Senate Bill S-190, Introduced 1/26/2005 To Prevent Financial Problems (vote, Congress, campaign)

[NewToCA]

This was a bill to address the regulation of secondary mortgage market enterprises, and for other purposes.

With the financial sector in turmoil today, the media and the politicians have started throwing around blame with the same recklessness as lenders threw around credit to create the problem. Politically, the pertinent question is this: Which candidate foresaw the credit crisis and tried to do something about it? As it turns out, John McCain did — and partnered with three other Senate Republicans to reform the government’s involvement in lending three years ago, after an attempt by the Bush administration died in Congress two years earlier. McCain spoke forcefully on May 25, 2006


Hot Air » Blog Archive » McCain’s attempt to fix Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac in 2005; Update: Obama can’t get AIG right


Here is a copy of the bill itself, introduced by Chuck Hagel in cosponsored by John McCain, Elizabeth Dole, and John Sununu:

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)


McCain's specific comments, on May 25, 2006:

Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation.

GovTrack: Senate Record: FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM... (109-s20060525-16)


And lastly, this article about Frank Raines, in July 2008:

In the four years since he stepped down as Fannie Mae's chief executive under the shadow of a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, Franklin D. Raines has been quietly constructing a new life for himself. He has shaved eight points off his golf handicap, taken a corner office in Steve Case's D.C. conglomeration of finance, entertainment and health-care companies and more recently, taken calls from Barack Obama's presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters...When Daniel H. Mudd stepped in to succeed Raines after his ouster, Mudd promised a House committee that the days "of arrogant, defiant, 'my way' Fannie Mae" would end. Congress has recently moved forward on legislation that would create stronger federal oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.



On the Outside Now, Watching Fannie Falter - washingtonpost.com

[Rggr]

You don't hear much about that. Great information.

[sanrene]

Yep. Obama was nowhere to be found on the issue - except in the pockets of the sub-prime lenders.

[NewToCA]

I thought it was important to get some factual information out there, as close to the source quotes as possible.

It appears that McCain was concerned about this problem the past few years, and has specifically stated his views.

[sanrene]

Obama's trying to spin, spin, spin on this.

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by sanrene

Obama's trying to spin, spin, spin on this.

Actually, his handlers are. Obama is just silent (errr, I mean contemplative and thoughtful).

[mrbob]

Bill S-190 never became law -so co-sponsoring it is pretty meaningless.

Politicians are NOTORIOUS for co-sponsoring and speaking out in favor of legislation that appeases the masses, but which they know will never be enacted as law. It earns them brownie points with a gullible electorate.

Back in the early nineties - when the Democrats controlled Congress - the House actually had something called a Discharge Petition. It was a brilliant stroke of chicanery.

The way it worked was congressmen could submit legislation, or co-sponsor legislation, that was popular with their consituents, even though they had no intention of it becoming law. The proposed bill would go before a House Committee and would not come out of committee for a full vote unless a majority of committee members signed the Discharge Petition. The beauty of it was that the signatures on the petition were kept secret!!! That way you could sponsor a bill, and let it die in committee by not signing the petition!!! And no one would know you secretly opposed the bill by not signing the petition!!!

The bill you quote that McCain sponsored and spoke in favor of was probably one of those pieces of legislation that is supported only for the political pandering value it has, and which the co-sponsors know will never be approved.

The fact that it did not become law means that public support for it is meaningless.

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by mrbob

Bill S-190 never became law -so co-sponsoring it is pretty meaningless.

Politicians are NOTORIOUS for co-sponsoring and speaking out in favor of legislation that appeases the masses, but which they know will never be enacted as law. It earns them brownie points with a gullible electorate.

Back in the early nineties - when the Democrats controlled Congress - the House actually had something called a Discharge Petition. It was a brilliant stroke of chicanery.

The way it worked was congressmen could submit legislation, or co-sponsor legislation, that was popular with their consituents, even though they had no intention of it becoming law. The proposed act would go before a House Committee and would not come out of committee for a full vote unless a majority of committee members signed the Discharge Petition. The beauty of it was that the signatures on the petition were kept secret!!! That way you could sponsor a bill, and let it die in committee by not signing the petition!!! And no one would know you secretly opposed the bill by not signing the petition!!!

The bill you quote that McCain sponsored and spoke in favor of was probably one of those pieces of legislation that is supported only for political pandering, and which the co-sponsors know will never be approved.

The fact that it did not become law means that public support for it is meaningless.

Pretty funny, McCain works with Hagel to fix a problem years before it blows up, and he is accused of pandering to the public.

Obama does absolutely nothing as is viewed as contemplative and thoughtful. Having Raines to give him advice, he should have had some insights and comments about the problem and solution, as he originally stated he would comment.

After all, he had one of the key guys on the inside.

[domergurl]

It's too bad it died. McCain is good at blowing his stack, but there's no follow through.

[MovingForward]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

This was a bill to address the regulation of secondary mortgage market enterprises, and for other purposes.

With the financial sector in turmoil today, the media and the politicians have started throwing around blame with the same recklessness as lenders threw around credit to create the problem. Politically, the pertinent question is this: Which candidate foresaw the credit crisis and tried to do something about it? As it turns out, John McCain did — and partnered with three other Senate Republicans to reform the government’s involvement in lending three years ago, after an attempt by the Bush administration died in Congress two years earlier. McCain spoke forcefully on May 25, 2006


Hot Air » Blog Archive » McCain’s attempt to fix Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac in 2005; Update: Obama can’t get AIG right


Here is a copy of the bill itself, introduced by Chuck Hagel in cosponsored by John McCain, Elizabeth Dole, and John Sununu:

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)


McCain's specific comments, on May 25, 2006:

Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae's former chief executive officer, OFHEO's report shows that over half of Mr. Raines' compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator's examination of the company's accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs--and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO's report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO's report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation.

GovTrack: Senate Record: FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE REGULATORY REFORM... (109-s20060525-16)


And lastly, this article about Frank Raines, in July 2008:

In the four years since he stepped down as Fannie Mae's chief executive under the shadow of a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, Franklin D. Raines has been quietly constructing a new life for himself. He has shaved eight points off his golf handicap, taken a corner office in Steve Case's D.C. conglomeration of finance, entertainment and health-care companies and more recently, taken calls from Barack Obama's presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters...When Daniel H. Mudd stepped in to succeed Raines after his ouster, Mudd promised a House committee that the days "of arrogant, defiant, 'my way' Fannie Mae" would end. Congress has recently moved forward on legislation that would create stronger federal oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.



On the Outside Now, Watching Fannie Falter - washingtonpost.com

FACTS:

1) Republicans held the majority in Congress when this bill was introduced.

2)The bill was an attempt to privatize regulatory agencies. Hence, Democratic resistance to it. Hence, even Republicans voting against it.

3) The bill did nothing to address fraud and tighten oversight. Hence, Democratic resistance to it. Hence, even Republicans voting against it.

Text from the bill itself:

"Excludes the Federal Home Loan Banks from certain securities reporting requirements."

Nice try, though.