Endlessly interim? The struggle to appoint top US regulators

The oldest of the US’s major federal bank regulators has been without a permanent head for more than two years. This period includes the entirety of the current administration, whose candidate for the job pulled out last December.

Prolonged vacancies of this sort are not unusual in the US government, where the Senate must confirm appointments to many regulatory posts. However, some argue that acting officials are unable to enjoy the autonomy and initiative that their permanent counterparts have