American Notes Banking

Not many jobs could have been as exciting -- or stressful -- as overseeing the turbulent banking industry for the past six years. Since he became chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1985, William Seidman has seen more than 1,000 U.S. banks fail, and the number of institutions on the brink continues to grow. The FDIC, which guarantees the nation's bank deposits, has had to pay out more than $24 billion during Seidman's tenure and is running low on reserves. Congress is working on legislation to replenish the funds. No wonder Seidman, 70, has decided to step down when his term ends in October.

Although Congress valued his blunt appraisal of the severity of the banking crisis and his suggestions for reform, Seidman often rankled members of the Bush Administration. He was criticized by some for moving too slowly as head of the Resolution Trust Corporation, the government agency charged with managing and selling off foreclosed properties in the wake of the savings-and- loan mess. The likely candidate to succeed him at the FDIC: Federal Reserve director of banking supervision William Taylor.