LANSING, Mich. — Ken Ross, who has been serving since last October as the acting Michigan regulator of credit unions and is a former vice president of the Michigan Credit Union League, was named last week to the permanent job by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Ross, 40, joined the Office of Financial and Insurance Services in 2003 as chief of staff to former commissioner Linda Watters and last year was promoted to deputy commissioner for policy.

Ross, who joined the Michigan League staff in 2000 as regulatory affairs director and later become vice president of regulatory and legal affairs, helped draft a CU reform bill later helping to implement the measure when he joined the commissioner's office.

Prior to taking the league job, he had been an assistant to former Michigan attorney generals Frank Kelly and Granholm. He also had served as chief of staff for former State Rep. Agnes Dobronski, D-Dearborn.

In a statement, David Adams, president/CEO of the league, said, “Ken is certainly no stranger to the MCUL and Michigan credit unions. And, to our knowledge, this is the first time that an individual with a credit union background has ever served as the state's chief regulator of financial institutions.”