Christopher Dodd took control of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in January 2007....
....Dodd pledged to conduct oversight of the Federal Reserve and an alphabet soup of agencies - FDIC, OCC, HUD, OTS, SEC, NCUA, FHFB and OFHEO - that are supposed to ensure that financial institutions and markets operate in a safe, transparent and efficient manner....
.....Since 1989, Dodd has raised $43 million for his federal campaigns, including $13.2 million from the financial services sector, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Among his top contributors have been executives of Wall Street giants now in trouble: Bear Stearns, $351,950; American International Group, $281,438; Goldman Sachs, $264,116; Morgan Stanley, $209,725; JP Morgan Chase, $180,173; and Lehman Brothers, $160,400, according to the center.
Dodd also has been criticized for receiving special treatment from Countrywide Financial Corp. when he refinanced mortgages in 2003. The company, one of the nation's largest subprime lenders, included Dodd in a VIP program it aimed at currying favor with congressional leaders by providing cut-rate loans, waiving fees and erasing points.....