Greenspan and Mitchell Disclose Their Holdings

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, the nation’s most powerful economic policymaker, essentially was treading water in terms of his investment holdings in 2003, which were little changed from the previous year.

A financial disclosure form released by the Federal Reserve on Thursday, showed that the value of Greenspan’s assets last year totaled between $3 million and $6.4 million, about the same as in 2002. The figures need only be given in broad ranges.

As chief of the Fed, Greenspan has preferred to keep all of his holdings in money market accounts and short-term Treasury bills, which are considered the world’s safest investment, to avoid any appearance of conflict that might be raised by stock holdings in individual companies.

Greenspan, 78, recently began his fifth and final term as Fed chairman.

Greenspan’s wife, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell, had separate investment holdings valued at between $1.3 million and nearly $3 million in 2003. Those assets generated income of between $15,715 and $48,500 last year.

Mitchell’s holdings included stock in Abbott Laboratories, Anheuser Busch Cos., H.J. Heinz Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Del Monte Foods Co.

Mitchell also was paid thousands of dollars in honorariums last year, including $15,000 from Rush Presbyterian Hospital and $20,000 from the Columbus Literacy Council.