Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Names Keith Noreika To Head The OCC

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin announced Wednesday (May 3) that he is plans to appoint Keith Noreika as a Deputy Comptroller and designate him the First Deputy Comptroller of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

In a press release, the Treasury department said Noreika will serve as Acting Comptroller upon the departure of OCC Comptroller Thomas J. Curry. The department noted Noreika has close to twenty years of experience and is a leading expert in the regulation and supervision of national banks and federal savings associations.

“Keith Noreika has deep experience in helping banks operate in a safe and sound manner, provide fair access to financial services and provide credit needed for business expansion and job growth,” said Secretary Mnuchin in the release. “I am confident that he will capably lead the OCC in carrying out its important mission.”

Curry’s five-year term ended on April 9. Since then, he has been serving under an extension. Noreika’s appointment is effective May 5, 2017, when Curry’s tenure at the OCC is complete.

“Under Comptroller Curry’s stewardship, the OCC has effectively worked to advance its mission to ensure that national banks and federal savings associations operate in a safe and sound manner,” said Secretary Mnuchin in the release. “I congratulate and thank him for his commitment to public service.”

Noreika has an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1997, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Mr. Noreika served as a law clerk for the Hon. Jerry E. Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and has represented clients, including banks of all sizes, in regulatory matters, enforcement actions, litigation and corporate transactions before the various federal and state banking agencies, noted the press release.