T. Bertram (Bert) Lance was President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s budget director and former chairman of [[National Bank of Georgia]].[^1] ### Political and Banking Career Lance gained prominence as Jimmy Carter's budget director but later resigned due to a congressional investigation into financial improprieties.[^2] He became chief executive of the National Bank of Georgia, which was the largest lender to Jimmy Carter's peanut warehouse.[^3] He borrowed $2.6 million to finance his purchase of stock in the bank.[^4] ### Involvement with BCCI [[Eugene Holley]] introduced Lance to [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] in October 1977.[^5] Abedi helped Lance finalize the acquisition of National Bank of Georgia from Lance in January 1978, and on the same day, Abedi paid off Lance's $3.5 million bank loan.[^6] Lance's financial difficulties were leveraged by Abedi to facilitate BCCI's entry into the U.S. market.[^7] Lance played a key role in the acquisition of [[Financial General Bankshares]], which later became [[First American Bank]].[^8] He recruited his friend and attorney [[Clark Clifford]] to represent Abedi, BCCI, and the front men in the Financial General suit.[^9] BCCI also hired Lance as a consultant at a salary of $100,000.[^10] ### Footnotes [^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 10. [^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 178. [^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 179. [^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 179. [^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 11. [^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 12. [^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 179. [^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 181. [^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 183. [^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 182.