Elizabeth Warren

This policy is likely to prolong the agony and leave a still-wounded banking system dragging down the real economy.

I do not believe that the current plan that has been advanced under the TARP legislation... will work to get the credit flowing.

I believe it is unacceptable for us to continue to allow this anomaly to continue.

We all should care enormously about the data that we will talk about today and what comes out of this hearing.

This crisis may have begun with subprime mortgage lending.

Data are critical not only because we can't design programs accurately if we don't know what is going on.

The advantage of going last in the opening statements is that I have the privilege of agreeing with my colleagues.

Government must be made more responsible to the people.

People are angry that small businesses are threatened with closure because they can't get financing from their TARP-assisted banks.

People are angry that even if they have consistently paid their bills on time... their TARP-assisted banks are unilaterally raising their interest rates.

None of this seems fair.

We have spent nearly six months... reviewing the response of two administrations to an unprecedented financial crisis.

What is Treasury's strategy?

This lack of a clear strategy is also hampering our economic recovery.

It is very disappointing that Secretary Geithner did not make it a priority to be here.

The voices of those who helped bring us this crisis and who have profited handsomely from it are well heard in the halls of Washington.

I want to be careful to be disciplined about the time.

Maryland has aggressively confronted this crisis.

Please continue to show up, to be heard, to speak out, to reach out in every possible way you can.

Our mandate is to assess the effectiveness of foreclosure mitigation efforts.

We're here in Prince George's County today because it is the foreclosure capital of the State.

There may be good policy reasons for overpaying, but without clearly delineated reasons, we can't know that.

I would say only two things that you just should be aware of.

And I would only add to that, since we have made the same point in our reports, it may be more than just reporting.

If we don't ask, we can't know.