By Matthew Goldstein and Jennifer Ablan
Phil Angelides, the former chairman of the commission set up by Congress to look into the causes of the financial crisis, is no longer part of a group seeking to turn a profit by investing in distressed mortgages.
A representative for Angelides emailed a statement to Reuters saying the former California state treasurer stepped down as executive chairman of the upstart firm, Mortgage Resolution Partners, on Jan. 27. Angelides, as we reported today, stepped down about two weeks after our exclusive story about his role with the firm was published by Reuters.
Angelides’ role sparked controversy because the firm touted its political connections as part of its “secret formula” for negotiating deals to buy distressed mortgages.
We only found out that Angelides left Mortgage Resolution Partners when we asked him to comment on a recent letter from a U.S. Congressman criticizing the firm’s marketing strategy.
On Feb. 10, Rep. Patrick McHenry, chairman of a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on TARP program, sent a letter to Shaun Donovan, the Obama administration’s secretary of Housing and Urban Development, asking him for details about steps that are being taken to guard against “cronyism or conflicts” in the recently announced $26 billion mortgage settlement with the nation’s big banks.
