Poor economy sinks lawmakers' nesteggs

WASHINGTON, June 11 (UPI) -- Last year's economic meltdown left no one unaffected, even the richest members of the U.S. House of Representatives, financial disclosure forms indicate.

For example, the near-demise of insurance giant American International Group hurt House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., USA Today reported. Her husband, developer Paul Pelosi, lost between $100,000 and $1 million when he sold AIG shares at the end of 2008, her financial disclosure indicated.

Pelosi reported the couple's net worth is as much as $96 million, down from as high as $144 million in 2007.

The House clerk's office is scheduled to release members' reports and the Senate will release financial disclosure forms Monday, the newspaper said. LegiStorm, a non-partisan Web site that provides financial information about Congress, posted the House disclosures Wednesday after the House accidentally posted the information briefly online Tuesday.

Some of the other wealthy House members caught in the downturn include:

-- Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., listed his 2008 wealth as between $18.2 million and $63.6 million, down from $22.4 million to $72.3 million the previous year.

-- Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., reported a net worth of between $11.5 million and $62 million in 2008, down from $17 million to $83.6 million in the previous year.

-- Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., listed wealth of between $14.3 million and $59 million last year, down from $16.9 million to $70.5 million in 2007.

-- Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif., reported a net worth of between $13.3 million and $60.2 million in 2008, down from $14.5 million to $65.5 million a year earlier.