"This agreement affirms our commitment to assisting customers who are facing financial difficulties," Madison said. The agreement follows a series of joint federal and state initiatives aimed at addressing the causes of the financial crisis that began in 2008 and helping to put the market back on track. Previously, a separate federal-state working group reached multibillion-dollar settlements with lenders including Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. related to mortgage-backed securities. Schneiderman was made co-chairman of that group.