Wall Street Executive Denis Coleman Jr. has been named United States Consul General to Bermuda by US president George W. Bush.

The post of Consul General has been vacant since Larry Owen left in February 2001 to become Washington lobbyist for insurance giant ACE, which is headquartered in Bermuda.

Around 40 staff work under the Consul General helping Bermudians clear immigration in the US and assisting American tourists and residents in trouble on the Island.

Mr. Coleman, 56, spent 22 years at the Bear Stearns Companies Inc. where he reached the post of executive vice president and served on the board during the crash of 1987.

He was also head of the Fixed Income division which he grew from 25 professionals to more than 1,200. He retired from Wall Street in 1993 as vice chairman of the Discount Corporation of New York, where he helped to restructure and sell the company.

A press statement from the US Consulate General in Bermuda said Mr. Coleman had used his experience in finance and business to boost charities and civic organisations in education, art, healthcare and family and marriage counselling.

Born in New York, Mr. Coleman has been married for 29 years and has four grown-up sons. He has homes in Palm Beach, Florida and Southampton, New York. The Colemans are expected to arrive in Bermuda on June 1.

Since 1986, Mr. Coleman has served on the Board of Covenant House working to expand the Catholic charity which helps more than 60,000 street children rescued each year from six countries.

Mr. Coleman recently completed a MTS degree from John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family.