The three nominees were announced just days after two contenders for more senior posts withdrew their names, fanning concern that Treasury's failure to quickly assemble a team potentially hinders its effectiveness at a critical time.
A Treasury spokesman said the Obama administration nonetheless was ahead of prior administrations in getting its top Treasury officials in place and said a perception that its work was being hindered was incorrect.
The nominees are:
--Lawyer David S. Cohen, for the position of assistant Treasury secretary, terrorist financing. Cohen, who worked at Treasury previously, was until recently a partner in the law firm WilmerHale;
--Economist Alan Krueger for the job of assistant secretary, economic policy. Krueger taught at Princeton University and is widely published on a variety of economic issues;
--Financial specialist Kim Wallace, nominated for assistant secretary, legislative affairs. Wallace previously was a managing director for the Washington research group at Barclays Capital and before that spent 14 years at now-defunct Lehman Brothers Group.
The positions require Senate confirmation.
All three of the nominees are serving as counselors to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
But there still is no deputy Treasury secretary and two key undersecretariats -- for international policy and domestic finance -- have not yet been filled.
Under secretaries are senior to assistant secretaries.
0:00/4:00Obama must focus on economyOn Thursday, it was revealed that former Securities and Exchange Commissioner Annette Nazareth had withdrawn from consideration to become a deputy Treasury secretary for personal reasons and that she would remain in her private securities law practice.
In addition, Geithner's choice for international affairs under secretary, Caroline Atkinson, also pulled her name from consideration. Atkinson, a senior official at the International Monetary Fund, has decided to remain at the institution, a person familiar with the decision said.
Both Nazareth and Atkinson had been vetted for the jobs but had not been formally nominated.
Lee Sachs, also currently a counselor to Geithner, is widely considered a top contender for under secretary for domestic finance, but also has not been formally nominated.
Sachs was most recently a partner and fund manager at Mariner Investment Group Inc. and is involved in developing the Treasury's bank rescue plan.
Rollout of rescue package delayed
Investor nominates 4 to board at Gaylord
TARP: $365 million to 23 banks
