this appointment and i'm very proud to introduce my friend, terrific public servant in ohio, richard cordray. >> thank you senator brown. mr. cordray i look forward to hearing your testimony. will the nominee please rise and raise your right hand? do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god? do you agree to testify before any duly constituted committee of the senate? >> yes, i i do. >> please be seated. please be assured that your written statement will be part of the record. please also note that the members of this committee may submit written questions to you for the record and you should respond to this question promptly in order for the committee to advance your nomination. mr. cordray, if you would like, please introduce your family and friends who are in attendance before beginning your statement. >> thank you mr. chairman. i will take you up on that suggestion. i'm glad to have with me today, if you like i don't need to introduce them at this point as they been commented on, my wife page and

richard cordray has spent his career in public service. he has taken the time to understand and come up with the best most practical solutions for their problems. mr. cordray support small businesses and honest companies. he has been a member of the local chamber of commerce for 22 years. he believes in leveling the playing field so that small companies can compete fairly and playing by the rules is good for business. i ask unanimous consent to include several letters of endorsement into the hearing. mr. cordray also believes that people and corporations must be responsible for their own behavior and if they act responsibly, they should get a fair shake. it is my hope that if confirmed, mr. cordray will use his knowledge and experience as a law enforcement official and public servant to better protect american consumers and to enhance the quality of our consumer financial markets. we have seen many important nominations in the senate and denied an up-or-down vote on confirmation. the stability of our financial system and of our economy is s

. >>> the senate banking committee holds a confirmation hearing today for richard cordray, the former ohio attorney general is the president's pick as head of the new consumer financial protection bureau. the new office, created in the wake of the financial crisis, is meant to protect consumers taking out loans, using credit cards, and making other financial transactions. >>> oil is continuing its slide. the price of crude dipped to $83 a barrel this morning in asia. despite its slide, gas is still rising. the average price of a gallon of regular is now $3.66 nationwide. >>> "the help" didn't take the holiday weekend off. the story of southern black maids during the civil rights movement was the top draw at the box office for the third week now in a row. behind "the help," "the debt" finished second with "apollo 18" rounding out the top three. box office revenues are slightly up this year because of higher ticket prices, but attendance is down to its lowest since 1997. >>> and still no end to royal wedding fever. britain's "daily mail" reports more than 350,000 people have visited the