Bernanke Seeks to Defuse Criticism Through GAO Audit

Written By Scott Lanman and Vivien Lou Chen
January 21st, 2010

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke sought to defuse allegations that the central bank tried to conceal details about the $182.3 billion bailout of American International Group Inc., calling for a review of Fed actions by congressional auditors. In a letter yesterday to the Government Accountability Office, Bernanke pledged “all records and personnel necessary” for an audit. Separately, the New York Fed provided 250,000 pages of documents to a U.S. House committee in response to a Jan. 12 subpoena demanding all materials related to the decision to fully reimburse banks that bought protection from AIG.