There is a four-foot-tall pile of papers next to Connecticut Assistant Attorney General Matthew Budzik’s desk that draws wisecracks from his staff. It’s a monument, of sorts, to the $25 billion mortgage settlement hammered out earlier this year by attorneys general from 49 states and five big banks implicated in the 2010 “robo-signing” foreclosure scandal that triggered a wave of reforms.
Budzik played a large role in that effort and the stack of documents include his original revisions and corrections to the historic 300-page agreement. Later this month, Budzik and representatives of seven other AG’s offices are being recognized for this accomplishment with Department of Justice Distinguished Service Awards an honor rarely bestowed on state officials.