Since his appointment as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland in 1987, Hoskins has gained national attention, in part, from his outspoken views on inflation and deposit insurance reform. On the former, he says: “There is widespread agreement that the central bank ought to pursue price stability.. If the Federal Reserve commits to an explicit plan for achieving price stability, the transition costs would be reduced, and any costs that arise will be outweighed by the benefits.”

Prior to joining the Cleveland Fed, Hoskins was chief economist and senior vice president for economics and corporate affairs at PNC Financial Corp. in Pittsburgh, Penn. His experience with the Fed dates to 1969 when he became an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, where he later became a research officer in 1972, vice president in 1973 and director of research in 1975. Hoskins has a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles.