US FDIC names director of new office of professional conduct

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said on Wednesday its board of directors has approved the appointment of Hansel Cordeiro as director of a new Office of Professional Conduct. 

The appointment follows a scandal involving allegations of widespread sexual harassment and other misconduct at the agency which caused current Chair Martin Gruenberg to offer his resignation in May.

The FDIC created the new office in June to address and investigate complaints of sexual harassment and other misconduct and discipline those found to violate FDIC policies on harassment and retaliation, the agency said in a statement.

Cordeiro most recently served as executive director of accountability and strategic business management at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, where he led that agency’s anti-harassment program, the FDIC said.

President Joe Biden earlier this year nominated Christy Goldsmith Romero, a former prosecutor and current member of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to replace Gruenberg. However her nomination has stalled in the U.S. Senate, where key Democrats are facing tough reelection battles.

(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Chris Reese and Nick Zieminski)