Quarles sworn in as Fed’s head of supervision

WASHINGTON — Randal Quarles was sworn in as a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors Friday afternoon and as vice chairman for supervision, making him the first person to hold that position since it was created by the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010.

Quarles, a former private equity fund manager and a Treasury official under President George W. Bush, was confirmed by the Senate as a member of the Fed board by a vote of 65-32 last week and later confirmed as vice chair by voice vote. Neither Quarles nor any other member of the Fed board made statements accompanying the announcement.

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

The swearing-in marks a formal end to a prolonged era of speculation around who President Trump would nominate for the job, which had been filled on a de facto basis by former Gov. Daniel Tarullo, who chaired the Fed’s supervisory committee before he resigned in April.

Several potential nominees were floated, including former Bush Treasury official David Nason and former George H.W. Bush official and corporate attorney Thomas Vartanian. Quarles was formally nominated in July.

His nomination drew some criticism from Democrats, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts saying on the Senate floor that Quarles had “gone through the revolving door so many times it is hard to keep up.”

But Quarles held his own in his confirmation hearing in July, saying his hope was that bank regulations can be made clearer without subjecting the public to excessive risks. Ultimately five Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee voted to confirm Quarles.