Santander has confirmed that former United States Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has resigned from the bank’s international advisory board, which he chaired, after documents released by the US Congress detailed his correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender.

A spokesperson for the Spanish lender said on Wednesday that Summers had stepped down from the panel, where he had served since 2016 advising on innovation, digital transformation, cybersecurity and new technologies.

Summers, a former president of Harvard University, had earlier said he would step back from public commitments “to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.”

On Wednesday, Summers also announced he had resigned from the board of OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT. “In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI,” he said, adding, “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company and look forward to following their progress.”

Harvard said it is reviewing information concerning individuals at the university named in the Epstein documents recently released by Congress. “The University is conducting a review of information concerning individuals at Harvard included in the newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents to evaluate what actions may be warranted,” spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain told the Harvard Crimson, as reported by Reuters.

A Harvard spokesman also said Summers would discontinue teaching and go on leave as director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government while the review proceeds.

Emails and messages released by the House Oversight Committee show that Summers continued corresponding with Epstein after his 2008 conviction, including exchanges in which Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wing man.” Summers told the Harvard Crimson he had “great regrets” and that his association with Epstein was a “major error of judgement.” The Independent reported that a Summers spokesperson said the unnamed woman mentioned in some messages was not a Harvard student.

Santander did not provide further detail on succession or the future composition of its advisory board. Several other organisations, including think tanks and media outlets, have also confirmed that Summers is stepping away from roles or that contracts will not be renewed, according to Reuters.

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