James Inhofe of Oklahoma, an influential Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wasn't buying that.

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The Neill committee now proposes that the threat of wealthy individuals buying influence is to be tackled by greater transparency.

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On a visit to India in early November, Robert Rubin, chairman of Citigroup's executive committee and a former American treasury secretary, said that Citi might consider buying a local bank, if regulations allowed it to.

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The Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement Wednesday that it would continue with its bond-buying program as widely expected.

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What's more, members of the bank's Monetary Policy Committee have made it clear during the past couple of weeks that yet more bond-buying could be in the cards when the current round ends, especially if the euro-zone crisis keeps pressure on the U.K. economy.

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