Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero was sworn in as a CFTC Commissioner on March 30, 2022, after being nominated by President Biden in September 2021, and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She previously served for a decade as the Special Inspector General for TARP (SIGTARP), after being nominated by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. She led a nationwide federal law enforcement agency and watchdog over TARP, where the U.S. Government became a shareholder in banks, the automotive industry and insurance industry; owned, exchanged, and traded in securities and derivatives; and administered foreclosure relief for consumers. Commissioner Goldsmith Romero previously served at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including as counsel to SEC Chairs Schapiro and Cox during the 2008 financial crisis, and as senior counsel in the Enforcement Division, where she investigated securities law violations, including financial institution fraud, insider trading, hedge funds, and retail investor fraud.

Early in her career, the Commissioner worked at law firms and served a federal judicial clerkship. Commissioner Goldsmith Romero’s leadership has protected markets, the financial system, investors and consumers. She has testified before Congress 13 times and meets often with Congress on policy issues related to the financial system and regulation. She served on a group of inspectors general conducting oversight of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. She led SIGTARP’s investigations into bank fraud, securities fraud, violations of bank and securities laws, money laundering, corruption, mortgage fraud, and conspiracy. These resulted in recoveries of $11 billion, criminal charges against 465 defendants, and Department of Justice, SEC, and other federal and state enforcement actions against financial institutions, corporations, and individuals. These landmark cases had lasting impact to make the financial system safer. SIGTARP was known for its unique ability to find fraud in financial institutions. SIGTARP’s investigations resulted in criminal charges against 100 bankers, with courts sentencing 74 to prison. Her actions to protect markets and investors led SIGTARP to uncover fraudulent practices in mortgage-backed securities that had never been addressed by any other federal agency. These cases resulted in DOJ and SEC enforcement actions, and widespread changes to industry sales tactics. She also led investigations resulting in prison sentences for more than 100 mortgage fraudsters.

Commissioner Goldsmith Romero was an adjunct law professor teaching an advanced securities regulation course at Georgetown Law and a cryptocurrency regulation course at The University of Virginia Law School. Commissioner Goldsmith Romero lives in Virginia with her wife and is an empty nester to three adult daughters.