Comptroller of the Currency Eugene A. Ludwig picked Matthew Roberts as his chief of staff and senior deputy comptroller for public affairs.
Mr. Roberts, 34, will replace Konrad Alt, who is leaving in early October after three years as the comptroller's top aide. Mr. Alt will become senior vice president for corporate strategic planning at World Savings and Loan Association in Oakland, Calif.
James Kamihachi also was promoted last week. He'll be senior deputy comptroller for economic and policy analysis.
Mr. Roberts, who joined the OCC in 1993 and is director of community and consumer law, will oversee the agency's communications with the public, banks, Congress, and other agencies. As chief of staff, he will advise Mr. Ludwig and manage the agency's senior staff.
Mr. Kamihachi has been deputy comptroller for economic and policy analysis since 1990. In his new role, he will advise Mr. Ludwig on how economic trends affect the national bank system. In addition, Mr. Kamihachi will oversee the OCC's work on electronic money issues. He's spending most of his time now organizing the Treasury Department's upcoming conference on electronic payment systems. Before joining the OCC, Mr. Kamihachi was a senior adviser at the Office of Management and Budget.
When asked why the agency split Mr. Alt's duties between two people, Mr. Kamihachi said the former chief of staff is a tough act to follow.
"Konrad is an extremely unusual combination of great political instincts and a very sophisticated understanding of economic analysis," Mr. Kamihachi said.
"His certainly are big shoes to fill," added Mr. Roberts, who served with Mr. Alt on the Senate Banking Committee staff prior to joining the OCC.
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The Office of Thrift Supervision has a new chief accountant: Timothy J. Stier. Mr. Stier moved up from the No. 2 spot. He succeeds David Martens, who left the agency in April to join the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.
Prior to becoming a thrift regulator in 1988, Mr. Stier worked for 10 years for the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche.
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The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. won't abide clashing colors.
FDIC Director Joseph Neely hung a large print of a magnolia in his office, but the white flower streaked with pink didn't match his office furniture. The solution? The agency recovered the couches to match the print.
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The Federal Reserve Board has rejiggered its policy committees to accommodate two new governors.
The bank supervision and regulation committees were merged and the chairmanship given to Susan M. Phillips, a Fed governor. Joining her are Governors Edward W. Kelley Jr. and Laurence Meyer, one of the board's two new members. Fed Governor Lawrence B. Lindsey continues to head the consumer and community affairs committee. He's joined by Mr. Meyer and Fed Governor Janet Yellen.
Fed Vice Chairman Alice Rivlin, the other new appointee, will not sit on any committees. But she will serve as the board's administrative officer, responsible for the operation of the central bank's buildings.
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Jonathan Sacks has been named a principal in the Secura Group's risk management practice.
Before joining the financial services consulting firm, Mr. Sacks was an examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, supervising activities in that region of large European and Asian banks. In his new role, he will advise foreign and domestic financial services companies on risk management issues.
