WASHINGTON – The Office
of the Comptroller of the Currency today announced the appointment of Mary Catherine Garon as acting Community Affairs Officer
in New Orleans, a newly-created position.
“We are at the
beginning of a long-term effort to rebuild an area that was absolutely
devastated by Hurricane Katrina,” said Comptroller of the Currency John C.
Dugan. “Mary Catherine will play a
vital role in that process by working with national banks, community groups,
governmental organizations and others that are focused on reconstruction.”
Mr. Dugan returned
Wednesday from a working trip to the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi,
and said he had been profoundly moved by the destruction and the evidence of
human suffering he witnessed.
“Nothing can prepare you
for a drive that takes you past mile after mile of uprooted trees, abandoned
cars and concrete foundations that mark the spots where homes once stood,” he
said. “Nothing can prepare you for the
eerie quiet of neighborhoods that show almost no sign of human activity.”
Mr. Dugan said that the
purpose of his trip was to talk with bankers, OCC staff and others about the
operational phase of the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“It is clear that we
have a long road ahead before the region returns to normal,” Mr. Dugan
said. “But however great the task, the
OCC staff and national bankers I spoke to are ready to play their part. I can’t tell you how impressed I was by the
determination they showed to get about the business of rebuilding the damaged
areas of the Gulf Coast.”
Ms. Garon, a New
Orleans-based national bank examiner, has 15 years of experience with the OCC,
including years of work examining national banks for compliance with the
Community Reinvestment Act.
She will serve as a
liaison to governmental organizations, community groups, and national bank
customers on hurricane-related banking matters and community reconstruction
financing issues. In addition, she will assist in managing the OCC's
participation in the Operation Hope/FEMA financial counseling initiative. She will also identify community
development lending and investment opportunities available to national banks
seeking to aid the Gulf Coast reconstruction efforts.
Ms. Garon joins the two
other members of the OCC's Southern District Community Affairs team: David
Lewis, who is based in the OCC's Southern District Office in Dallas, and Karol
Klim, who is based in the agency's Atlanta Field Office.
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The Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency was created by Congress to charter national banks,
to oversee a nationwide system of banking institutions, and to assure that
national banks are safe and sound, competitive and profitable, and capable of
serving in the best possible manner the banking needs of their customers.