Mr. Roger C. Altman
Page 3

February 3, 1994

on December 9, 1993, I wrote the RTC requesting access to all documents related to Madison Guaranty and its subsidiaries.

House and Committee Rules, House practices, and judicial precedent support the proposition that the Ranking Minority Member is the functional counterpart to the Chairman for Committee action. This being the case, a request for documents made by the Ranking Minority Member has parallel standing with a request made by the Chairman of the Committee. The Ranking Minority Member clearly has a voice in the process and is entitled to information that will enable the Ranking Minority Member to carry out his constitutionally mandated oversight responsibilities.

Therefore, the courtesy of a definitive reply to this document request is requested by 12 noon, Monday, February 7, 1994. On this matter, it is urged that you also consult with the Ethics office as to the relevance of the previously discussed recusal issue.

Again, let me stress that to the degree a conflict situation may exist in this matter in no way reflects on your personal integrity. It is simply an awkward circumstance in contrast to a personal embarrassment.

JAL:gp Enclosure

Sincerely,

Janis Rand

JAMES A. LEACH
Ranking Member

15853

I am writing in reference to the House Banking Committee's statutorily mandated, semi-annual
RTC Oversight Hearings which are scheduled for the end of March. As you know, a major area
of oversight at these hearings will be the failure and resolution of Madison Guaranty Savings and
Loan, Little Rock, Arkansas. Madison was taken over by federal regulators in March of 1989
and resolved by the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) in November, 1990.

As ranking Member of the House Banking Committee, I request that the RTC provide the
Comminee with access to all documents related to madison and its subsidiaries. Members of the
Committee will need access to this material to prepare for the upcoming hearings and to perform
their ongoing oversight responsibilities. (As I am sure you are aware, documents provided to the
Ranking Member are available to the Committee as a whole under the Committee rules.) The
documents requested would include, but not be limited to, administrative files, examination
repons, interoffice memorandum, notes and minutes of meetings (including telephonic meetings),
corespondence, electronic mail, and agreements the RTC entered into with private sector
contractors during the resolution of Madison. In addition to documents in possession at RTC-
Washington, I request access to all documents related to Madison held at RTC field offices.
Furthermore, please provide the names and titles of all RTC employees involved with the
disposition of Madison.

Please have your staff contact Joe Seidel at (202)226-3241 or Mike McGarry at (202)225-2258 to discuss arrangements to review the aforementioned documents as soon as possible. As you are aware, I have previously requested access to these documents for use in performing other

Mr. Ryan
Page Two

March 8, 1994

Committee functions. My final letter concerning that request, was forwarded yesterday, March 7, 1994. If the agency decides to comply with that request, we will, of course, consider this request satisfied as well.

ma writing in response to your letters dated March 7 and 8, SPET, vertezatim your request that the RTC provide certain Comments and rewards as part of your investigation of the fafture of Madison Guaranty savings and Loan. Your March 7th latter vas in response to our earlier letter of February 7, 1994. in which we indicated that unfortunately the RTC could afford you The quarter Access than would be available to the general public under the Freedom of Information Aat. I note that the March 8th Letter requested that some of the same information previously Pony dis tad be ailed to you in conjunction with the up-coming HOLE SAWIA RTC oversight Board Hearings.

garding your letter of March 8, 1904, I have just received the Fetter dated March 10, 1994, trom Chairman Gonzalez Lawlienting that the Committee is not conducting an investigative ing. Therefore, the records request was made in your Fimar aapacity as a member of Congress and not on behalf of

LEW L W sendur with your conclusion that an individual Bamber of Congress has the legal right to unlimited access to any agsby record, regardless of its privileged or confidantial atatus. Genseglently, we will continue to provide you with Bourents or partions of documents that veuld be available to the 110 Although this may be deemed to be a final agency

Emput on our the status of your request for access to RTC Bede, Let me secure you that the RTC is making every effort to with you and will continue to make documents available they have been reviewed for public disclosure. tamente vere sant to your staff this week.

Your letter indicated you wanted to know what further resourse had to obtain access to this information (under the terms of the roza or otherwise). A party, who has been denied access to records pursuant to the FOIA, has the right to appeal that Galinion within thirty days of the initial denial to the office of the phe's General Counsel (13 C.F.R. 1618.7).

pa taia information is of assistance to you.