DOW JONES NEWSWIRES E*Trade Financial Corp. (ETFC) said Frank J. Petrilli was named its new chairman, replacing Chief Executive Steven Freiberg, who held the role on an interim basis. The online brokerage's last permanent chairman was Robert Druskin, a former Citigroup Inc. (C) executive who left E*Trade in May to become chairman of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. Petrilli, 61 years old, has more than 30 years of experience in investing and financial services. Most recently, he was chief executive of Surge Trading Inc. and previously served as chief executive of Nexxar Group Inc. "A seasoned veteran and well-recognized leader in our industry, Frank's experience makes him an ideal addition to our board," said Freiberg, who will remain on the board and as CEO. "In addition to his in-depth understanding of both securities brokerage and consumer banking businesses, Frank has a proven record of leading successful growth in the retail investing segment." E*Trade last week posted an unexpected fourth-quarter loss as the company boosted a portion of its loan loss allowance by $67 million and recorded write-downs of $15 million related to certain loans in the process of foreclosure. Shares were down 0.6% at $8.14 premarket. As of Friday's close, the stock was down 30% over the past three months. -By Ben Fox Rubin, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-3108; ben.rubin@dowjones.com
