Obama Picks Mary Jo White to Lead SEC

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will nominate Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, tapping an attorney with broad experience in prosecuting white-collar crimes to lead an agency that has a central role in implementing Wall Street reform. A White House official said the president would announce White’s nomination during a ceremony in the State Dining Room Thursday afternoon. At the same event, Obama will renominate Richard Cordray to serve as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the official said. The president used a recess appointment last year to circumvent Congress and install Cordray as head of the bureau. That appointment expires at the end of this year. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss the nominations ahead of the president. White spent nearly a decade as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, building a...