LTCB purchaser

[Doug Henwood]

Stephanie Strom reports in today's New York Times on the composition 
of the group that's buying Long Term Credit Bank from the Japanese 
government (which had nationalized it because of its insolvency):

"The Ripplewood consortium is a collection of influential names. It 
includes former Rep. Tony Coelho, the director of Vice President Al 
Gore's presidential campaign, and Chris Flowers, a prominent former 
Goldman, Sachs investment banker. Paul A. Volcker, the former Federal 
Reserve chairman, is an adviser, and financial institutions backing 
the bid include Citigroup, the GE Capital unit of the General 
Electric Co. and ABN Amro of the Netherlands."

Coincidentally, Goldman Sachs was the advisor to the Japanese government.

Doug