As he prepares to take office, Washington Gov.-Elect Bob Ferguson is placing personnel in key positions, including the reappointment of Charlie Clark as director of the state’s Department of Financial Institutions (DFI).
Clark was first appointed director of the DFI in 2019. He first joined DFI in 2012 and served in the roles of division of consumer services enforcement program manager and division director before serving as deputy director beginning in November 2016. His reappointment was closely followed by Julie Meredith’s appointment as head of Washington’s Department of Transportation.
“We are building a state government that will work better to serve the needs of all Washingtonians,” Ferguson said in a release. “I am thankful for these individuals and their continued commitment to improving customer service and serving the people of Washington State.”
As a statewide regulatory body, the DFI manages a staff of 236 that licenses and oversees more than 300,000 individuals and entities, including banks, credit unions, mortgage loan originators, mortgage brokers, consumer loan companies, escrow agents, payday lenders, securities broker dealers, securities salespersons, investment advisers, and money transmitters.
“It’s critical that our financial services be well-regulated so that all Washingtonians can have confidence in the marketplace,” Clark said of his reappointment. “I am honored to continue to lead the agency with a commitment to consumer protection and fair and effective financial regulation.”
Prior to joining the DFI, Clark represented the agency as its lead litigation counsel as an assistant attorney general from 2005 through 2011. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, he worked as an attorney in private practice.
Clark also currently sits on the board of directors and serves as chair of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, a national association for state financial regulators. He sat on the board of directors of the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators from 2014 to 2023, serving as president from 2018 to 2020.