ALEXANDRIA, VA (Feb. 11, 2013) – National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chairman Debbie Matz announced that Joy Lee will assume the duties as Ombudsman for the agency, effective today.
Lee, currently Senior Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Advisor to the Chairman, will succeed Moisette I. Sweat, who has been NCUA’s Ombudsman since 2010.
“The Ombudsman’s role is to be the public’s voice to NCUA leadership, and Joy will speak clearly and effectively,” said NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz. “Joy has the skills and the knowledge of consumer protection issues and NCUA operations that will serve credit unions and the public well.”
NCUA has elevated the position so the Ombudsman will now be supervised by the Executive Director’s office and report directly to the Board. Previously, the Ombudsman’s duties were assigned to the Division of Consumer Compliance & Outreach, who reported to the Director of the Office of Consumer Protection.
Lee served in several senior staff positions at NCUA since joining the agency as an examiner in 1987. She was Region II Associate Regional Director, Operations and Programs, and Director of Supervision for the Office of Examination and Insurance. She also worked as Acting Director of the Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas.
The NCUA Board established the Ombudsman position in April 1995, as required by the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994. The Ombudsman investigates complaints from credit unions and consumers and recommends solutions. The Ombudsman provides complainants with an objective third party to resolve disputes that cannot be resolved at the operational level.
NCUA is the independent federal agency created by the U.S. Congress to regulate, charter and supervise federal credit unions. With the backing of the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, NCUA operates and manages the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, insuring the deposits of nearly 94 million account holders in all federal credit unions and the overwhelming majority of state-chartered credit unions.
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