The C.E.O. of Sallie Mae, the student loan provider that agreed in April to be taken private for $25 billion, abruptly stepped down today. The board announced that C.E. Andrews, the company's chief financial officer, will replace Thomas Fitzpatrick, who had been at the helm for two years.

A consortium of buyout firms, including J.C. Flowers, Friedman Fleischer & Lowe, Bank of America, and J.P. Morgan Chase, is in the process of buying Sallie Mae.

The news of Fitzpatrick's departure surprised Sallie's top brass, the Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required). Just last month, J.C. Flowers representatives indicated that they planned to retain Sallie Mae's board and executive team. Now the Journal reports that Flowers plans to replace the entire board in order to thwart any congressional opposition to the deal.

In a statement issued this afternoon, J.C. Flowers chairman J. Christopher Flowers said he supports Fitzpatrick's decision to resign.