The White House search for a successor to Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Alan Greenspan, who is scheduled to retire in January, has intensified and goes beyond the three most prominent candidates, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

For months, the three candidates cited most frequently have been economists Martin Feldstein of Harvard University, Glenn Hubbard of Columbia University, and Ben Bernanke, chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.

But the White House is also looking at other candidates, including former Bush adviser Lawrence Lindsey, the report quoted several people familiar with the process as saying.

They said the White House has not rejected the three major candidates but does not want to limit its choice prematurely.

Choosing a successor to Greenspan, 79, will be one of Bush's most important economic decisions, said the report, adding that the Fed chairman wields unequaled influence over US and world economic growth.

Greenspan's current term as a Fed governor ends on Jan. 31, and by law he cannot serve another.

Lindsey, an economist, served as a Fed governor from 1991 to 1997, when he warned regularly of the dangers of the stock bubble.

A staunch advocate of lower taxes, he became an adviser to Bush during his 2000 campaign and then director of the White House National Economic Council, which coordinates administration economic policy, according to the report.

His tenure was marked by infighting, and he left under a cloud in late 2002. He now runs his own economic consulting firm, the Lindsey Group.

The report quoted a former administration official as saying that one reason the White House is looking beyond the three most prominent candidates is that it is "very concerned that whoever they get not only has understanding of monetary policy, but experience working with financial markets and the ability to use business and market contacts to get ahead of the statistical economic data."

Greenspan, who took office in 1987, could remain chairman past Jan. 31 if the White House has not nominated a successor, or its pick has not been confirmed by the Senate, the report said.

Source: Xinhua