---
born: 1931-06-03
category: BCCI Scandal
created: 2024-04-25
died: 2013-08-15
location: Gainesville, Georgia
summary: T. Bertram 'Bert' Lance was Jimmy Carter's first Director of the Office of
  Management and Budget, who resigned in 1977 amid a congressional investigation into
  banking improprieties, and subsequently became the crucial intermediary who introduced
  Agha Hasan Abedi to Clark Clifford and facilitated BCCI's covert entry into the
  U.S. banking market.
tags:
- Person
- BCCI
- Banking
updated: 2026-05-01
---

T. Bertram (Bert) Lance was President [Jimmy Carter](/people/jimmy-carter/)'s budget director and former chairman of [National Bank of Georgia](/organizations/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](/people/eugene-holley/) introduced Lance to [Agha Hasan Abedi](/people/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](/organizations/financial-general-bankshares/), which later became [First American Bank](/organizations/first-american-bank/).[^8] He recruited his friend and attorney [Clark Clifford](/people/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]

[^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.