DISQUS

The Washington Independent: GOP Line on Financial Crisis: Blame the GSE’s

  • jhimmi · 1 year ago
    Raines is a criminal. He should be questioned before Congress, made an example of, and convicted of fraud and embezzlement.

    On December 21, 2004 Raines accepted what he called "early retirement" as Fannie CEO while the SEC continued to investigate alleged accounting irregularities. He is accused by OFHEO (the 'weak' regulating body of Fannie Mae), of abetting widespread accounting errors, which included the shifting of losses so senior executives, such as himself, could earn large bonuses.

    Raines overstated earnings, initially estimated to be $9 billion but have been announced as 6.3 billion.

    Civil charges were filed against Raines and two other former executives seeking $110 million in penalties and $115 million in returned bonuses from the three accused.

    The three executives agreed to pay fines totaling about $3 million, which will be paid by Fannie's insurance policies. Raines also agreed to donate the proceeds from the sale of $1.8 million of his Fannie stock and to give up stock options. The stock options however have no value. An editorial in The Wall Street Journal called it a "paltry settlement" which allowed Raines and the other two executives to "keep the bulk of their riches." In 2003 alone, Raines's compensation was over $20 million.

    In June 2008 the WSJ reported that Franklin Raines was one of several public officials who received below market rates loans at Countrywide Financial because the corporation considered the officeholders "FOA's"--"Friends of Angelo" (Countrywide Chief Executive Angelo Mozilo). He received loans for over $3 million while CEO of Fannie Mae.
  • PacificGatePost · 1 year ago
    A NEEDED FIX IN THE BOARD ROOMS

    In't it time the system went in for some much needed repair?

    Due diligence and oversight long ago slid out the window. No one was watching.

    Time to do something about it.

    Here's a huge one they all missed.... The dramatic change that swept through all of North America's boardrooms over the past 30 years. It is one of the underlying causes of the headache the economy is now feeling, but more importantly, it has resulted in the general feeling of "disconnect" by most Americans.

    "WE THE SHAREHOLDERS OF YOUR COMPANIES......

    http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/03/let...