He has a reputation for being well-informed on the complex financial environment in the United States. He was an expert on housing and mortgage regulation. He focused on protecting homeowners, especially those with lower incomes. Frank was criticized for defending Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For that reason, some blame him for the subprime mortgage crisis. In a 2012 interview, Frank said the true cause was banks’ overreliance on derivatives. Frank tried to decrease military spending. He argued that federal funds are better spent rebuilding infrastructure at home. It must be done to reduce the deficit and U.S. debt. He has long been an advocate of limits on executive compensation.
What the Financial Service Committee Does
The Committee has a wide reach, supervising the nation’s housing and financial services: banking, insurance, real estate, public and assisted housing, and securities. It also evaluates programs relating to the Federal Reserve, FDIC, the SEC, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, HUD, and even a few international agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Committee makes sure consumer protection laws are enforced, such as the U.S. Housing Act, the Truth In Lending Act, the Housing and Community Development Act, and the Community Reinvestment Act, to name a few.
Why Frank Is Important to the Economy
As Chairman of the Housing Financial Service Committee, he was responsible for developing a response to the $700 billion bailout proposed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Fortunately, he understood all too well how derivatives caused the banking crisis. That meant he agreed with Paulson that doing nothing was not an option. Frank knew what alternatives need to be included. His expertise meant he could help shepherd a solution through Congress. The additional measures included:
Aid for homeowners trying to avoid foreclosure.An oversight structure that will review Treasury’s purchase and sale of mortgages.A government equity stake in companies that receive bailout assistance.Limits on executive compensation of rescued firms.
The measures addressed the concerns of moral hazard. No one wanted the bailout to let banks off the hook morally. Bankers took excessive risk. A bailout had to have enough pain so they wouldn’t do it again. The bailout didn’t relieve bankers from the consequences of their bad decisions without compensating taxpayers. He was also responsible for ushering through the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, named after himself and Senator Chris Dodd, D. Conn. Its eight measures fixed some of the problems that caused the financial crisis. It also established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It limited banks’ use of depositors’ funds with the Volcker Rule.
Frank’s Early Career
Barney Frank was a Massachusetts State Representative (1973-1980). He is a graduate of both Harvard College (1962) and Harvard Law School (1977). He was a teaching fellow in political science at Harvard University. In 1968, he became the chief assistant to Mayor Kevin White of Boston. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1973 to 1980. In 2012, Frank retired from politics. In 2015, he published his memoir, Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage. He is currently a professional public speaker.
