Reuters reporter returning to Charlotte Observer

Rick Rothacker, a banking reporter for Reuters in Charlotte, is returning to his former employer, the Charlotte Observer.

Here is the announcement from Observer business editor John Arwood:

We’re very excited to tell you that Rick Rothacker is returning to the Observer, as an investigations reporter on the Business team.

Rick returns to the Observer after more than a year as a Charlotte-based banking reporter for Reuters. Before that, he worked 13 years at the Observer, where he did distinguished work as a banking reporter. As the financial world melted down in 2008, Rick memorably took us behind the scenes. He traced the events that led our big banks to acquire subprime lenders — Wachovia’s purchase of Golden West and Bank of America’s acquisition of Countrywide Financial — moves whose reverberations are still being felt today. In 2009 he received a Loeb Award, the highest award in business journalism, in the beat-writing category — the first such honor for an Observer journalist. He also is the author of the book “Banktown,” which began by tracing banking’s roots in Charlotte, and ended by taking us inside board rooms and offices during the tense days of the meltdown.

As an investigations reporter on the business team, Rick will hold power to account in the business world —  shining a light on suspect practices that affect consumers, shareholders, workers or taxpayers, and peeling back the curtain on how things work.

His tentative start date is April 22. I know you’ll join me in welcoming him back to the Observer.