WASHINGTON — As rumors swirl that Jovita Carranza, deputy administrator at the Small Business Administration, may take the helm if SBA Administrator Steven Preston is confirmed by the Senate as the new secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, SBA officials are not making any confirmations just yet.

In mid-April, President Bush nominated Preston for the post, saying he would bring strong leadership to HUD during the current, unstable housing market. Preston would replace Alphonse Jackson who resigned from HUD on April 18 after legislators called for him to step down as a result of a federal criminal investigation on questionable HUD contracts.

Preston came to the SBA in July 2006 and implemented a number of reforms to improve the agency's disaster assistance programs. During his tenure, Preston has continued to align with NCUA to encourage credit union participation in SBA's programs.