Chairman
Bill Isaac has an unparalleled career in the financial industry and public service, spanning over 50 years. He served as Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from 1978 through 1985, working to maintain stability during the banking and thrift crises of the 1980s, when over 3,000 banks and thrifts failed.
Bill Isaac headed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) from 1978 through 1985, during the banking and thrift crises of the 1980s. He worked closely with the late Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Paul Volcker, helping to maintain stability in the financial system during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. banking history, when over 3,000 banks and thrifts failed, including many of the largest in the nation. Bill was appointed to the board of the FDIC by President Carter and confirmed by the Senate at the age of 34 and was named Chairman by President Reagan two years later, making him the youngest FDIC board member and chairman in history. Bill also served as chairman of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (1983-85), as a member of the Depository Institutions Deregulation Committee (1981-85), and as a member of the Vice President’s Task Group on Regulation of Financial Services (1984).
In addition to his service as FDIC Chairman, Bill has decades of experience in regulatory counseling and risk management services. He founded The Secura Group, a leading consulting firm, in 1986. Secura was acquired by FTI Consulting in 2011, where he served as senior managing director. Bill then partnered with Howard Milstein in the financial services business, serving on the boards of New York Private Bank & Trust and Emigrant Bank, as well as serving as Chairman of Sarasota Private Trust and Cleveland Private Trust. Bill is focused on expanding the trust business throughout the US.
Bill is former Chairman of Fifth Third Bancorp, one of the nation’s leading banking companies, and is a former board member at TSYS, a leading payment processing company (now part of Global Payments). He has also served on the boards of Amex Bank, The Associates (a finance company formerly owned by Ford Motor Company), TransUnion (a credit reporting company formerly owned by the Pritzker family), and MPs Group (a staffing firm now owned by Adecco).
Today, Bill is a leading commentator and consultant to financial institutions and governments. He is involved extensively in thought leadership relating to the financial industry. Bill is the author of Senseless Panic: How Washington Failed America with a foreword by Paul Volcker. His articles are published in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, Financial Times, American Banker, and other leading publications. He also appears regularly on television and radio, testifies before Congress, and is a speaker throughout the world.
Bill was formerly a senior partner of Arnold & Porter, which was a founding partner of The Secura Group. He left the firm in 1993 when Secura purchased Arnold & Porter’s interest in the firm. Before his appointment to the FDIC, Bill served as vice president, general counsel and secretary of First Kentucky National Corporation and its subsidiaries, including First National Bank of Louisville and First Kentucky Trust Company. Bill began his career with Foley & Lardner where he practiced general corporate law specializing in banking law.
Bill received a Distinguished Achievement Medal in 1995 from Miami University and a Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013 from The Ohio State University. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Miami University Foundation and is a Life Member of the Board of Directors of The Ohio State University Foundation. In 2016 Bill co-founded the William Isaac & Michael Oxley Center for Business Leadership at Miami University.