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== Terms in office ==
== Terms in office ==
Miller was first elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1978. He is serving his eighth four-year term as of 2013, and is the longest-serving state attorney general in the nation. He was re-elected in 1982 and 1986. In 1990 he ran for governor; however, he failed to obtain the [[Iowa Democratic Party|Democratic Party's]] nomination. He worked in private practice with the Des Moines office of the Faegre & Benson Law Firm. Miller was again elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1994, and was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010.
Miller was first elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1978. He is serving his eighth four-year term as of 2013, and is the longest-serving state attorney general in the nation. He was re-elected in 1982 and 1986. In 1990 he ran for governor; however, he failed to obtain the [[Iowa Democratic Party|Democratic Party's]] nomination. He worked in private practice with the Des Moines office of the Faegre & Benson Law Firm. Miller was again elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1994, and was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010.

== Significant legal cases, events ==
=== Tobacco settlement ===
In 1998, Miller was a leader in the 46-state [[Master Settlement Agreement|settlement with the tobacco industry]] for more than $200 billion. The state attorneys general forced the tobacco industry to reimburse state funds expended to deal with one of the biggest public health disasters in modern times. They were also able to expose the industry’s corrupt practices, uncovering for the first time how they promoted addiction through manipulation of nicotine levels, engaged in a secret campaign to hook teens and pre-teens on cigarettes, and lied to government officials and the public.

=== Household Finance ===
In 2002, Miller was the lead state attorney general in the 50-state, $484 million Household Finance subprime loan settlement,<ref>{{cite web|author=Press release by Office of the Iowa Attorney General|url=http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/latest_news/releases/dec_2002/hhold.html|title=Miller: All Fifty States Join Settlement with Household Finance|publisher=State.ia.us|date=December 16, 2002|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> after the states alleged that Household violated state laws by misrepresenting loan terms and failing to disclose material information to borrowers. At the time, the case was the largest direct restitution amount ever in a state or federal consumer case.

=== Ameriquest Mortgage ===
In January 2006, Miller led 49 states and the District of Columbia into a $325 million settlement agreement with Ameriquest Mortgage Company<ref>{{cite web|author=Press release by Office of the Iowa Attorney General|url=http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/latest_news/releases/jan_2006/Ameriquest_Iowa.html|title=Ameriquest Will Pay $325 Million and Reform its Lending Practices|publisher=State.ia.us|date=January 23, 2006|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> over alleged illegal lending practices. The agreement compelled Ameriquest to make sweeping reforms of its business practices.

=== State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group ===
In 2007, anticipating the role of bad subprime loans in the national mortgage market collapse, Miller organized the State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csbs.org/regulatory/Pages/SFPWG.aspx|title=Data reports of State Foreclosure Prevention Working Group|publisher=Conference of State bank Supervisers|date=|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> a multistate coalition working with subprime mortgage loan servicers to reduce the number of unnecessary foreclosures by encouraging loan modifications and other sustainable, long-term solutions. The coalition, made up of state attorneys general and state banking regulators, collaborated with industry and federal regulators to develop a uniform data reporting format to collect comparative data to measure the extent of the foreclosure problem and the servicers’ efforts to respond to it.

=== Countrywide Financial ===
In 2008 Miller was a lead negotiator in a settlement with [[Bank of America Home Loans|Countrywide Financial Corporation]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Press release by Office of the Iowa Attorney General|url=http://www.iowa.gov/government/ag/latest_news/releases/oct_2008/Countrywide.html|title=Miller: AGs Reach Agreement with Countrywide Financial that Will Help Almost 400,000 Borrowers Facing Foreclosure|publisher=Iowa.gov|date=October 6, 2008|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> over allegations that the subprime mortgage company used unfair and deceptive tactics in its loan-origination and servicing activities – and that borrowers often were put in structurally unfair and unaffordable loans. Countrywide agreed to provide loan modifications to up to 397,000 borrowers nationwide. Permanent relief to borrowers was estimated to help homeowners in the amount of $8 billion nationwide. The Countrywide settlement was then the largest predatory lending settlement in history.

=== National Mortgage Settlement ===
In 2011 Miller led state attorneys general in a nationwide joint state-federal civil law enforcement investigation and later a $25 billion settlement with the nation's five largest mortgage servicers. The investigation began with allegations of mortgage fraud, including the widespread “robo-signing” of foreclosure-related affidavits. The unprecedented agreement, announced in February of 2012,<ref>{{cite web|author=Press release by Office of the Iowa Attorney General|url=http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/latest_news/releases/feb_2012/Mortgage_help.html|title=Miller Announces $25 Billion Joint State-Federal Mortgage Servicing Settlement on Foreclosure Wrongs|publisher=State.ia.us|date=February 9, 2012|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> resulted in fundamental changes to mortgage servicing standards and new consumer protections; substantial relief to homeowners, including significant principal reduction; and an independent monitor called the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight, which oversees compliance with the agreement. The National Mortgage Settlement is by far the largest joint state-federal settlement in U.S. history.<ref>{{cite web|author=Press release by the U.S Department of Justice|url=http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/February/12-ag-186.html|title=Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest Mortgage Servicers to Address Mortgage Loan Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses|publisher=justice.gov|date=February 9, 2012|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref>

=== Standard & Poor's ===
In 2013, as part of a coordinated federal-state civil law enforcement effort, Miller filed a consumer fraud lawsuit<ref>{{cite web|author=Press release by Office of the Iowa Attorney General|url=http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/latest_news/releases/feb_2013/McGraw_ratings.html|title=Miller Files Lawsuit against Standard & Poor’s|publisher=State.ia.us|date=February 5, 2013|accessdate=February 7, 2013}}</ref> against Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services. The lawsuit alleges that S&P misrepresented to consumers that its investment analysis services, which people relied on to make investment decisions, were objective, independent, and not influenced by the company’s own or its clients’ financial interests. This case is pending.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 04:28, 18 February 2013

For other people named Thomas Miller, see Thomas Miller (disambiguation).
Tom Miller
File:Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.jpg
31st and 33rd
Iowa Attorney General
In office
2010–2014
Preceded byBonnie Campbell
In office
1979–1991
Preceded byRichard C. Turner
Personal details
Born (1944-08-11) August 11, 1944 (age 79)
Dubuque, Iowa
Political partyDemocratic Party of Iowa
SpouseHolli Miller
ChildrenMatt
ResidenceDes Moines, Iowa
Alma materLoras College
Harvard Law School
ProfessionAttorney

Thomas John (Tom) Miller (born August 11, 1944) is an attorney and the current Attorney General of the State of Iowa.

Early life and education

Miller was raised in Dubuque, Iowa. He graduated from Wahlert Catholic High School in Dubuque, earned his undergraduate degree at Loras College in Dubuque, and completed his law degree at Harvard Law School in 1969.

Early career

He served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Baltimore for one year and as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. John Culver of Iowa, worked for the Baltimore Legal Aid Bureau, and taught at the University of Maryland School of Law.

Miller returned to northeast Iowa in 1973 and opened a law practice in McGregor, Iowa. He served as the city attorney for McGregor and Marquette for five years.

Terms in office

Miller was first elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1978. He is serving his eighth four-year term as of 2013, and is the longest-serving state attorney general in the nation. He was re-elected in 1982 and 1986. In 1990 he ran for governor; however, he failed to obtain the Democratic Party's nomination. He worked in private practice with the Des Moines office of the Faegre & Benson Law Firm. Miller was again elected Attorney General of Iowa in 1994, and was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010.

References

Template:Persondata

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