The State Liaison Committee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council has elected Nicholas J. Ketcha Jr. as its Chairman for the term beginning May 1, 2001 and expiring April 30, 2002. Mr. Ketcha is the Director of the Division of Banking in the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.

The Committee was established by the Council pursuant to Section 1007 of the Financial Institutions Regulatory and Interest Rate Control Act of 1978, to encourage the application of uniform examination principles and standards by state and federal agencies, and to allow state regulators to participate in the development of those principles and standards. In addition to Mr. Ketcha, the members of the Committee are: G. Edward Leary, Commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions for the state of Utah; James E. Forney, Iowa Superintendent of Credit Unions; Steven D. Bridges, Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Finance for the State of Georgia; and James L. Pledger, Texas Savings and Loan Commissioner.

Mr. Ketcha has served as Director of the Division of Banking for New Jersey since September 1999. He retired from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in January 1999. Prior to his retirement from FDIC, he served as Director of its Division of Supervision. He started with the FDIC as an examiner trainee in 1965 in the New York Region. He left the FDIC for service with the United Sates Navy (1967-1969) and for one year participated in the President's Executive Exchange Program with Tenneco, Inc. Houston, Texas (1979-1980). He became a Commissioned Examiner in 1970 and a Review Examiner in 1978. He was named Assistant Regional Director in New York in April 1983. He became Special Assistant to the Director of the Division of Accounting and Corporate Services (DACS) from February 1985 until being named Associate Director of DACS-Financial Services Branch in February 1986. He was appointed Regional Director of the Division of Supervision's New York Region in August 1988 and held that position until being named Acting Director of the Division in June 1995.

He currently serves as Chairman of the Regulatory Committee of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. He was a member of the Basle Committee on Bank Supervision from June 1995 to December 1998 and served two terms as Chairman of the Federal Financial Institutions examination Council's Task Force on Supervision.