OOmbudsman

Office of the

2021

SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES REPORT
D “ Director’s

Message Mission

Our Core

The Office of the Ombudsman is 

an independent, neutral, and 

confidential resource and liaison for 

the banking industry and general public 

to facilitate the resolution of problems 

and complaints against the FDIC in a fair, 

impartial, and timely manner. 

The Office of the Ombudsman provides 

prompt and meaningful feedback 

to influence positive change. 

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While the country continues to recover from the pandemic, economic stresses and 

other events of the previous two years and adjusts to a “new normal,” the Office of the 

Ombudsman has continued forward with fulfilling our mission, which includes active 

engagement with external stakeholders. A majority of the engagements were conducted 

through the use of technology and virtual platforms. 

On behalf of Acting Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg and the entire FDIC Board of Directors, 

I am pleased to present a report capsulizing the work of our Office for 2021. The report 

shares common themes of stakeholder feedback while highlighting the types of assistance 

and consultation provided to the industry and the general public during the previous 

calendar year. In comparison to previous reports, this version employs a dashboard 

approach with reduced volumes of narrative. We hope you find the report valuable and 

reader-friendly, while continuing to provide a meaningful recap of the activities and areas 

of focus for the Office. 

As always, your feedback and suggestions for enhancing future editions is welcome.

M. ANTHONY LOWE

Director

 (312) 382-6777 mlowe@fdic.gov

Thank you!

Contact Information
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Who 

Are We?

The Office of the Ombudsman is a team of highly qualified, tenured, and dedicated staff 

whose mission is to assist anyone affected by the FDIC’s regulatory, resolution, receivership, 

or asset disposition activities. When an FDIC stakeholder has questions or concerns about 

these activities, we act as a liaison to help resolve them in a confidential and informal manner. 

We listen, answer questions, provide options, and help external stakeholders connect with 

the right people and information. We do not advocate for either side; we advocate for fair 

processes, constructive communication, and timely results. We solicit and analyze feedback 

we receive from external stakeholders, identify opportunities for positive change, and share 

those opportunities with decision-makers at the FDIC. 

The Office of the Ombudsman reports directly to the Office of the FDIC Chairman. 

FDIC Chairman

FDIC Division Directors

Average tenure of staff

(years)

31 6

Number of regions

Each FDIC-supervised bank 

has a dedicated Regional 

Ombudsman. CLICK HERE to 

find your Regional Ombudsman.

Banking Trade Associations

Bankers

State Banking Authorities

PRIMARY EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS PRIMARY INTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS

We act as a liaison to resolve issues in an informal manner. 

We facilitate productive communication for mutual 

understanding and cooperation.

We take all reasonable steps to safeguard confidentiality.

We do not take sides. We advocate for fair processes.

We are not part of the supervision, resolution, or 

receivership processes. We report directly to the FDIC 

Chairman’s office.

informal

independent

#Numbers

By the

neutral

confidential

Values

Our Core

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FDIC Office Directors
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What 

Can We Do For You?

If you have been affected by the FDIC’s regulatory activities, and need assistance working 

with the FDIC, the Ombudsman can help. We support the rights of external stakeholders to 

raise concerns without the fear of retaliation. We cannot make determinations or overturn 

regulatory decisions; however, we can help to ensure the FDIC fully appreciates your 

perspectives and concerns while simultaneously assisting you in understanding regulatory 

expectations and conclusions. We can also connect you with other helpful resources, and 

explore multiple options to achieve a fair and equitable outcome.

You disagree with examination findings or ratings.

You believe an examination was not performed in 

accordance with published standards.

You believe supervisory decisions did not appropriately 

consider your institution’s risk profile.

You cannot find FDIC regulatory information. 

You cannot find contact information for FDIC personnel. 

You are uncomfortable discussing concerns or posing questions to your 

case manager or other FDIC management. 

You believe your institution has been the subject of retaliation, abuse, or 

retribution after disputing supervisory findings, ratings, or determinations. 

Directory

Ombudsman

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Examples 

include:

having difficulties? 

call an ombudsman! find your regional ombudsman’s contact info

ATLANTA 

REGION Regional Ombudsman

CHARMION HALEY

 (678) 916-2188

chaley@fdic.gov

CHICAGO

REGION

Regional Ombudsman

DAN MARCOTTE

 (312) 382-6908

dmarcotte@fdic.gov

DALLAS

REGION

KANSAS 

CITY

REGION

SAN FRANCISCO 

REGION

Regional Ombudsman

MARVIN PAYNE

 (972) 761-2301

mpayne@fdic.gov

Regional Ombudsman

BRENT KLANDERUD

 (816) 234-8532

bklanderud@fdic.gov

Regional Ombudsman

SHERRYANN NELSON

 (917) 320-2532

 shnelson@fdic.gov

Regional Ombudsman

KIRK DANIELS

 (415) 808-8175

kdaniels@fdic.gov

NEW YORK 

REGION

Director

M. ANTHONY LOWE

 (312) 382-6777

mlowe@fdic.gov LEADERSHIP

SAN FRANCISCO

DALLAS

KANSAS CITY

ATLANTA

CHICAGO

NEW YORK
150

NUMBER OF REQUESTS 

FOR INFORMATION

Requests regarding signage, 

publication, and reporting 

requirements were the most 

common; however, we also 

received requests regarding a 

wide variety of prudential and 

consumer protection regulations.

The most frequent requests for 

information concerned: 

REGULATORY

INFORMATION

CONTACT 

INFORMATION

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What 

Did We Do?

15

NUMBER OF LIAISON 

SERVICES REQUESTS

Most requests for liaison 

services occurred when bankers 

disagreed with examiners’ 

conclusions or were uncertain 

why a Report of Examination 

was not yet issued. We clarified 

underlying issues and facilitated 

productive communication 

between the bankers and the 

FDIC to resolve those issues. 

BANKS EXAMINERS

BANKS EXAMINERS OMBUDSMAN

BRIDGE

36

NUMBER OF CONFIDENTIAL 

CONSULTATION REQUESTS

More than 60 percent of the 

bankers who requested confidential 

consultations expressed concerns 

with examination ratings or 

findings. We listened, explained 

regulations or requirements if 

necessary, and discussed options 

available for resolving the concern. 

60%

665

NUMBER OF MEETINGS 

WITH STAKEHOLDERS

Regional Ombudsmen met with 

665 external stakeholders during 

2021 to provide awareness of our 

services, initiate or strengthen 

relationships with the Office, and 

share direct contact information. 

Of the bankers 

that responded 

to our Customer 

Satisfaction Survey,

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY

said the services 

they used were 

Mostly or Very 

Effective

99.6%

would utilize the 

Ombudsman’s 

services if 

needed

86%

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HOW WE ACHIEVED OUR MISSION IN 2021 PART 1
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The Office also received nearly 100 reports of scams 

perpetrated by parties claiming to be employed by the FDIC 

or financial institutions making false claims about FDIC 

insurance. In addition to answering the immediate question 

of the legitimacy of the employment or insurance claim, 

we provided the parties with the ability to validate deposit 

insurance coverage for any United States financial institution 

through the use of the FDIC’s BankFind Suite. 

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What 

Did We Do? HOW WE ACHIEVED OUR MISSION IN 2021 PART 2

Senior Ombudsman Specialists achieve our Mission by assisting bank customers 

and the public who have been affected by the FDIC’s regulatory or resolution-related 

activities and are having a problem dealing with the Corporation. 

100

NUMBER OF REPORTED SCAMS

? 2,500 ?

In 2021, the Specialists responded to approximately 2,500 inquiries, including:

?? ?????

Identifying information relative to 

deposit insurance coverage 

Identifying key points of contact for assistance with 

failed bank asset disposition and receivership issues

Requesting information or follow-up 

discussion regarding FOIA filings

Addressing concerns about FDIC processes

Providing assistance from other FDIC 

Divisions or Offices
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What

Did We Hear? 

The confidential nature of our work limits our ability to provide specifics about feedback 

we received or individual case information. However, we can present information on 

trends and commonalities. 

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PART 1

 Regional Ombudsmen offer bankers private, confidential 

sessions to provide feedback and observations on FDIC 

operations, including the examination process. This candid 

feedback helps in identifying opportunities to improve 

FDIC processes. Each month, the Office analyzes feedback 

and reports anonymized common themes and trends to 

the Chairman’s Office, as well as leadership of the Risk 

Management and Consumer Compliance divisions. POST-EXAMINATION SURVEY RESPONSE RATE

The Ombudsman administers a Post-Examination Survey (PES) designed to solicit 

candid feedback from bankers about a recent examination. We administer the survey 

process to protect respondents’ identities and ensure the highest levels of FDIC 

management receive accurate, anonymized survey results. 

47%

544

NUMBER OF BANKER FEEDBACK SESSIONS

FAVORABLE Ninety percent of bankers responding to a PES 

indicated they had largely favorable experiences 

during the examination process.

10%

90%

The opportunity to address examiners’ 

preliminary assessment of undue risk or violations 

before a formal exit or directorate meeting.

Facilitation of more efficient examination processes 

and more timely distribution of reports of 

examinations.

Adoption of revisions to the Community 

Reinvestment Act that address contemporary 

consumer options, strategies, and preference for 

engaging with banks.

Elimination of overlapping or concurrent 

risk management and consumer 

compliance examinations.

Resumption of Director Colleges and other 

FDIC-sponsored training

NOTABLE BANKER REQUESTS IN 2021
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Bankers shared varied opinions about virtual examinations. While 

we received significantly more favorable comments, a considerable 

number of bankers expressed a desire for some level of on-site 

examiner presence for meetings and loan review. Many found the virtual 

process less disruptive for bank employees, while others commented 

that scanning and uploading the requested information was overly 

burdensome. Many bankers expressed frustration when examiners did 

not use video capabilities for meetings and conversations.

We heard concerns about the pre-examination planning process and information 

request list. Some bankers commented that the request list was excessive 

or the examiners did not review or use information provided in advance of 

the examination. Other bankers expressed frustration when examiners made 

multiple requests for the same information. Bankers also commented that 

some examiners did not consider the institution’s risk profile, criticized matters 

that had virtually no impact on the institution’s safety and soundness, and 

recommended changes in policies or practices that did not address specific risks.

We received four times as many favorable 

comments about the application 

process as unfavorable. Bankers stated 

communication during the process was 

effective and determinations were received 

in a reasonable timeframe. 

examiners and examinations

pre-examination planning and risk analysis

application processing

Themes Common

By focusing on themes and reporting 

information on an aggregated basis, we 

ensure confidentiality is preserved. 

During 2021, we received nearly 

twice as many favorable comments 

about examinations and examiners 2x

as unfavorable.

FAVORABLE COMMENTS

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What

Did We Hear? PART 2

4x
Contact the Ombudsman 

when you need service that is: 

FDIC Processes

Help Improve

Your thoughts and opinions about supervisory or resolution 

processes are important to FDIC leadership. Please contact 

your Regional Ombudsman to share your comments, 

suggestions, or observations. 

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How 

Can You Respond? 

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OOmbudsman

Office of the

Office of the Ombudsman

E-2022

3501 Fairfax Drive

Arlington, VA 22226

 1-(877)-275-3342

Ombudsman@fdic.gov

Online Form

ACCESS THE ANONYMOUS ONLINE FORM

share your feedback about this report

ACCESS THE ANONYMOUS ONLINE FORM

confidential

neutral

independent

informal