[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 29, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E943-E944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ED LAWLOR TO RETIRE AS NJ LEAGUE PRESIDENT AFTER 42 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______


                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 29, 1996

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Ed Lawlor, president 
of the New Jersey Savings and Loan League, on his retirement.
  As chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, it is 
with great pleasure but also a certain sense of loss that I 
congratulate Ed Lawlor on his retirement as head of the New Jersey 
Savings and Loan League.
  Ed and the league have always been partners working for solutions as 
I've pushed for legislative solutions to the many challenges that have 
faced the thrift industry over the years. From Garn-St. German 
legislation in 1982 to the latest battle to recapitalize SAIF, I have 
worked closely with Ed and his relentless pursuit of good public policy 
has been invaluable.
  As a battle-scarred veteran of the savings and loan debacle of the 
1980's. I can say it was a relief to be able to turn to Ed for advice. 
Ed was a rare voice of reason and honesty in those tumultuous days. Let 
me say that through the darkest hours of the savings and loan industry, 
I have always been proud of the manner in which New Jersey institutions 
have conducted themselves. So many times New Jersey thrifts have been 
asked to foot the bill for those institutions in Texas, California, and 
Arkansas that caused the lion's share of the problems in the thrift 
industry.
  One of Ed's greatests assets is his sense of perspective. We have 
here a man with more than four decades of service to New Jersey's 
thrift industry, 42 years to be precise. Ed's length of service has 
allowed him to see the broad picture and has put him in the position to 
gauge how this week's crisis or next week's will play in the long-term.
  Most recently, Ed and I have worked together on legislation to 
recapitalize the Savings Association Insurance Fund and to shore up the 
FICO problem. I wish we had been successful in a resolution to this 
problem before his departure. But let me assure you that I will keep up 
the fight to see that we pass legislation that will once and for all 
ensure the continued profitability, safety, and soundness of the thrift 
industry.
  Ed has been a trusted and reliable friend and confident. I thank him 
again for his support and the exceptional help he and the

[[Page E944]]

league gave me during his tenure as President. I wish only the best for 
Ed, his wife, Marion, their children and grandchildren.

                          ____________________