FDIC Launches New Office of Supervisory Appeals

WASHINGTON-The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today announced the launch of a new Office of Supervisory Appeals (OSA) panel comprised of independent officials who will consider and resolve appeals of material supervisory determinations brought before the agency. The OSA is a standalone office within the FDIC and replaces the Supervision Appeals Review Committee as the final level of review of material supervisory determinations.

On January 22, 2026, the FDIC Board of Directors approved amendments to the agency's Guidelines for Appeals of Material Supervisory Determinations, which become effective now that the OSA is fully operational. As part of the OSA's launch, the FDIC announced the appointment of three individuals who will serve as reviewing officials:

Tim Ayala served as a banking executive and FDIC senior leader with experience covering bank supervision, governance, compliance, and regulatory strategy. Most recently, Mr. Ayala served as Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer with Pinnacle Financial Partners, a $54 billion financial institution based in Nashville, Tennessee. His private sector experience also includes serving as Senior Vice President and Regulatory Relations Officer for a fintech lender. At the FDIC, Mr. Ayala was a commissioned bank examiner in risk management, serving in senior leadership positions in Washington, DC and in four regions, including Assistant Regional Director and Examiner-in-Charge of a large financial institution.

John Conneely is a former FDIC senior executive with 35 years of experience in bank supervision and regulation. Mr. Conneely became a commissioned bank examiner in New York City in 1989 and subsequently held a variety of senior leadership positions within the agency's Division of Complex Institutions Supervision & Resolution, including serving as Division Director. He also served as FDIC's Chicago Regional Director and Deputy Regional Director in the New York Region. Mr. Conneely was also a Banking Policy Advisor in the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of International Banking and Securities Markets.

Duke Sheow brings more than three decades of experience in financial institution supervision, enterprise risk management, and banking regulation across the public and private sectors. Most recently, he served as Senior Managing Director at PwC, and he previously held executive positions with several banks. Mr. Sheow also served as a senior commissioned examiner with the FDIC and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and was a key member in the development of the Federal Reserve's Fintech Supervisory Program. His experience includes evaluating material supervisory determinations, participating in enforcement and civil money penalty matters, advising bank boards, and developing supervisory programs addressing emerging risks.

The FDIC issued a Financial Institution Letter to provide specific instructions for FDIC-supervised institutions seeking to appeal material supervisory determinations.