Vericrest Financial, Inc. announced that it has appointed Ben Purser as Chief Risk Officer, effective January 7, 2013. Purser brings 26 years of experience in financial services to Vericrest, with a focus on risk management, audit, compliance, and governance. In his new role, he will be responsible for all risk management efforts, including determination of risk tolerances, and will focus on operational risk practices, compliance with all state and federal agency requirements, as well as measuring and monitoring risk in Vericrest's portfolios.

Most recently, he served as the Chief Compliance Officer in the Office of Financial Stability at the United States Department of the Treasury, where he oversaw all compliance-related matters for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). In addition, he has served in senior leadership roles at FBR Capital Markets Corporation and Riggs Bank, and worked in the Securities, Capital Markets, and Trust Branch at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).