Paul Atkins, who served on a TARP oversight board with NCUAboard member J. Mark McWatters, is heading President-elect Trump's transition team on independentfinancial agencies.

Since Trump's election, McWattershas been mentioned as a probable NCUA chairman since the presidenthas the power to select his own chair and the current head of theNCUA board, Rick Metsger, is a Democrat.

McWatters' association with Atkins lends credence to thatspeculation, according to Dennis Dollar, principal of DollarAssociates, LLC in Birmingham, Ala., and former chairman of theNCUA board.

Trump has formed teams handling various issues, according toseveral news reports, which identified Atkins as heading the agencyteam.

Atkins (pictured at left) is CEO of consulting groupPatomak Global Partners, a former member of the SEC and a critic ofthe Dodd-Frank Act, which Trump said he wants to eliminate.

Atkins and McWatters served as members of the congressionaloversight board on TARP. Together, they co-wrote sections ofreports issued by the commission and an op-ed column in theWall Street Journal.

Incoming presidents traditionally have selected chairmen oftheir own party to head the NCUA board, Dollar said.

Dollar, a Republican, said he was named acting chair, thenpermanent chair, of the NCUA board when George W. Bush took overfrom President Clinton.

“With Atkins being in charge of transition for independentfederal agencies like the NCUA and his longstanding relationshipwith McWatters, this will likely make what has been tradition tobecome an almost certainty,” he said.

McWatters could not be reached for commentFriday.