Financial-meltdown commission sets first hearings

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The panel set up by Congress to tell us why the financial-system meltdown happened -- i.e., who and what to blame -- will hold its first hearings Jan. 13 and 14 in Washington.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, chaired by former California Treasurer Phil Angelides, said today the initial hearings will focus on the “causes and current state of the financial crisis.”

The witness list is pending, a spokeswoman said. (So is the commission’s website, still a blank page at this point.)

Congress is expecting a final report from the 10-member, bipartisan commission by Dec. 15, 2010. The panel has a budget of $8 million.

-- Tom Petruno