The Senate voted 50-45 today to confirm Jonathan Gould as comptroller of the currency. He succeeds Rodney Hood, who is acting comptroller.
Gould, a financial regulatory attorney in private practice, was previously senior deputy comptroller and chief counsel at the OCC from 2018 to 2021 and a top staffer at the Senate Banking Committee. During his nomination hearing in March, Gould said banks “must be allowed to engage in prudent risk-taking” if the U.S. economy is to remain robust and dynamic.
“In the years since 2008, bank regulators have at times tried to eliminate rather than manage risk, frustrating the ability of banks to fulfill their function,” Gould said. “This blinkered approach to risk management has implications for the cost and availability of credit, the system’s ability to absorb shocks, and its adoption of new technologies and embrace of innovation.”
In a statement, American Bankers Association President and CEO Rob Nichols congratulated Gould on his confirmation.
“We look forward to working with Comptroller Gould on a number of important regulatory issues in the years ahead, including advancing a rational regulatory framework that promotes a resilient and healthy national banking system and upholding the OCC’s commitment to national bank preemption,” Nichols said. “We also thank Acting Comptroller Rodney Hood for his service over the past several months.”
