Excerpts from book on the Fed online: HuffPo has posted some long excerpts from Professor Robert Auerbach's book Deception and Abuse at the Fed: Henry B. Gonzalez Battles Alan Greenspan's Bank, online. Here's When 500 Economists Aren't Enough and here's Priceless: How The Federal Reserve Bought The Economics Profession. Auerbach was chief economist and an investigator for Gonzalez, the late populist chair of the former House Banking Committee, in the 1990s.

New Golden Throne award to bank lobbyist: The Center for Media and Democracy (PRWatch) has awarded its first Golden Throne Award to Ed Yingling, chief American Bankers Association lobbyist. "The award invokes fond memories of the $1.2 million bathroom renovation ordered by Merrill's CEO, John Thain, shortly before the firm lost $27 billion and collapsed into the arms of Bank of America (BofA)." CMD says:

"From his days as a cub lobbyist fighting to rid the nation of caps on interest rates, Glass-Steagall and other proven consumer protections to his recent yeoman's effort to keep bank fees unregulated and kill off the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, Edward Yingling has consistently been a true advocate for the American Bankster."