The FDIC's Board of Directors announced today the
appointment of Phil Battey as Director of the agency's
Office of Corporate Communications (OCC). Mr. Battey has
been Assistant to the Chairman for Public Affairs since
November 1994.
"Phil Battey brings to his new position at the FDIC 20
years of experience in communications and public affairs,"
said FDIC Chairman Andrew C. Hove, Jr. "Phil is widely
respected by regulators, bankers and journalists
nationwide, and we are pleased he will be leading the
FDIC's communications efforts."
As OCC Director, Mr. Battey will direct programs to
inform the media, bankers and the public about the FDIC and
its activities. The office's duties include issuing press
releases and responding to media inquiries; writing,
editing and distributing information about the agency; and
producing educational newsletters and other publications.
Mr. Battey becomes OCC Director on October 6. He
replaces Robert M. Garsson, Jr., who is leaving the FDIC to
become Director for Press Relations at the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency.
Mr. Battey began his career in 1978 as a reporter in
the Washington bureau of the daily newspaper American
Banker. He left to join the American Bankers Association
in 1982 as manager of editorial services and head
speechwriter. In 1986, he joined the Office of the
Comptroller of the Currency as the chief speechwriter. Mr.
Battey started working for the FDIC in 1992 as speechwriter
to Chairman William Taylor, but later returned to the
Comptroller of the Currency in 1993 as Director of Public
Affairs.
In November 1994, Mr. Battey came back to the FDIC as
Assistant to the Chairman for Public Affairs, first with
Chairman Ricki Helfer and now with Mr. Hove. In that job,
Mr. Battey advises the Chairman on long-range
communications and public affairs strategies, and serves as
the chief speechwriter.
The 45-year old Mr. Battey has a B.S. degree in
foreign service from Georgetown University and an M.A. in
journalism from the University of Missouri. He lives in
Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife Mary and their children
Alexander and Margaret.
Congress created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in 1933
to maintain public confidence in the nation's banking system. The
FDIC insures deposits at the nation's 12,000 banks and savings
associations and it promotes the safety and soundness of these
institutions by identifying, monitoring and addressing risks to
which they are exposed.
FDIC Press Releases, Financial Institution Letters, the Quarterly
Banking Profile and other important information is available on the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation World Wide Web home page at
http://www.fdic.gov/news/.
Paper copies of press releases and other documents may be obtained
through the FDIC's Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW,
Room 100, Washington, DC 20429 (703) 562-2200).
