A former top official at the state's main financial regulatory agency is considering a bid for state attorney general, according to a source with knowledge of her deliberations. 

Former Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo is building a team and weighing whether to jump into what would be a crowded field for the Democratic nomination, which opened up now that incumbent Letitia James is running for governor. 

Vullo served as the state's top financial services regulator from 2016 to 2019. The state agency, a product of a merger a decade ago of the state banking and insurance departments, oversees and regulates financial services, products and entities.

During her time leading the agency, the Department of Financial Services recovered $3 billion in fines from big banks and imposed more than $100 million on fines from large insurance companies. 

She previously served as a top deputy state attorney general prior to leading the department. 

In the 2000s, Vullo was a top official at NARAL Pro-Choice America and later led the organization as its chair during the Bush administration. 

A Brooklyn native, Vullo is a graduate of New York University Law School. 

The race for the Democratic nomination for attorney general could be a crowded one. The office has grown in prominence over the last two decades as a legal powerhouse and potential springboard to the governor's office. 

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez is believed to be weighing a run and Zephyr Teachout, a longtime progressive advocate and law professor, has filed to run. She could be joined by state Sen. Shelley Mayer and Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris. 

Vullo has also emerged as a critic of her former boss, ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Vullo earlier this year raised eyebrows when she became one of the first former cabinet officials to call for Cuomo's resignation amid allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. 

A report from James's office detailing allegations from 11 women would eventually lead to Cuomo stepping down on Aug. 24. 

Vullo also defended the process by which the investigation was conducted -- a process Cuomo and his allies have criticized over the last several months. 

"The AG hired two law firms, which did an extensive investigation and wrote a detailed report in full compliance with Executive Law," Vullo wrote on Twitter in August. "No 'unfair process' here."