The Democratic chairman and a Republican on the Senate banking committee said on Saturday they were confident Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke would win confirmation for a second term.

Based on our discussions with our colleagues, we are very confident that Chairman Bernanke will win confirmation by the Senate for a second term, Senators Chris Dodd and Judd Gregg said in a joint statement.

Bernanke's confirmation suddenly appeared in jeopardy on Friday after two Senate Democrats announced they were opposed, joining a growing number of senators who had vowed to vote against his appointment.

Bernanke's critics say the Fed failed to prevent the recent financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, and combated the meltdown in a way that favored banks and others in the financial industry at the expense of ordinary citizens.

Dodd, a Democrat, and Gregg, a Republican, said recent media reports on Bernanke's prospects were highlighting a very vocal opposition.

They added that Bernanke had done an excellent job responding to the financial crisis and they supported him because he is the right leader to guide the Federal Reserve in this recovering economy.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine, Editing by Sandra Maler and Paul Simao)

Ben Bernanke