He turned down $10,000 a month from some savings and loan executives to do little more than front for their real estate deals.

He is accused of intervening in 1986 on behalf of three Texas savings and loan executives facing severe financial pressure.

In the trust fund case, a former savings and loan executive received $10,000 a month as a "charity" payment from his child's trust.

But even with the lower mortgage rates generally, loan executives said, some consumers a reluctant to lock in a rate.

Some savings and loan executives play down the dangers.

No one, however, could dispute the facts: free condominiums, book deals, junk bond investments with the help of savings and loan executives.

The worst example of that came in the 1980's, when repeated political intervention let savings and loan executives keep obviously phony assets on their books.

A genial, square-jawed former savings and loan executive, Frank, 57 years old, is a large man with a direct manner; subordinates call him Tony.

Yet the savings and loan executives were not at risk.

In the first questioning by the Ethics Committee, the Senators said they did no favors for the savings and loan executive.