Washington – Julie L. Williams became Acting Comptroller of
the Currency today, succeeding John D. Hawke, Jr. who completed a five-year
term of office Wednesday and served as Comptroller for nearly six years.
Ms. Williams has been First Senior Deputy Comptroller since
1999 and also Chief Counsel since 1994.
Ms. Williams was Acting Comptroller from April to December 1998. Under the National Bank Act, she
automatically became Acting Comptroller following Mr. Hawke’s departure.
“As during 1998, I have the honor to serve as Acting
Comptroller of the Currency and lead our highly professional staff until a new
Comptroller takes office,” said Ms. Williams.
“My total commitment will be to support the interests of our agency and
our workforce, to maintain and strengthen the safety and soundness of the
national banking system, and to protect the interests of the customers national
banks serve.”
“The national banking system is strong and vital,” she
added. “Through the Committee on bank
supervision, we have a structure in place to tackle the challenges we face with
the diversity of banks and bank activities we see today. In the face of those challenges, our goal
must continue to be to provide expert, experienced, consistent and balanced
supervision for all our banks—large and small.”
“Today, the attributes of the national bank charter are
increasingly attractive to banks of all sizes, but with the benefits of being a
national bank also come responsibilities,” Ms. Williams noted. “Some of the greatest challenges that our
banks face today arise from non-traditional sources---such as reputation risk.”
Ms. Williams said today she has named Deputy Chief Counsel
Daniel P. Stipano to serve as Acting Chief Counsel.
As Chief Counsel, Ms. Williams was responsible for all of
the agency’s legal activities, including legal advisory services to banks and
examiners, enforcement and compliance activities, litigation, legislative
initiatives, and regulation of securities and corporate practices of national
banks. Ms. Williams also supervised the
Licensing Department and the Community Affairs Department, and served as a
member of the OCC’s Executive Committee.
She has led the Executive Committee in providing policy and strategic
direction to the agency.
Previously, Ms. Williams had been Senior Deputy Chief
Counsel at the Office of Thrift Supervision, and served since 1983 at that
agency and its predecessor, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. She worked on securities and banking law
issues at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Kampelman in Washington from 1975
to 1983.
She is a graduate of Goddard College, Vermont, and graduated
first in her class at Antioch School of Law, Washington, D.C. She is the author of numerous articles on
banking, securities and financial institutions law. Ms. Williams and her husband, Don G. Scroggin, have a son,
Patrick.
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The OCC charters, regulates
and examines approximately 2,000 national banks and 51 federal branches of
foreign banks in the U.S., accounting for more than 56 percent of the nation’s
banking assets. Its mission is to ensure a safe and sound and competitive
national banking system that supports the citizens, communities and economy of
the United States.