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Department of Finance requests six new positions, highlights cybercrime and elder‑fraud workload; governor omits two consumer‑finance IT investigator positions
Summary
Noah Peterson, a budget analyst with the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 21 that the Department of Finance requests six FTP and $816,600 in FY2026 enhancements, largely to add IT and cybersecurity examination capacity.
Noah Peterson, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented the Department of Finance’s base review and enhancement requests to the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 21.
The Department of Finance requested six full‑time positions in FY2026, a recurring $816,600 from state regulatory funds and one‑time capital outlay to support additional IT examination and investigative capacity across its bureaus. "The first one would be an IT examiner for the Financial Institutions Bureau," Peterson told the committee, listing positions by bureau and salary band.
Director Patty Perkins, who followed the analyst’s presentation, described an increase in cybercrime and fraud targeting older Idahoans as a driver of the request. "There is a huge increase in cybercrime," Perkins said. She gave a personal example of an elderly relative who was swindled and said the department has been working with the Idaho State Police and other law‑enforcement partners to "follow the money," including accessing ISP‑purchased crypto‑tracing tools.
Peterson and Perkins told senators the package includes: an IT examiner and another financial examiner for the Financial Institutions Bureau (salary grade P, $121,300), two financial investigator 3 positions to provide IT examination capacity for the Consumer Finance Bureau (salary grade M, $82,500 each), a financial examiner investigator 3 position for cybersecurity in the Securities Bureau (salary grade M, $82,500), and a forensic accounting specialist for the Securities Bureau (salary grade M, $82,500). The request also includes a one‑time Office of Information Technology Services hardware allocation of $52,600 for laptops, docking stations and portable field monitors.
Peterson said the department has 72 full‑time personnel and that nearly all of the Department’s FY2024 appropriation (about 99 percent) was paid from state regulatory funds. He noted that the Department’s mortgage recovery and securities investment/training funds are statutorily limited to up to $50,000 of annual use for administration or investor education.
Senators on the committee pressed for data to justify the new positions. Senator Cook asked for measurable workload or ROI metrics that could be compared if the positions are funded; Senator Wintrow emphasized concerns about elder fraud and asked for case or workload detail. Perkins agreed to provide the committee with more tangible data and case information after the hearing.
Peterson noted the governor recommended all the enhancement items except the two financial investigator 3 positions requested for the Consumer Finance Bureau.
No formal committee votes occurred during the presentation. Committee members accepted the presentations and asked staff and the agency to provide additional data about workload, case volumes and cybersecurity losses to support potential FY2026 appropriations.
