Edward Leary
Commissioner, Utah Department of Financial Institutions

Commerce and Banking - What’s Going on in Utah

Ed has been with the Utah Department of Financial Institutions for almost three decades. He joined the department as an examiner and rose through the ranks, holding positions as industry supervisor, and chief examiner before his appointment as Commissioner.

Currently, Ed serves as chairman of the Board of Financial Institutions, and he is a member of both the Utah Housing Finance Agency Board, and the Utah Appraiser Registration and Certification Board. Additionally, he provides support to the Utah Money Management Council, and he is the past chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors. Ed has testified before both houses of the U. S. Congress on financial institution regulation and public policy issues.

Under his leadership, the department has accomplished many goals including becoming accredited by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the National Association of State Credit Union supervisors. Commissioner Leary is a strong advocate of the state banking system. He successfully introduced legislation reducing regulatory fees by 30 percent. He also rewrote Utah’s Financial Institutions Act to facilitate interstate and branch banking, allow foreign-owned depository institutions, update ATM law, and authorize state-chartered depository institutions to engage in the insurance business.

Ed holds both a bachelor’s degree in political science and an MBA from the University of Utah. He retired as a captain from the US Naval Reserve.