Lewis William Seidman (April 29, 1921 – May 13, 2009)[1] was an American economist, financial commentator, and former head of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, best known for his role in helping work to correct the Savings and Loan Crisis in the American financial sector from 1988 to 1991 as head of the Resolution Trust Corporation.

He also worked as an economic adviser during three separate administrations of United States presidents: Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

He was lauded by both Republicans and Democrats for his work in cleaning up the frauds of the Savings and Loan disaster, but was pushed out of American government by the George H.W.

He served in the United States Navy as an officer on a destroyer in the Pacific theater during World War II and won a Bronze Star.

Nevertheless, Seidman's work was seen as crucial in terms of providing stability to the American banking system and helping provide a foundation for the prosperity of the 1990s in the United States, and he was given credit by members of both major parties—for instance, Sen. Charles Schumer (then a House Representative), even though Schumer was a prominent Democrat and Seidman was a Republican, said that "One of the bright spots in this whole mess has been Mr.

[12] By the end of his life, he was serving as an advisor to SecondMarket, continued his work as a CNBC financial commentator, and was also a former advisory board member to the Keating Network LLC, a company seeking to connect small and medium-sized businesses.

"[5] Seidman died of complications from a sudden attack of pneumonia after an intercontinental airline flight in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the age of 88.