Former GOP Senator Judd Gregg named CEO of lobbying group SIFMA NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association named former Republican Senator Judd Gregg as its chief executive officer, the lobbying group said Monday. The appointment of the veteran politician, who also was governor of New Hampshire and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, continues a growing trend of legislators, financial regulators, bank executives and lobbyists moving back and forth among the channels. Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro last month joined Promontory Financial Group, a Washington lobbying firm founded by former Comptroller of the Currency Eugene Ludwig. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, or SIFMA, also named its acting president and chief executive Kenneth Bentsen Jr. as president. He is a former Texas congressman and nephew of former Texas Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsen. Bentsen in February replaced Timothy Ryan, a banker and former regulator who resigned as president and CEO after almost five years at the trade group to become JPMorgan Chase & Co's (JPM.N) chief regulator. A former savings and loan company regulator, Ryan previously worked at JPMorgan as vice chairman for financial institutions and governments. Reporting by Jed Horowitz; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn