Neal Wolin

Neal S. Wolin is the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for the Obama Administration. He was confirmed by the Senate on May 18, 2009. Wolin had been part of the Obama White House prior to his position at the Treasury Department in the capacity of Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President for Economic Policy.http://www.ustreas.gov/organization/bios/wolin-e.html

Wolin also served in the Bill Clinton Administration as General Counsel for the Treasury Deportment from 1999 to 2001, and Deputy General Counsel, also to the Treasury Department, from 1995 to 1999.http://www.ustreas.gov/organization/bios/wolin-e.html

Wolin attended Yale University and graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in history. He subsequently earned a Master of Science degree in economics from Oxford University. Wolin was also a Coker Teaching Fellow while earning a law degree from Yale Law School.http://www.ustreas.gov/organization/bios/wolin-e.html

Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Wolin practiced law at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering located in Washington D.C.

Wolin left government service at the end of the Clinton Administration and became the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Hartford Financial Services Group, an insurance company for which he had started as its Executive Vice President and General Counsel.

In a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. on March 24, 2010, Wolin criticized that body's efforts to curtail the creation of a national consumer protection agency. Wolin termed their efforts to be, misguided, and that their rhetoric on the issue was, not accurate.http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-24/wolin-criticizes-lobbying-against-financial-overhaul-update1-.html http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-24/wolin-criticizes-lobbying-against-financial-overhaul-update1-.html

In reaction to Wolin's statements, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donohue, said that it was, “a bit of a political speech.” http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-24/wolin-criticizes-lobbying-against-financial-overhaul-update1-.html

In interviews prior to his speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Wolin stated that any newly created consumer protection agency would be lean by design and not employ added bureaucracy to conduct oversight.