Michael E. Horowitz has been appointed to lead the Federal Reserve Board's Office of Inspector General (OIG) effective June 30, 2025. By statute, the Federal Reserve's OIG also serves in that same role for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an agency financed by, but autonomous from, the Federal Reserve. The OIG is tasked with making recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the agencies, as well as preventing and detecting waste, fraud, and abuse.
Horowitz succeeds Mark Bialek, who retired in April, after nearly 14 years as inspector general. Horowitz has more than 35 years of experience in law, public administration, and investigations. He most recently served as inspector general for the Department of Justice, a position he has held since April 2012. Horowitz also chaired a committee of 21 federal inspectors general to oversee $5 trillion in pandemic relief spending, has chaired the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, and has been a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, eventually serving as chief of that office's public corruption unit. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Brandeis University.
The Office of Inspector General was established by the Congress as an independent oversight authority for the Board and the CFPB and carries out its operations pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978.
