Blake Paulson

Dates Served: January 14, 2021 – May 10, 2021

Blake Paulson served as Acting Comptroller of the Currency from January 14, 2021, until May 10, 2021, until U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen appointed Michael J. Hsu to the role.

Mr. Paulson held several leadership positions at the OCC during his career. Prior to his service as Acting Comptroller, Mr. Paulson served as Senior Deputy Comptroller for Supervision Risk and Analysis. Following Acting Comptroller Hsu’s appointment, Mr. Paulson returned to this role until he retired in in August 2022.

As SDC for Supervision Risk and Analysis, Mr. Paulson oversaw OCC’s staff responsible for Systemic Risk Identification Support and Specialty Supervision, Supervision System and Analytical Support, Economic and Policy Analysis, and Risk Analysis. He was a member of the OCC’s Executive Committee and was designated the Chief National Bank Examiner in April 2020.

Before this role, Mr. Paulson served as the Senior Deputy Comptroller and Chief Operating Officer and was responsible for OCC bank supervision and OCC management operations.

Mr. Paulson also served as Senior Deputy Comptroller for Midsize and Community Bank Supervision and was responsible for supervising nearly 1,100 national banks and federal savings associations, as well as nearly 1,600 OCC employees. He also was the Deputy Comptroller for the agency’s Central District where he was responsible for the oversight of community banks and federal savings associations, independent data service providers and trust companies across the upper Midwest.

Before serving as Deputy Comptroller, Mr. Paulson was the Associate Deputy Comptroller in the Central District, where he oversaw nine field offices, and was an Assistant Deputy Comptroller for Midsize Bank Supervision where he was responsible for a portfolio of national banks with total assets between $10 billion and $30 billion.

Mr. Paulson joined the OCC in 1986 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Mr. Paulson has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota.