CHARLOTTE - Wachovia Corp. announced Thursday evening that chief financial officer Tom Wurtz is leaving the company. He is the first casualty in a gradual regime change at the Charlotte bank.

The news comes two days after Wachovia announced an $8.9 billion quarterly loss and a turnaround plan that includes transforming the mortgage unit and cutting more than 10,000 jobs. Two weeks ago a new chief executive, Durham native Bob Steel, was brought in to clean house and restore the struggling bank.

Wurtz, 46, will leave after his replacement has been named. The search is to begin immediately. A Wachovia spokeswoman declined to comment on why Wurtz is leaving or whether his successor will come from inside or outside the bank.

Analysts had predicted that Steel would have to shake up senior management and the board of directors in order to do his job. Steel, an alumnus of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and the U.S. Treasury, replaced former CEO Ken Thompson, who was asked to retire June 1.

"Wurtz is part of the collateral damage at Wachovia, and I expect more is coming," said Gerard Cassidy, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets.