Red Cross Approves Compromise to Monitor Relief Funds.

Byline: Scott Fallon

Oct. 2--The American Red Cross will ask families of World Trade Center victims for a waiver allowing their personal information to be placed in a government database that is tracking the disbursement of more than $600 million in relief funds.

The decision represents a compromise between the nation's largest relief agency, which wants to keep its clients' information private, and New York officials who want to avoid mismanagement of the massive sum. The database began to be compiled Monday.

Most charities applauded the idea of a central clearinghouse to watch for possible overlapping in how much money each family receives. …