On March 23 the Obama administration announced appointment of three top Treasury officials: Neal Wolin as Deputy Secretary, Lael Brainard as undersecretary for international affairs, and Stuart Levey to continue as undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. The Levey appointment raises concerns about possible continuation of Treasury's hostile policies toward charities during the Bush administration. It is hoped that Brainard's expertise in foreign assistance and Wolin's experience in the Clinton administration will provide an opportunity for a more comprehensive and effective strategy at Treasury in the future.

Levey, who has served in his position since its creation in 2004, will not require Senate reconfirmation. His past statements regarding charities have been cause for concern. In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on April 1, 2008 Levey said Treasury has "active engagement with the charitable sector" without disclosing criticisms of Treasury's process in shutting down of charities and freezing assets indefinitely. His testimony also said Treasury has "issued guidance to assist charities in mitigating the risk of exploitation by terrorist groups" without acknowledging repeated calls for their withdrawal from a diverse group of nonprofits that say the guidelines are counterproductive and harmful to charities' operations.

The Obama administration has faced intense criticism for not filling key positions at the Treasury Department, with several candidates turning down offers, and it is widely believed Levey's retention avoids creating another vacancy.

Wolin was Treasury general counsel from 1999-2001, and according to the March 13 Washington Post also served as deputy general counsel from 1995-1999 and was a special assistant to the national security advisor in the Clinton administration. The Wall Street Journal reports that he "once oversaw property and casualty operations at The Hartford Financial Services Group, advised Mr. Obama on economic policy before "being asked to rejoin Treasury," the White House said in an announcement of the nominations."

Lael Brainard is Vice President and Director of Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution, where she also holds the Bernard L. Schwartz Chair in International Economics. The Brookings website says she was "Formerly White House Deputy National Economic Adviser and Associate Professor at MIT, she focuses on competitiveness, trade, international economics, U.S. foreign assistance and global poverty. She is also the Director of the All Brookings Initiative on Competitiveness." Prior to that she served a deputy national economic advisor in the Clinton administration. According to Google News on March 24, Brainard was "set to take a post at the State Department" but is headed to Treasury instead.

The undersecretary position for domestic finance is the only remaining vacancy in the top tier of the department.