OCC promotes two longtime staff members, including climate officer

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Tuesday it has promoted two longtime employees. 

The changes come amid a higher-level reshuffling of senior agency staff members, following former acting Comptroller Blake Paulson’s June announcement that he will retire from the agency at the end of August. Under acting Comptroller Michael Hsu, the OCC is undergoing an organizational shake-up that puts key bank supervision units directly under the comptroller to “enhance the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness.” 

Jonathan Fink, who is currently assistant chief counsel for the agency, will become associate chief counsel. Fink also leads the OCC’s climate risk efforts related to supervision and policy, and he will continue in that job until a permanent climate risk officer is announced. 

Fink will report to the senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel, and will begin the new role in August. 

Fisk has been a leading public face on climate risk at the OCC in recent months. He spoke this week at the Financial Services Forum, urging banks to start building climate risk into their models and saying they shouldn’t wait for regulators to act first. 

He will “undertake special assignments” for the chief counsel and deputy chief counsels, the OCC said.

Patricia Grady will become deputy chief counsel, reporting to the senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel and advising senior OCC officials on legal, policy and administrative issues, the agency said. She is currently the director in administrative and internal law. 

Grady will also begin her new position in August.