Senator Byrd's Financial Disclosure Reports

West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s checking account is double what it was in 2007, but his stock is less than half of what it was that same year, according to financial forms released in May.

Byrd’s Financial Disclosure Report stated that his Sun Trust Checking account is now between $50,000 and $100,000, while his stock has declined to between $15,000 and $50,000.

Each year, all senators are required to file a United States Financial Disclosure Report that features their personal assets and income.  The report does not give exact amounts, but values in wide ranges, making it difficult to determine the definite financial well-being of an individual.

According to the disclosure report, Byrd suffered a $50,000 to $150,000 decline in assets between the calendar years of 2007 and 2008.           

The interest on his Sun Trust Individual Retirement Account remains between $100,000 and $250,000 and the amount of his assets for his rental house in Shepherdstown, W.Va. remains between $250,000 and $500,000.  The income for his rental house is between $5,000 and $15,000, which is no change from 2007.

There were increases in Byrd’s Sun Trust Checking Account that was valued at between $15,000 and $50,000 in 2007, which is now between $50,000 and $100,000 for 2008.

While the increase of his checking account could have been as little as $1 to make the jump to the $50.000 to $100,000 range, the amount of decline in his stock was much more significant.

The stock he had in HHC Insurance Holdings suffered a decrease from between $100,000 and $250,000 to between $15,000 and $50,000, meaning the amount was at least a $50,000 decrease.

The royalties he received from Geifman Schneider Literary Agents for his book income also decreased from $30,000 in 2007 to $10,000 in 2008.

Legistorm.com reported that Byrd’s salary for being senator as of January 1, 2009 increased to $193,400 from his 2008 salary of $188,100.