A Senate Scolding
At times during the Senate Banking Committee's hearing last week on reforming government-sponsored enterprise regulation, it seemed as if David Nason, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for financial institutions, could not catch a break.Before Mr. Nason could begin his testimony, Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd chastised him for the Treasury's second submission of late testimony in as many weeks.
"I want you to carry the message back," the Connecticut Democrat told Mr. Nason. "If it happens again, you won't be appearing before the committee. … I want testimony here in a timely fashion, so don't ever let that happen again, at least not under my watch."
Mr. Nason's response: "I'll certainly take that message back."
He later faced the wrath of Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the committee's top Republican, who argued that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had "gone soft" on GSE reform.
Nice Title, But …
From reeling in predatory lenders to propping up credit unions, Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Pa., has had his share of battles on the House Financial Services Committee.Add efforts to silence Lyndon Larouche to the list.
Rep. Kanjorski has been speaking out against a bill pitched by Mr. Larouche's political action committee to solve the mortgage crisis. The Homeowners and Bank Protection Act earned support from Democrats in city councils and legislatures in several states, including Pennsylvania, urging federal lawmakers to introduce it. But Rep. Kanjorski said he is not biting, and neither should others if they learn the contents.
"It's a great title. You just hear the title and say, 'I've got to be for that,' " he said in a speech in Washington last week. "We went through the bill" and found it "calls for seizure by the government" of every American bank. "You can imagine that there all these Democrats out there who have put their name to that, and now I'm telling them what the bill does, and I think I see a little embarrassment on their face."
New Job for Hattix
The Office of Comptroller of the Currency has promoted Larry Hattix to be its ombudsman.He has been the assistant comptroller for the Cincinnati/Columbus field office since 2003. He will succeed Samuel Golden, who will retire in March.
Mr. Hattix joined the OCC in 1988 as an assistant national bank examiner in the Deerfield, Ill., duty station and later worked in a station in Milwaukee.
Carrier to MBA
The Mortgage Bankers Association has hired Michael Carrier as a senior director of secondary markets in its government affairs office.Mr. Carrier has worked at the National Association of Home Builders, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, and America's Community Bankers.
His MBA portfolio will include policies related to GSEs and other industry issues.
Fincen Counsel
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network swore in Bill Bradley last week as its new chief counsel. Mr. Bradley was recently legal counsel to the Treasury's executive office for asset forfeiture.He previously was senior counsel in the assistant general counsel for enforcement's office with an emphasis on the Bank Secrecy Act and a legal expert to the Financial Section Task Force.
