Was This Really A Suicide? Apparent Suicide?

[bkkyosemite]

Freddie Mac official found dead in apparent suicide


AP – This undated photo provided by Freddie Mac shows David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer … By ALAN ZIBEL and MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writers Alan Zibel And Matthew Barakat, Associated Press Writers – 14 mins ago
WASHINGTON – David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of money-losing mortgage giant Freddie Mac was found dead at his home Wednesday morning in what police said was an apparent suicide.

The Fairfax County police responded to a 911-call at 4:48 a.m. at the suburban Virginia home Kellermann shared with his wife. The police would not release the cause of death or say if a suicide note was found.

Kellermann, 41, lived in Hunter Mill Estates, a well-off neighborhood of large single-family homes with manicured lawns. County records show Kellermann's home is worth about $900,000.

Paul Unger, who lives across the street from the Kellermanns, called the family a "solid, salt-of-the-earth kind of family" that hosted the neighborhood's Halloween party. "He was just a nice guy ... You cannot imagine what kind of pressures he must have been under," Unger said.

Kellermann worked for Freddie Mac for the past 16 years and was named acting chief financial officer last September when the government seized control of the company to keep it from failing. Freddie Mac lost more than $50 billion last year, and the government has pumped in $45 billion to keep the company afloat.

Kellermann's death is the latest in a string of blows to Freddie Mac, which owns or guarantees about 13 million mortgages and us the No. 2 mortgage finance company after sibling Fannie Mae. The company has been criticized for financing risky mortgage loans that fueled the real estate bubble, and its first government appointed CEO, David Moffett, resigned last month after six months on the job.

News of Kellermann's death came as a shock to employees of the McLean, Va.-based company, with those who knew Kellermann tearing up on Wednesday morning and a quiet mood prevailing.

Early Wednesday, Sharon McHale, a Freddie Mac spokeswoman, said senior executives at the company heard the news on local radio before going to work. "It's just so awful," she said.

John Koskinen, the company's interim chief executive, said in a statement that Kellermann, "was a man of great talents .... His extraordinary work ethic and integrity inspired all who worked with him."

Freddie Mac and sibling company Fannie Mae have both come under fire from lawmakers as they plan to pay more than $210 million in bonuses through next year to give workers the incentive to stay in their jobs. While Fannie Mae has disclosed the names of executives in line for the bonuses, Freddie Mac has yet to do so.

____

Associated Press Writer Matt Small contributed to this report

Edit: forgot link sorry:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_freddie_mac_official_dead

[babylonsister]

1. I just heard on m$nbc he hung himself. nt

[ShortnFiery]

4. Not that he was "shot twice in the head?"

:shrug:

[bkkyosemite]

2. ""was a man of great talents .... His extraordinary work ethic and integrity"

Was he going to spill some beans perhaps....intergrity, work ethic...hmmm

[aquart]

3. Killed himself rather than reveal bonus recipients?

No. But how very interesting.

[RB TexLa]

5. People do kill themselves.

[ShortnFiery]

7. But sometimes it's a little too convenient - like "The Anthrax Suspect" or "The D.C. Madam?"

:shrug:

[defendandprotect]

18. Unfortunatley, too many of them have connections to corrupt capitalism . ..

and seem to be ready to reveal embarrassing or criminal behavior of higher ups.

[Echo In Light]

6. Is he Ken Lay "dead?"

[ShortnFiery]

8. Yes, something tells me ole Burnie Madoff is going to be meeting up with Ken Lay in the near future.

They're laughing their asses off at us while sipping Pina Coladas on their tropic island. :(

[rcrush]

16. I've been trying to bet on when we will hear that Bernie "hanged himself" in his cell.

[county worker]

9. I still don't get why we pay bonuses to keep people at there jobs.

Where are they going to go? Maybe we pay them to stay alive too!

The problem as I see it is that since these folks deal in the billions of dollars we somehow put them in a different sphere then we put ourselves. The rules we play by are not meant to govern them.

That is what is at the heart of this whole economic mess. Paying bonuses to people who's company failed is just not right!

[defendandprotect]

21. The heart of it all is DE-REGULATION and privatization of government . . .

Overturning of New Deal financial regulations/restrictions --

And where oh where do we hear Democrats calling for Re-regulation of criminal capitalism?

The "bonus" myth is based on a corrupt corporation with severe problems not being able to

hold onto top excecutives who know their secrets, IMO -- i.e., more likely paying for silence.

[TahitiNut]

28. It's important to keep "team players" who know how to "play ball."

:shrug: After all, the farm teams aren't that good.

[havocmom]

10. article on Huffington blog re wives of the rich & infamous TARP recipients

One might wonder how some trophy wives (and I don't know anything about Kellermann's widow, she may not or may fit the model) are not happy with loss of income and status. One could wonder about a lot of marriages.

There is a lot of really high emotions at critical times in a marriage. Some of these guys might be facing loss of wives and that could make normally resilient people less able to deal with life.

[bkkyosemite]

11. He doesn't look suicidal but I guess you never know.

Chief Financial Officer and the Repubs like my brother say Freddie Mac was the cause of this financial mess.

I just thought it strange. He is not implicated in the investigation going on. He is well liked and said to be honest with the upmost of integrity. Just doesn't set with me the type to hang himself.

[ben_jenne]

14. Odd statement there,

you expected a noose around his neck or something? How could you possibly make that judgment from a photo?

[bkkyosemite]

19. I think something smells with this death.

[Shell Beau]

25. I don't know how someone "looks" suicidal.

[bkkyosemite]

27. The man in the picture looks happy, nice and professional. Not depressed looking or ready to hang

himself. You just never can tell by looks. That is what I meant by my comment. But I am suspicious of this death.

Btw Cute Baby!

[Shell Beau]

29. Thanks!! She is a cutie, huh?

;)

[Occam Bandage]

33. I don't quite get what that means.

I don't think I've ever known a depressed person who was actually physically incapable of smiling. Disregarding the fact that depressed people can actually be happy from time to time, that's a Pan-am smile.

[rcrush]

12. He killed himself" the same the DC Madame "Killed Herself"

[Fireweed247]

13. he didn't cause the problems

He just came in to clean up the mess.

Sounds like he found out something he wasn't supposed to.

And to anyone who really believes this is suicide...c'mon now....

[defendandprotect]

15. They lost 50 Billion . . . we gave them 45 billion ... !!!!

Aren't Freddie and Fannie Mae simply PRIVATIZATIONS of what used to be government

programs -- ???

Privatization is simply another avenue for ripping off tax--payers.

[Fireweed247]

23. and this guy probably found out exactly what happened to all the money

big mistake...

[defendandprotect]

35. I'm sure he knew a few things they didn't want known -- n/t

[woodsprite]

17. Well, my freeper cubby mate says that Barney Frank is responsible.

I now have my earphones on and turned up to 'deafening' volume.

[Norquist Nemesis]

20. *whew!!* I figured Hillary would get fingered for sure!!!!

[sufrommich]

32. Oh, there's a lot of "Vince Fostering" going on over there

right now. Why the posters crying conspiracy here think they sound any more brilliant than the freepers there is beyond me.

[JVS]

30. I'm blaming the teabaggers. RWers hate Freddie Mac because it's guv'mint run

[Hawaii Hiker]

22. Maybe their is more to story, perhaps he was

diagnosed with a devasting illness (cancer, etc)...

[lurky]

24. He was the new guy. Appointed to fix it.

He didn't cause the problems, so it's not like he was looking at jail time. In fact, if he were able to "save" Freddie Mac he could have used that to become a CEO or something. Maybe he had personal problems, but it seems a little weird.

[defendandprotect]

26. "Sworn to Secrecy" . . . by whom????????????????????

Their duty is to the Constitution . . . not to corrupt officials --- !!!

[Occam Bandage]

31. People who accidentally break the entire economy tend to be under a lot of pressure. nt

[FraDon]

34. knew too much • wouldn't play ball

and Kenny Boy is quite alive, having lobster for lunch.