Douglas Flint is a full-time chair at HSBC, while Sir David Walker does four days a week at Barclays. The censure of "weak chairmen" follows an earlier commission report that slammed the HBOS board, led by Lord Stevenson, as a model of self-delusion, and found that many board members lacked the experience to see that the ship was headed for the rocks. Echoing these comments, the report said too few non-executive directors have a sufficient banking background, and a perception has arisen that independent-minded people are weeded out during the board selection process. The commission also wants a senior board member to take responsibilty for safeguarding any whistleblowers. This person would answer to the regulators for any allegations of wrong-doing against the bank. A whistleblower raised concerns about HBOS risks only to be made redundant. Special measures Banks whose conduct raises repeated concerns with regulators could be forced into a new "special measures" regime of intensive and frequent monitoring.