The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Lori H. Price has been named Director of the Office of Credit Ratings (OCR), effective Aug. 14, 2022. She has served as Acting Director since February 2022 and has more than 30 years of experience in various roles at the SEC.

"I am pleased that Lori, building upon her decades of service to the SEC, has agreed to serve as Director of the Office of Credit Ratings," said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. "The oversight of credit rating agencies is critical to the SEC's mission to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation."

Ms. Price said, "It is a tremendous opportunity to lead an office that plays a central role in protecting users of credit ratings and ensuring the integrity of the rating process. I am excited to continue working with the talented and dedicated staff in OCR and across the agency."

Ms. Price first began working at the SEC in 1987. After leaving in 2000 to work in private practice, she returned in 2003 to work in the Office of the General Counsel. She held several roles of increasing responsibility on her way to becoming Associate General Counsel and leading a team of advisors on some of the agency’s most complex rulemaking initiatives and interpretive matters. Ms. Price joined the Office of Credit Ratings in August 2020. She received her bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Maryland.

The SEC's Office of Credit Ratings is responsible for oversight of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs), including examinations of NRSROs and developing and administering rules affecting NRSROs. Office staff work to ensure that credit ratings are not unduly influenced by conflicts of interest and NRSROs provide greater transparency and disclosures to investors.