FDIC’s McWilliams looks to Fifth Third to fill senior leadership jobs

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced the appointments of three senior officials Tuesday, including a new general counsel.

Two of the hires come from Fifth Third Bancorp, where FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams was formerly a senior executive.

Nick Podsiadly, currently a deputy general counsel and senior vice president at Fifth Third, was named to the post of the FDIC's top lawyer. Leonard Chanin, a former deputy general counsel at Fifth Third, was named deputy to the chairman.

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Jelena McWilliams, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), listens during a Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) meeting at the U.S. Treasury in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018. When Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin fingered high-frequency trading and the Volcker Rule as factors behind recent misery in the stock market he left out some other possibilities that might be contributing. Namely, the White Houses's ongoing trade conflict with China and President Donald Trump's threat last week to shut down the government. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
Al Drago/Bloomberg

The FDIC also announced the promotion of Harrel Pettway to the position of senior deputy general counsel at the agency.

"I have had the privilege of working with Nick, Harrel and Leonard, and I know firsthand the tremendous wealth of knowledge that they bring to the table. The FDIC is fortunate to have them," McWilliams said in a press release.

Both Podsiadly and Chanin have crossed paths with McWilliams in various roles over the past decade, but most recently all three worked at Fifth Third in 2017 before McWilliams took the reins of the FDIC the following year.

Podsiadly will start at the FDIC on April 8, succeeding Charles Yi, who planned to step down as general counsel at the end of March.

Chanin started at the FDIC March 18 and will advise the chairman on consumer protection issues, including how to reach the unbanked and underbanked. He will also be an adviser on the development of a new FDIC office announced last year intended to assist banks in the adoption of fintech innovations.

McWilliams previously worked for Chanin in the Federal Reserve Board’s division of consumer and community affairs.

Pettway has been at the FDIC since July 2015 in various roles, including deputy general counsel for corporate operations.

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Career moves Policymaking Regional banks Jelena McWilliams FDIC Fifth Third Bancorp
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