Ambassador of the US Real Estate collapse

Page 3 of today's Süddeutsche Zeitung (subscription required; €) has an article on the human situation underneath the subprime Real Estate crisis in Prince George's County. It contains the following nugget of information I didn't know: the credit firm Ameriquest, formerly known for 'innovative' financing and re-financing practices--supposedly paving the way for poorer Americans to get on the way to home ownership--was founded by Roland E. Arnall. Presently Mr. Arnall lives in the Hague, since he is the US Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. To George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign he donated over one million dollars. And in 2006 he was slapped with a $300 Million fine by the Justice Department, for charging excessive interest and credit fees.