Frank: I’m not talking Dodd-Frank fixes

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) vehemently squashed rumors Wednesday that he was working with his Republican counterparts on a technical corrections bill to the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, and quipped that someone must be impersonating him to fellow lawmakers.

CQ Today reported Tuesday that House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) said he was in talks with Frank, the ranking member of the committee, about legislation that would make several fixes to the Wall Street reform package.

{mosads}But Frank insisted that was not the case, suggesting it could be mistaken identity.

“I would like to investigate the individual who is apparently impersonating me in the Capitol and has fooled Spencer Bachus into thinking he has been dealing with me,” he said in a statement.

“I’ve read in the media that Chairman Bachus and I were discussing technical fixes to the financial reform law, including to a provision regarding rating agencies. In fact, several weeks ago I had one conversation with him about changes I would like to make to the provision on interchange fees,” he added. “I am not aware of any other conversations going on, either about the rating agency provisions in the law or any other section.”

Republicans have been pushing to limit the reach of Dodd-Frank, pushing legislation that would alter or repeal several portions of the law. And broad repeal bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate. The Senate version has been co-sponsored by the entire Republican leadership in that chamber.

House Republicans are also pushing bills that would modify the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by the law, and have proposed cutting the budgets of federal regulators charged with implementing its many provisions.

Frank announced Tuesday that he would support legislation that would delay the implementation of limits on debit card fees in Dodd-Frank, but indicated he was not willing to weigh further alterations.

In a separate statement announcing his support for the delay, Frank declared that provision to be “the only part of the financial reform bill that needs to be amended.”