U.S. Sen. Menendez expects finreg deal this week

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Key U.S. senators are expected to hammer out a bipartisan agreement on financial regulation by the end of the week, Sen. Robert Menendez said on Tuesday.

"I would hope that by the end of the week we have ... some efforts to come together on a bipartisan basis. That is our hope and expectation," Menendez told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd has tasked a handful of senators to work out details on specific components of the financial regulation overhaul.

(Reporting by Corbett B. Daly, Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)