[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 112 (Thursday, July 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E696]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MR. JOHN W. RYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARRY LOUDERMILK

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 7, 2022

  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of Mr. John W. Ryan, president and CEO of the Conference of 
State Bank Supervisors, who unexpectedly passed away on May 16, 2022.
  John was a steadfast advocate of state financial supervision as the 
leader of CSBS, the nationwide organization of financial regulators 
from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, for 
11 years.
  But John was more than just an advocate and leader. He was a rare 
consensus builder in Washington. While he fiercely defended the dual 
banking system, he tempered his passion with humility, humor, and 
integrity. As tributes have poured in from across the nation, it is 
clear that he touched many with his humility, kindness, and vast 
knowledge of financial regulation.
  John was also a visionary. In recent years, he crafted strategies 
that empowered states to retain their authority and function on a local 
level while working together with federal regulators as one system; he 
called this strategy ``networked supervision.''
  John grew up in a banking family. He would recount summers spent 
working for his father, who ran the Bank of Walnut Creek in Northern 
California. Among his many early jobs, he often told of filing checks, 
and when he was old enough, driving them over the Golden Gate Bridge to 
the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank. His early experience with the 
payments system informed his career and helped shape his idea for a 
more seamless system.
  After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a 
degree in political science and economics, John moved to Washington, 
D.C., where he worked on the House Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs 
Committee, now the House Committee on Financial Services. While there, 
he worked on groundbreaking legislation, including the 1994 Riegle-Neal 
Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act. He later took a 
fellowship with the financial services commission in Brussels and 
worked for a public policy consulting firm.
  In 1997, John joined CSBS as an assistant vice president of 
legislative affairs. He rose through the ranks to become President and 
Chief Executive Officer in 2011. Throughout his career, John helped 
define the contributions and accountabilities of state financial 
regulators. He was a key contributor to protecting the states' role in 
financial services legislation, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, 
the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street 
Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Secure and Fair Enforcement 
for Mortgage Licensing Act. John also played a critical role in the 
creation of what is now the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System.
  After the financial crisis of 2008, John recognized the need for 
policymakers to have facts and figures about community banking when 
writing legislation that would impact them. He was instrumental in 
creating the Community Bank Research Conference with the Federal 
Reserve Board. The conference's research has driven more sound and 
appropriate regulatory policy and supervision, and, I believe, helped 
policymakers recognize the value of community banking when crafting 
laws and rules during the pandemic.
  Under John's leadership, CSBS was a valued partner to Congress as we 
worked through a range of financial services issues. The impact of his 
vision and leadership is immense. Our financial system is better 
because of John W. Ryan's work, as are the lives of those of us whom he 
touched.

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