Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress agree that Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE: FRE) may need a taxpayer-funded bailout. Amounts of the bailout have ranged as high as $25 billion.
While this is a whopping big bucket of money, it pales in comparison to the $217 billion worth of non-agency securities that have fallen in value and the $1.5 trillion in debt downgrades in 2Q alone. In order to mitigate objections from taxpayers opposed to using public monies to bail out a quasi-private industry, those bulwarks of fiscal responsibility in Congress are beginning to draw up plans to curb executive compensation for those who will help Fannie and Freddie crawl out of the hole.
In 2007, Fannie Mae President Daniel Mudd earned a $2.2 million bonus on top of his $10 million salary. Members of Congress want to know why the executives who ran the ship aground were rewarded handsomely for doing so. Some members of Congress have suggested that previous executive bonuses should be given back to the companies. I bet some taxpayers might want to apply this same reasoning to Congressional salaries and perks.
Last updated: February 10, 2012: 04:35 PM
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2008 @ 6:38PM
william lindblad said...
I for one, do not care about the Congressional perks, I just simply wish to remove those in Congress that sat on the House finance committee. The Senate has to wait - they get six year terms. Since the House is only two, good odds that many are up.
The reasoning is simple. This pack of buffoons are oversight to this country's financial system and were the ONLY ones with the power to rein in the banking industry. When people with supposed knowledge of finance do not know that 102% financing of 1/2 million and up properties to buyers making 35,000 per year is a recipe for monumental default - than who does? All in all, it tells me that this committee is comprised of people that do not know anything about finance, and now they want me, and all the rest of the U.S. taxpayers to pick up the tab.
If the media ever catches on and fingers all involved, than maybe the voters will do themselves a favor comes November. There are enough ticked off people that MAYBE voter apathy can be overcome.
As far as the execs go that run the 2 f's - they should get fired with "0" perks. No bonus to go, No big fat pension, No Nothing. The boards should get the same. I'll give them another alternative - take your perks and go to jail.
While we are cleaning house - All top level at the Government OFHEO go too. Since this is the agency that was supposed to oversee the two F's
I can only conclude that some collusion might have existed. If not, it does not matter as their inactions tell the tale.
This is more than just "picking up the tab" as was the case of the RTC. There were layoffs than and hard times for many but this time it will be ten fold.
Man will go after Greenspan and the Fed - don't - he did not have the power to stop the bankers, plus he did not see it until it was too late. I don't go after him because he is a bookworm data freak and you can't expect to much common observational sense from him. On the other hand, Congressional Rep's are usually in touch with their district and people in general. They usually have common sense and observe trends.
The national assoc. of Realtors put over 3 million into lobby efforts since Jan. 1. How much the banking industry put into Washington I have not idea, but I bet they were not pikers. I will leave that up to the voters to figure out.
7-24-2008 @ 6:35AM
Jim Brown said...
I support William Lindblad's comments.
Also, regarding the "whining public", I have long thought that, to promote fairness, Congress should be put on social security and medicare like those they "lead". How else will they know what their constituancies really face.
7-24-2008 @ 9:29AM
Elwood said...
william lindblad said... Very well stated I completely agree with you
9-09-2008 @ 2:42PM
ICEddie said...
"Who’s going to Frog Walk"?
The way I understand it, and I could be wrong, but the person to blame for this FRE-FNM debacle probably isn’t walking at all; he is playing eighteen with a ride. Is it true that Henry Rains cooked the books to give himself a huge bonus? If so, why is he playing golf while others in the private sector are playing their golf in prison? Is it also true that Mario Cuomo Jr. and Jamie Garelic created these creative finance sceems to promote a social engeenering agenda? if so why isn’t anybody asking the question, “Whos going to frog walk, or does “this gang” ride free again, or any Republicans involved. (curption has no party boundrys) in my book. These are the question I want to know, I have to asume there true because you don’t hear anything from the three big news outlets. If we! “little people” get stuck holding the bag for ton of money lost! Shouldn’t we at least get our pound of flesh? Even though theses people were expoliticle cronies getting thier rewards, I leave you with two words… “Term Limits.”
ICEddie.