State Bank Watchdog Joins Regulatory Group

Washington state regulator Chuck Cross, who exposed Household International's abusive lending practices several years ago, has joined the Conference of State Bank Supervisors to be in charge of special projects.As chief of enforcement at the Washington Department of Financial Institutions, Mr. Cross conducted an investigation of Household's mortgage lending practices that led to a $484 million multistate settlement with the company in 2002. He was also a key negotiator in the settlement talks. HSBC North American Holdings later acquired Household. As director of special projects, Mr. Cross will support the conference's mortgage and nondepository regulatory initiatives, according to CSBS president and chief executive Neil Milner. "Chuck's extensive experience in regulating nondepository institutions as well as his background in training examiners and law enforcement bring a new dimension to the CSBS team," Mr. Milner said.