Former state Sen. Rick Metsger (D-Welches) got a promotion today: The National Credit Union Administration announced that President Barack Obama is elevating Metsger from his position of vice-chairman to chairman of the NCUA, which regulates and supervises 6,000 credit unions nationally, including 62 in Oregon.

Here's a statement from the agency:

During his tenure as NCUA’s Vice Chairman, Metsger has focused on modernizing regulations and the federal credit union charter in order to provide credit unions with greater flexibility to innovate and grow as well as regulatory relief. The agency also recovered more than $3 billion from litigation against Wall Street banks whose actions severely damaged the credit union system in the recent financial crisis.

Metsger served in the Senate from 1999 to 2011, following a career as a sports anchor and news reporter on KOIN television.

In Salem, Metsger chaired the Senate Business and Transportation Committee and was known as a dealmaker.

He ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2008 and for state treasurer in 2012. Obama named him to the NCUA board, a full-time, salaried position based in Washington, D.C. in 2013.