John Heltman is the Washington Bureau Chief for American Banker. John previously edited American Banker Magazine and is the creator of American Banker's narrative podcast Bankshot. He was awarded the Grand Neal, the top honor bestowed by the Jesse H. Neal Awards, in 2019 for his narrative podcast series Nobody’s Home, which examines the economic and social impact of concentrated vacant housing. He was also named the 2019 McAllister Editorial Fellow at Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He is a 2005 graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland and lives in Baltimore, Md.
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Trump administration nominees Bill Pulte and Jonathan McKernan will face Senate scrutiny Thursday over their approaches to oversight, with industry support but expected Democratic opposition, particularly from Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
February 27 -
In a forum Tuesday, Senate Democrats railed against President Trump and Elon Musk's efforts to shutter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as anti-consumer and illegal.
By John HeltmanFebruary 25 -
President Trump reinstated a revised executive order from his first term that would make it easier for the White House to remove policy-facing federal employees — including Senior Executive Service employees. The National Treasury Employees Union sued the White House in response.
By John HeltmanJanuary 21 -
Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, will appear before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing Thursday morning starting at 10:30 am.
January 16 -
Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman said Friday that regulators — chief among them the Fed itself — need to do more to combat check fraud, particularly the problem of smaller banks not being reimbursed by larger banks whose checks are altered.
By John HeltmanDecember 6 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is giving the funds to more than 4.3 million consumers harmed by a defunct credit-repair conglomerate, the largest-ever distribution from the bureau's victim-relief fund.
By John HeltmanDecember 5 -
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said the FICO credit-scoring model has drawbacks in price, predictiveness and market competition, and stakeholders should develop a more open-sourced model that uses artificial intelligence.
By John HeltmanNovember 21 -
President Trump initiated changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in his first term, and the industry's frustration with the bureau has grown since he left office. But how far a second Trump administration can or will go depends on factors outside the president's control.
By John HeltmanNovember 6 -
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said opposition to the bureau's recently finalized open banking rule should be viewed as banks and other large firms attempting to quash competition and stymie consumer data protection.
By John HeltmanOctober 23 -
Top Federal Home Loan bank officials said they fear the Federal Housing Finance Agency will use supervision to further the goals of last year's report recommending reforms to the Home Loan Bank System.
By John HeltmanMay 1