Monica Fuentes Freas Named Deputy Comptroller for Large Bank Supervision

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced the selection of Monica Fuentes Freas as a Deputy Comptroller for Large Bank Supervision (LBS).

In this role, Ms. Freas will manage the supervision of a portion of the OCC's large bank portfolio. She joins three other Deputies for Large Bank Supervision providing oversight of the large, complex financial institutions under OCC supervision. Ms. Freas will assume responsibilities for a portfolio of banks from Tanya Smith, who has been appointed Examiner-in Charge for Citibank following the retirement of Roberta Caruso.

“Monica brings significant agency experience and broad perspective to the role of Deputy Comptroller. She is known for her strong leadership and collaboration skills and has been a valued partner of Large Bank Supervision for many years,” said Greg Coleman, Senior Deputy Comptroller for Large Bank Supervision. “We are fortunate to bring her considerable talent to bear on the oversight of some of the largest, most complex banks under OCC supervision.”

Prior to this role, Ms. Freas served as acting Deputy Comptroller for Large Bank Supervision, where she established strategic direction and set priorities for the LBS program at-large, including resource management and planning for more than 750 staff to ensure support of OCC objectives and strategic goals. She also served as Acting Examiner-in-Charge of Bank of China Ltd.’s U.S. federal branches.

Before joining LBS, Ms. Freas served as the Director of Enforcement in the OCC’s Chief Counsel’s Office. In that capacity, she oversaw the OCC’s Law Department group responsible for conducting investigations and taking administrative enforcement actions against national banks and federal savings associations, federal branches and agencies of foreign banks, and institution-affiliated parties of these institutions.

Ms. Freas received her juris doctor in 1998 from the University of Washington School of Law and a bachelor of science (cum laude) in Business in 1995 from the University of Central Florida.