SACRAMENTO, Calif. — William Haraf, Ph.D., named commissioner of the California Department of Financial Institutions last month by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, took office April 7.
Haraf has a banking background, with a 10-year career at Bank of America and was previous with Citibank. But Keri Bailey, California Credit Union League director of state government affairs, said she's anticipating a good relationship with the new commissioner.
"About a month ago, several credit union CEOs and [league CEO] Bill Cheney met with Haraf, and he said he is committed to ensuring the banking side of the DFI doesn't have any undue influence on CU side," Bailey said, adding, "we take him at his word, and we think he'll be a great administrator."
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Finding a new deputy commissioner of credit unions tops Haraf's to-do list. Bailey said she expects an announcement soon, as the pool of candidates for the governor's appointment has already been narrowed down to a few.
All the leading candidates are from within the credit union industry, she said according to her sources. While the governor's office solicits the league for advice on eligible candidates, it doesn't ask for permission or endorsements. Bailey said she doesn't expect any big surprises, and added Schwarzenegger's office typically alerts groups ahead of time before making a controversial appointment. However, the identity of the next credit union deputy is still anyone's guess, she said.
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