The Texas Credit Union League said Thursday it has hired TomHaider, a St. Paul consultant and former top compliance officer forMoneyGram International Inc., as its new top lobbyist.

Haider was named executive vice president for advocacy,succeeding Buddy Gill, the veteran lobbyist who in June joined NCUA underChairman Debbie Matz as senior strategic communications andexternal relations adviser.

Haider, who starts with the Texas trade group later this month,“brings more than 25 years of advocacy experience in the financialservices area” including internationally, to his new job directingthe league's government relations program, the TCUL said in astatement.

Haider, a lawyer, had previously shepherded legislation inmultiple states and at the federal level as well as with theEuropean Union's Parliament.

He had been serving as a consultant for various Minnesotaadvocacy groups and as a director of Mature Voices Minnesota, agroup serving seniors on health issues.

He previously had been senior vice president for MoneyGramInternational Inc. , the Dallas funds transfer firm, the leaguesaid, and prior to that for the Minnesota Credit Union League asits first in-house attorney.

Haider provided legal and regulatory compliance advice to themember credit unions and also ran that league's governmentrelations program before leaving after seven years to joinMoneyGram.

Richard Ensweiler, president/CEO of the Texas league, also citedHaider's management experience, including “leading a team of morethan 100 employees spread across 12 countries that worked ongovernment relations, compliance and ethics.”