One of the reporters noted that Powell's public calendar showed calls with Larry Fink, BlackRock's chief executive, in March, April, and May. The exchange was hardly the first time no-bid contracts between the Fed and BlackRock's Financial Markets Advisory unit raised questions. Still, former employees told Insider that FMA has served as a clear source of public-facing clout for BlackRock. "The FMA clients have extended their advisory relationships to be multiyear." A little over a year ago, FMA pulled employees out of BlackRock's office there, three former employees said.

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