WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United States Senator Daniel K. Inouye is pleased to announce that Donna A. Tanoue, by unanimous consent, late this evening was confirmed by the United States Senate as the new Chairperson of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

"I wish to extend my congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Tanoue in her new capacity as the Chair of the FDIC. I am most confident that Ms. Tanoue will provide excellent leadership, and business and legal expertise to the FDIC. She will serve the people of this nation with unquestionable integrity, diligence and distinction. This is indeed a very proud day for the State of Hawaii," stated Senator Inouye.

The FDIC is an independent agency which insures deposits in federally insured banks and thrift institutions, and resolves and liquidates failed banking institutions.

Ms. Tanoue is currently a partner with the law firm of Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, and over the last ten years, she has concentrated her law practice in the area of banking with an emphasis on bank regulatory matters. From 1983 to 1987, Ms. Tanoue was the Commissioner of Financial Institutions for the State of Hawaii. She was the chief regulator of State-chartered financial institutions during one of the most difficult periods in the history of the State's financial services industry.

Ms. Tanoue graduated from Kalani High School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Ms. Tanoue is the daughter of Dr. Roy and Marjorie Tanoue. She is married to Kirk W. Caldwell, a real estate attorney with the law firm of Ashford & Wriston, and they have one daughter, Maya Hisako Caldwell.