Spelling It Out
President George H.W. Bush famously blamed then-Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan for contributing to his loss during the 1992 election.As another campaign season heats up, Mr. Greenspan's successor, Ben Bernanke, promised an audience gathered for a joint luncheon hosted by Women in Housing and Finance and the Exchequer Club that he would not let politics influence his policy decisions this year.
"Let me say as strongly as I can that politics will not affect our decision-making," he said. "We will be objective, we will be analytical, and we will do what's right for the economy."
The site of the speech — Washington's Mayflower Hotel — served as a homecoming of sorts for the Fed chief. Rebecca Laird, the president of Women in Housing and Finance, told the crowd that Mr. Bernanke traveled to the hotel from his hometown in South Carolina when he was 11 years old to participate in the National Spelling Bee.
"Unfortunately, he finished a disappointing 26th," she said.
Behind Obama
Sen. Tim Johnson, the Senate Banking Committee's No. 2 Democrat, came out in support of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid, citing the Illinois Democrat's ability to bridge partisan divides."I'm supporting Sen. Barack Obama in his race for the presidency because he is in a unique position to reach across party lines and unite our country," the South Dakota Democrat said last week in a press release.
"As a red-state senator fighting for common ground, I look forward to working with a president who is more concerned with good ideas than partisan bickering, and I believe Sen. Obama is that person."
Sen. Johnson is up for reelection this year.
Friend to Committee
Amy Friend, an assistant chief counsel at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, has been appointed the Senate Banking Committee's chief counsel."Amy's experience, knowledge, and expertise make her a wonderful addition to the Banking Committee staff," Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said in a press release. "Her talents and the wealth of private and public experience she possesses will be of enormous benefit to the committee as we address important issues that impact our nation's economy, our markets, consumers, and investors."
Before joining the OCC, Ms. Friend had worked as a general counsel for the House Banking Committee. She also worked for Rep. Rosa Delauro, D-Conn., and for Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., when he was in the House.
Thompson to Forum
Ken Thompson, the chairman and chief executive of Wachovia Corp. is succeeding Don Evans as chairman of the Financial Services Forum."I look forward to leading the Forum in its efforts to advocate open markets and expanded trade," Mr. Thompson said in a press release Friday.
New OCC Liaison
The OCC promoted John K. Hardage to director for congressional liaison last week.Mr. Hardage will be in charge of legislative affairs for the agency, which he joined in 1997. He was its deputy director for congressional liaison.
He came to the OCC from the Federal Housing Finance Board, where his positions included acting director for legislative affairs.
