Jelena McWilliams

Jelena McWilliams is joining the firm following her high-profile exit from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

After Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chair Jelena McWilliams’ resignation, a Democrat on the board will temporarily run the agency. But it's still unclear who will call the shots over the long run and how policymaking will be affected by the FDIC's leftward shift.

During a House Financial Services Committee hearing, Democrats largely praised the policy decisions of acting regulators named by the Biden administration and knocked their predecessors. But Republicans warned that moves to reverse Trump-era policies would leave financial institutions without a clear road map.

The agency issued a request for information to gather feedback about how institutions facilitate use of cryptocurrencies and other kinds of assets, and what factors regulators should weigh as they develop supervisory policies.

Chairman Jelena McWilliams said the agency will issue a request for information "to learn more about what banks are doing, what banks are considering doing and what, if anything, the FDIC should be doing in this space.”

Jelena McWilliams, a Trump appointee, pushed back Wednesday on reports that an incoming Democratic majority may be able to enact policy at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. without her support. "The chairman really controls the board agenda," she said.

The comments by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chair Jelena McWilliams published in Politico reinforce optimism that the banking agencies could settle years of disagreement about modernizing the Community Reinvestment Act.

Trump appointee Jelena McWilliams is slated to be the agency's chair until mid-2023. But legal experts say a provision in the FDIC’s bylaws gives Democratic members of the governing board, now in the majority, an opening to reverse earlier rules championed by Republicans.

The central bank is exploring how to improve the consistency and transparency of safety and soundness scores used to grade banks and their holding companies, the agency’s vice chairman of supervision said.

The head of the agency told a congressional panel that the agency is taking steps to prepare for the incoming Biden administration and that she plans to serve until her tenure ends in 2023.