Executives of major U.S. banks faced tough questions Wednesday from U.S. lawmakers frustrated by the slow pace of lending by institutions that received federal bail out money. Lawmakers also vented their anger over high salaries and bonuses in the financial industry, warning the executives they need to accept greater transparency and re-build public trust.
星期三，美国国会议员向各主要银行的主管们提出了尖锐的问题。他们对接受联邦救助资金的金融机构放贷步伐缓慢感到沮丧，他们还对金融业的高工资和高奖金表示愤怒。国会议员们警告说，金融机构主管需要增加透明度，重建公众的信任。
Amid the distress of the U.S. recession, and public anger over how government support funds have been spent to prop up financial institutions, executives said they favor steps by Congress and the Obama administration to impose greater accountability.
美国经济陷入衰退，公众对政府救市资金的使用方式感到愤怒。在这种背景下，金融机构的主管们表示，他们支持国会和奥巴马政府为加强问责而采取的措施。
"Taxpayers want to see how we are using this money to re-start the economy and want us to manage our expenses carefully. These expectations are appropriate and we are working to meet them," said Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America.
美国银行首席执行官肯.刘易斯说：“纳税人要求知道我们怎样使用这笔钱来重振经济，要求我们谨慎管理各项开支。这些期望都是合情合理的，我们正在朝这个方向努力。”
"The American people are right to expect that we use the TARP funds responsibly, quickly and transparently to help Americans," added Vikram Pandit of Citigroup.
花旗集团主管潘伟迪(Vikram Pandit)也就此表态说：“美国人民希望我们负责任地、迅速地和透明地使用‘不良资产救济计划’的资金帮助美国人，他们这样要求是对的。”
Americans, added Pandit, also have a right to expect a return on their investments in the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.
潘伟迪补充说，美国人也有权期待他们对7千亿美元救市计划的投资得到回报。
That, and questions about how individual banks have or have not used funds to expand lending and help repair the crumbled credit market dominated the House Financial Services Committee hearing.
以上问题，以及相关银行如何使用、或者为什么没有使用救市资金扩大信贷、帮助修补问题重重的信贷市场，这些都是众议院金融服务委员会成员在听证会上提出的主要问题。
"Taxpayers have lent their money to the big banks who are supposed to be big business persons [with] expertise in business management, who are failing, they have gone back to ask for some assistance [and] they are being denied," said Democrat Maxine Waters.
民主党议员马克辛.沃特斯说：“纳税人把钱借给大银行，大银行理应具有企业管理的专业知识，但是它们失败了，现在回过头来要求帮助，但遭到拒绝。”
The criticism was bipartisan, as lawmakers from both parties also highlighted the issue of bonuses paid by banks, and million-dollar salaries.
对金融机构的批评不分党派，民主、共和两党议员都特别谈到银行主管们数百万美元的工资和高额奖金。
"We believe success should be rewarded, but what gets people upset and rightfully so are executives being rewarded for failure especially when those rewards are being subsidized by the U.S. taxpayers," said Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling.
杰布.亨萨林是来自德克萨斯州的共和党议员。他说：“应当奖励成功，但是人们之所以不满，而且完全有理由感到不满的是，主管们没有做好，仍得到奖励，尤其是这些奖金是美国纳税人支付的。”
"Why do you need bonuses? Can't we just give you a good salary, or give yourselves a good salary [because] you're in charge of that, and do the job? This notion that you need some special incentive to do the right thing troubles people," said committee chair Barney Frank, Democrat from Massachusetts.
众议院金融服务委员会主席、民主党人巴尼.弗兰克也就此提出质疑说：“你们为什么需要奖金？你们主管银行的工作，我们付给你们高工资，这还不够吗？可你们还需要特别的鼓励去做本来应该做的事情，这让人感到不安。”
Executives said that while federal funds were used to improve their capital base, banks have done what they can to expand lending.
银行主管们说，他们在利用联邦资金加强银行资本基础的同时，尽了一切努力扩大信贷。
John Stumpf of Wells Fargo said his company made more than $500 billion in new loan commitments over the last 18 months.
富国银行主管约翰.施通普夫说，过去18个月，富国银行新的贷款约定超过5千亿美元。
"Last quarter alone we made $22 billion in new loan commitments, and $50 billion in new mortgages, a total of $72 billion in new loans," said Stumpf.
他说：“仅上个季度，我们的新贷款约定是220亿美元，新的房屋抵押贷款是500亿美元，新贷款的总额达到720亿美元。”
Public anger has been fueled by media reports that banks and institutions receiving public funds handed out more than $18 billion in bonuses and that some continued the practice of spending on employee retreats.
有媒体报道说，接受政府救助资金的金融机构发放了超过180亿美元的奖金，还有一些银行继续为雇员提供免费度假福利。这些消息使民众感到非常愤怒。
Democrat Paul Kanjorski warned that banks will be under ever-increasing scrutiny.
民主党议员保罗.坎乔斯基警告说，银行会受到越来越多的监督。
"As executives at large companies, you once lived in a one-way mirror, unaccountable to the public at large, and often sheltered from shareholder's scrutiny. But when you took taxpayer money you moved into a fishbowl. Now everyone is rightly watching your every move from every side," he said.
他说：“作为大公司的主管，你们曾经面对的是单面镜，基本上不必对公众有所交代，往往不必接受股东的监督。但是一旦你们接受了纳税人的钱，你们就进入了一个透明鱼缸，每个人都可以从任何一个角度观察你们的每一个举动。”
James Dimon of JP Morgan Chase and John Mack of Morgan Stanley voiced support for plans by congressional Democrats for reforms, including a proposal to create a powerful new authority to regulate financial risk.
"In the short term this will allow us to begin to address some of the underlying weaknesses in our system, and fill the gaps in regulation that contributed to the current situation," Dimon said.
"We need to fundamentally improve systemic regulation. Our fragmented regulatory structure simply hasn't kept pace with the increasingly complex global market," added Mack.
Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, agrees banks need to regain public trust.
高盛集团首席执行官利奥德.布兰克费恩同意，银行需要重新赢得公众的信任。
"It is abundantly clear that we are here amidst broad public anger at our industry. Many people believe, and in many cases justifiably so, that Wall Street lost sight of its larger public obligations and allowed certain trends and practices to undermine the financial system's stability," he said.
他说：“很明显，我们现在面对公众对我们行业的愤怒情绪。很多人认为，在很多情况下他们也有理由这样认为，华尔街忘记了它对公众承担的更大的义务，听任某些趋势和做法破坏了金融体系的稳定。”
Congressman Frank has said he would like to see substantial progress on financial system reforms in coming months.
弗兰克众议员表示，他希望在今后几个月里看到金融制度的改革取得实质性进展。 |