Political Quotes

“Let me respond to one point. I realize that part of the problem is the way the regulators are coming down a little harder than they probably need to in some instances with our community banks in an effort to prevent the banking system from reaching the excesses reached to cause all of us very serious financial loss and worldwide financial panic. I realize there have to be some adjustments to those regulations. This bill recognizes that. It doesn't address it because we don't have the jurisdiction in our Small Business Committee. That comes out of the Banking Committee. But I believe the members of our committee will very soon send to the Banking Committee a very strongly worded letter based on some of the testimony we have received--and the Presiding Officer has been in many of those meetings--from our bankers, who want to do more, who want to lend to credible, reputable businesspeople, but they say the regulators are coming down too hard on them. So we have to fix that. We also have to focus on the balloon notes coming due on commercial real estate lending in this country, because we have to handle that very deftly or we could see a setback. This bill will not solve all problems, but I promise it will get us on the right road and headed in the right direction.”