Dec. 4 letter states.

After explaining he would not answer each point raised in Mr. Mica's letter, Mr. Ogilvie noted, "I disagree with them all."

At issue is what changes the ABA will seek if it wins a case pending at the Supreme Court to limit occupation-based federal credit unions from serving employees from more than one company.

In a letter to lawmakers last month, the ABA refuted CUNA's claim that a banking industry victory would force many credit union customers to give up their membership. Mr. Ogilvie assured Mr. Mica that "no current members should be required to lose their account with a credit union."

The CUNA is not convinced.

In an interview Friday, CUNA spokesman Scott Southerland called Mr. Ogilvie "a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Paul A. Schosberg takes off Thursday for his fourth trip to Kenya.

"It's great. No phones, no faxes, no e-mail," the president of America's Community Bankers said last week.

After two weeks in Kenya, Mr. Schosberg and his wife, Jane, plan to spend a week in South Africa. The couple will visit an elephant, Dorothea, they adopted at a game preserve at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro on the Kenya/Tanzania border.

When the Schosbergs return after New Year's, be prepared to re-live the trip with them. "I take tons of pictures," Mr. Schosberg said. "Two rolls a day."

Former Treasury Secretary Lloyd M. Bentsen is among several outside lawyers hired by the American Financial Services Association to lobby for changes in the bankruptcy laws.

Mr. Bentsen is one of the big guns at Washington law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand. Berl Bernhard, a partner with the firm, will also lobby for the trade group.

AFSA has hired two other large firms to work on bankruptcy issues. They are Barbour, Griffith & Rogers, which is headed by former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour and Bush administration aides Lanny Griffith and Edward M. Rogers Jr., and Timmons & Co., which is led by William E. Timmons, who served in the Nixon and Ford administrations.

Gregory C. Golembe was named executive director of the Association of Bank Directors last week.

For the past two years Mr. Golembe has been a managing director of Furash & Co., a financial services consulting firm. Previously he was senior vice president and director of education services for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

Mr. Golembe succeeds David H. Baris, who has been the trade group's executive director since it was founded in 1989.

Mr. Baris, who will become the association's general counsel, said he no longer has time to hold the top post. "My law practice is increasingly active," he said. Mr. Baris is a partner with Washington-based Kennedy, Baris & Lundy.

He said Mr. Golembe's stint as CSBS education director was a primary reason he got the job. Training programs for outside directors, 95% of the group's members, are one of its primary services.

Stephen D. Johnson has left the House Banking Committee to become chief lobbyist at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

The former chief counsel of House Banking's financial institutions subcommittee is busy setting up the NAIC's first government relations shop. He plans to hire two attorneys to help get the often diverse views of the 50 state insurance regulators across to lawmakers.

"It'll be a real challenge because the organization hasn't been very active in advancing the interest of state insurance regulation on the Hill," Mr. Johnson said.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has shuffled its bank supervision staff.

Mark S. Schmidt was promoted to associate director for operations, where he will oversee all applications, enforcement actions, and regulatory issues at individual institutions.

Mr. Schmidt formerly was assistant director for policy. He will be succeeded by Jesse G. Snyder, who was assistant director for operations.

The FDIC also tapped Christie A. Sciacca to be associate director for policy. Mr. Sciacca, who currently heads the agency's international supervision branch, will succeed Cary H. Hiner, who is retiring at yearend.

The staff changes take effect Dec. 21.

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