Progressive favorite Elizabeth Warren -- Harvard Law professor, TARP overseer, and potential nominee to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- has been meeting quietly with top bank lobbyists in the past couple of weeks, reports Brady Denis. Is it a sign that Warren's nomination is gaining steam? Probably. Despite claims to the contrary, Warren believes in markets at heart, and her driving goal is to make markets work better for consumers by improving the quality of information available. Talking those ideas over with the financial sector's lobbyists could help clear the way for her nomination. At the very least, she likely wouldn't be taking those meetings if she didn't believe she was still in the running for the position. The latest I've heard from administration officials on the matter is that there's a greater than 50 percent chance she'll get the nod from President Obama. Crack reporting, I know.
-- Tim Fernholz
