The former acting secretary at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has joined the US-wide law firm of Arnstein & Lehr LLP as a partner in Chicago. He will be a member of the Banks and Financial Institutions Practice Group.

Flores has been credited with changing the IDFPR’s culture during his four years there for the better, raising the agency’s profile nationally and making it more efficient. Previously, he spent one year as the acting chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission.

As a member of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, Flores and his IDFPR team strengthened consumer protection standards for mortgage servicers in the wake of the financial crisis, and were party to the $25 billion settlement with five of the biggest mortgage lenders following the collapse of the US housing market.