Comptroller Hawke Given Treasury's Highest Honor

WASHINGTON — Comptroller of the Currency John D. Hawke, Jr. received Treasury’s highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton Award, in a ceremony Thursday at the Department of Treasury. The award was presented by Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers and honored Mr. Hawke for setting "an enduring standard of excellence."

The award cited Mr. Hawke for having "worked tirelessly to ensure the continued vitality of the national charter. He has emphasized the importance of community banking within the national banking system, initiated programs to identify emerging credit quality issues, and sought to enhance the management of the OCC."

In addition, the citation said Mr. Hawke's "leadership and intellect were critical to the development and ultimate passage of historic legislation to modernize our nation's financial services industry."

The citation also praised Mr. Hawke for his service as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance, citing in particular his work in establishing the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and Electronic Funds Transfer '99, a program that enables federal benefit recipients to receive payments electronically through low-cost accounts.

In addition, the award notes that Mr. Hawke "played a critical role in preserving the integrity of the debt management practices of the United States during the debt management impasse of 1995-1996, a period in which the very creditworthiness of the United States was being placed into question."

Mr. Hawke became Comptroller of the Currency on December 8, 1998. Prior to that, he served three and a half years as Undersecretary of the Treasury for Domestic Finance.