September 17, 2007 (LPAC)--Today, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was in Paris and London, for private meetings on the financial crisis, held at the same time as thousands queued up in Britain to withdraw their money from Northern Rock Plc, a bank chain, and fifth largest mortgage lender in the U.K. Paulson gave nice-guy comments to reporters in pre-arranged press availabilities in both cities.

Asserting that the U.S. economy was "healthy" and growing, he said that the current international turmoil could be solved by cooperation. In Paris, he said, "There is great vigilance now on the part of regulators, in terms of staying close to markets, as we work our way through this situation." In London, where he met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, Paulson said, "Pointing fingers right in the middle of a period of stress and strain is not as useful as getting together and then seeking solutions." But following his meeting with Paulson, Darling took the occasion to reiterate that his government backs peoples' savings in Northern Rock, so people should stop their run on the bank.