Bloomberg.com: Exclusive

Bloomberg.com: Exclusive: "Industry Reluctance

Bair's efforts to prod mortgage lenders to reduce loan principals for borrowers in danger of losing their homes have been met with reluctance from the industry. And some analysts say she hasn't done enough to clear out insolvent banks.

``She really hasn't shown her mettle in aggressively seizing banks and helping to sort out solvency issues,'' said Joseph Mason, an economist at Louisiana State University.

Still, Bair -- a lifelong Republican who has made a career in regulation with a decidedly non-Republican bent -- has stood out in an administration that's been criticized for going easy on oversight.

Bair, who has pushed banks to carry less debt and for strong net capital standards, has been ``a tougher regulator in a reasonable way than most Bush appointees,'' said House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat."