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Replies to post #589648 on Fannie Mae-No Politics (FNMA)
Realignment actions include:
*Establishing three new units that report directly to the Director: The Division of Research and Statistics (DRS) headed by Deputy Director Lynn Fisher, the Division of Accounting and Financial Standards (DAFS) headed by Deputy Director Nina Nichols, and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Fairness (OEOF);
Lynn Fisher – Deputy Director
Division of Research and Statistics
Lynn Fisher serves as the Deputy Director of the Division of Research and
Statistics (DRS) at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). As the
Deputy Director, Fisher is responsible for using economics, research, and data
analytics to enhance FHFA’s regulatory policy, supervision, and oversight.
Fisher joined FHFA in 2019 from the American Enterprise Institute where she
was a Resident Scholar and Co-Director of the Housing Center. Prior to that,
she was the Vice President of Research and Economics at the Mortgage
Bankers Association and served on the faculty of the University of North Carolina, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology and Washington State University. She received her Ph.D. in Business
Administration from Penn State University, where she concentrated in real estate finance and
microeconomics. Fisher’s work has been published in a variety of academic and industry outlets, and she
speaks regularly to academic and industry audiences.
Nina Nichols – Deputy Director
Division of Accounting and Financial Standards
Nina Nichols is the Deputy Director of the Division of Accounting and
Financial Standards (DAFS) at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
As the Deputy Director of DAFS, Nichols is responsible for accounting
policy, identifying financial institution trends and best practices, engaging
with external standard-setters, providing guidance on financial crimes and
fraud risk, and refining reporting standards.
Nichols joined FHFA in 2012 as Assistant Deputy Director in the Division of
Enterprise Regulation (DER) and subsequently served as Deputy Director of
DER. Prior to FHFA, she was a Senior Vice President at JP Morgan Chase,
heading the global anti-money laundering function. Previously she held a variety of positions at the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System, including Assistant Director of Compliance in the Division of
Banking Supervision and Regulation.
*Hiring a new Deputy Director, Paul Miller, and Associate Director, Scott Valentin, for the Division of Enterprise Regulation (DER);
Paul Miller – Deputy Director
Division of Enterprise Regulation
Effective February 3rd, Paul Miller will serve as the Deputy Director
of the Division of Enterprise Regulation (DER) at the Federal Housing
Finance Agency (FHFA). As the Deputy Director of DER, Miller will
be responsible for the supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the
Enterprises) to ensure their safe and sound operation. DER conducts
risk analysis and risk-based examinations, prepares annual reports of
examination of the Enterprises, and issues supervision policy and
examiner guidance.
Prior to joining FHFA, Miller was the Managing Director and Head of Financial Services/Real Estate
Research at FBR Capital Markets. Previously, he was a bank examiner at the Federal Reserve Bank of
Philadelphia. As a bank examiner, Miller conducted financial analysis for more than 30 community
banking institutions in the Philadelphia and Harrisburg market areas. As an analyst, Miller received
the Forbes.com Blue Chip Analyst Award as the leading analyst covering banks & thrifts and was
recognized as one of the best analysts in his field by the Financial Times/StarMine, the Wall Street
Journal, and Bloomberg Markets. Miller earned his B.S. in economics, his B.A. in international
relations, and his M.S. in economics from the University of Delaware. He received the chartered
financial analyst designation in 1997.
Scott Valentin – Associate Director
Division of Enterprise Regulation
Effective February 3rd, Scott Valentin will serve as the Associate Director of
the Division of Enterprise Regulation (DER) at the Federal Housing Finance
Agency (FHFA). As Associate Director, Valentin, and DER’s Deputy Director,
will be responsible for the supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the
Enterprises) to ensure their safe and sound operation. DER conducts risk
analysis and risk-based examinations, prepares annual reports of examination of the Enterprises, and issues
supervision policy and examiner guidance.
Prior to joining FHFA, Valentin was a Managing Director and Equity Research Analyst at Compass Point
Research and Trading (Compass Point). Previously, he worked as an Examiner with the Office of Thrift
Supervision (OTS), conducting safety and soundness examinations to assess the operational and financial
health of thrifts primarily in the Mid-Atlantic region. He also was a Managing Director and Equity
Research Analyst with FBR & Co. Valentin is a graduate of the University of Maryland.
*Elevating four key positions:
*In the Office of General Counsel, Christopher Curtis will be Principal Deputy General Counsel, and Sean Dent will be Senior Deputy General Counsel;
Christopher T. Curtis– Principal Deputy General Counsel
Office of General Counsel
Christopher T. Curtis is the Principal Deputy General Counsel in the
Office of General Counsel at the Federal Housing Finance Agency
(FHFA). As the Principal Deputy General Counsel, he manages legal
support for FHFA’s supervision, regulation, and conservatorship
activities.
Prior to joining FHFA, Curtis was the General Counsel for the Federal
Housing Finance Board. He also worked for thirteen years as a lawyer at
Capital One Financial Corporation. Additionally, Curtis has worked at
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, and the law firm of
Covington & Burling. He received his law and undergraduate degrees from Harvard University
Sean C. Dent – Senior Deputy General Counsel
Office of General Counsel
Sean C. Dent serves as the Senior Deputy General Counsel and Alternate
Designated Agency Ethics Official in the Office of General Counsel (OGC) at
the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). As the Senior Deputy General
Counsel, he leads the Administrative Law Group and is responsible for
coordinating legal advice, training, and representation on matters including:
ethics and compliance, employment law, contracting, and mortgage fraud.
Dent joined FHFA in 2010 and most recently served as Deputy General Counsel.
Prior to joining FHFA, he served as the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Ethics at the U.S. Department
of Education and completed a detail assignment with the White House Counsel's Office. During his detail
to the White House, he provided counsel to White House employees and Presidential nominees on ethics
matters. He is a former law clerk to the Honorable Inez Smith Reid of the District of Columbia Court of
Appeals (retired) and served two 3-year terms as an appointed member of the District of Columbia Court of
Appeals Committee on Admissions.
Dent is a graduate of Allegheny College and the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
He is also a Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional. He is happily married to his law-school
sweetheart, Alane, and is the proud father of two children, Aidan and Lauren.
*In DRS, Anju Vajja will be Senior Associate Director for Policy Research;
Anju Vajja – Senior Associate Director
Division of Research and Statistics
Anju Vajja is the Senior Associate Director for Policy Research in the Division
of Research and Statistics (DRS) at the Federal Housing Finance Agency
(FHFA). As the Senior Associate Director, Vajja leads a team of economists
and analysts that focus on research affecting housing finance and financial
markets, analysis supporting pricing and servicing decisions, and analysis
evaluating policy implications of proposed legislations and programs.
Prior to FHFA, she served over 10 years in Federal Home Loan Bank
supervision as an expert in credit risk modeling. She also worked for about 10
years at the World Bank on community development program evaluations and research. She holds a Ph.D.
in Economics from Georgetown University, a M.A. in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics in
India, and Financial Risk Manager and Professional Risk Manager certifications.
*In the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, Paul Priest will be Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion and Administration;
Paul Priest – Associate Director
Office of Minority and Women Inclusion
Paul Priest is the Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion and
Administration in the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion (OMWI) at the
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). As the Associate Director, Priest is
responsible for designing, implementing, managing and overseeing the nation’s
first diversity and inclusion (D&I) examination program. Priest leverages
relationships internally at FHFA and establishes partnerships externally with
contractors, FHFA’s regulated entities, diverse broker-dealers,
colleges/universities, and other professional organizations to develop a program
that is practical, sustainable and contributes to the integration of diversity and inclusion in the financial
services industry.
Prior to working in OMWI, Priest served as a senior examiner and subject matter expert responsible for
reviewing and assessing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Information Technology (IT) and operational risk
management practices, including governance, internal controls, cybersecurity and the implementation of
major IT systems and applications.
Priest who has an MBA also received a Diversity and Inclusion Professional certificate from Cornell
University ILR School.
