(UnitedVoice.com) – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an independent government agency that insures up to a quarter million dollars per depositor, per insured bank, for each account held in member banks and savings institutions. The FDIC also examines financial institutions to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws, manages the resolution process when banks fail, and helps maintain stability in the US financial system.
Congress created the FDIC during the Great Depression (1929 to 1939) as part of the Banking Act of 1933 (Glass-Steagall) to restore trust in America’s banking system. As it turned out, the current FDIC chief did his best to destroy that faith and recently agreed to step down. Predictably, Martin J. Gruenberg is a Democrat. President Joe Biden nominated him in 2023, and his Senate accomplices confirmed the appointment.
FDIC Chairman Says He’ll Step Down Once Successor Is Confirmed
On May 20, Gruenberg issued a press release announcing that he was “prepared to step down” from his duties until the US Senate confirmed his successor. The FDIC chairman said he would “continue to fulfill [his] responsibilities … including the transformation” of the federal agency’s “workplace culture.”
Ironically, allegations Gruenberg turned the FDIC into a haven for abusive and misogynistic behavior and its impact on that “workplace culture” led to his downfall.
The Hill distributed a newsletter shortly after Gurenberg’s announcement, providing an overview of “several reports” that documented an environment rife with misconduct, sexual harassment, and retaliation. The notice also noted that lawmakers had pressured the chairman to resign.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published several reports in late 2023 detailing those allegations. The newspaper conducted an investigation that found the FDIC enabled the emergence of a “toxic work environment” and “failed to punish bad behavior.”
The WSJ also noted that the FDIC continued to allow sexism and harassment to invade its workspace despite the efforts of the #MeToo movement to transform offices nationwide. The report said “female examiners” left the agency due to its reported “boys’ club environment,” coupled with concerns they received fewer opportunities for advancement than their male counterparts.
The FDIC Hires Outside Agency To Investigate Allegations
A few hours after a particularly stinging report was published, Gruenberg told the WSJ that the FDIC hired an outside law firm to investigate the allegations. He also encouraged the newspaper to “participate in this process.”
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, a prestigious multinational law firm based in New York, released its findings in a 234-page report in April, confirming numerous allegations. Gruenberg subsequently issued an apology, and the rest is history — or will be once the Senate confirms his replacement.
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