Banking regulator to head bankers’ group | www.myajc.com

The head of the state’s banking regulatory commission is leaving to lead one of Georgia’s largest bankers groups.

Rob Braswell will take over as CEO of the Community Bankers Association later this month. In the state that leads the nation in bank failures, his appointment is the latest move to raise questions about the relationship between regulators and those they are charged with watching.

There is no rule or law that prevents the move, and some in the industry believe Braswell’s appointment could benefit consumers.

Tony Plath, a former banker who is a professor at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, said “there is nothing wrong with it per se, but it’s just another indicator that points out the close relationship between regulators and the people they’re supposed to regulate.” He said the move is like the “fox being named head of the hen house security council.”

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