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.
-
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has formally appealed an October court ruling that undercut the agency's independent status, arguing that the decision laid out a theory of separation of powers without precedent in case law or the Constitution.
November 18 -
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has promised to serve out her term heading the central bank until it expires in 2018, ending speculation that she could resign earlier and give President-elect Donald Trump another important appointment to make when he assumes office in January.
November 17 -
President-elect Donald Trump's victory poses a unique quandary for the Federal Reserve both before and after he is sworn in whether the central bank should attempt to finish the many rules still in process or keep its head down to avoid provoking a hostile Congress.
November 11 -
The CFPB sent letters Thursday to 44 mortgage lenders and brokers warning them of potential reporting violations related to their mortgage lending activities infractions the bureau is increasingly pushing lenders to take seriously.
October 27 -
A federal court appeals decision could theoretically mean that Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry now answers directly to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, a significant break from the agency's history of independence.
October 21 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau decried an appeals court ruling last week that found its single-director structure unconstitutional, saying the opinion was "wrongly decided" and had "no basis in the text of the Constitution or in Supreme Court case law."
October 19 -
Mortgages jumped more than 20% to 7.4 million originations in 2015, reversing a more than 30% decrease a year earlier, according to housing finance data released Thursday. The data also found that nonbanks accounted for fully half of new mortgage originations the largest proportion in over 20 years.
September 29 -
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen pushed back against the notion that banks might be "too big to manage," saying that despite concerns raised by the recent scandal at Wells Fargo, there is no inherent reason why large banks cannot meet existing standards of conduct.
September 21 -
In a political season teeming with tension around income inequality, racial economic disparities and animus toward the banking industry, reforming the Community Reinvestment Act seems like it should be a cornerstone of the debate. Yet the law has been almost entirely absent from the discussion. Here's why.
August 2 -
Lending standards for most business and residential real estate loans as well as subprime consumer loans are tighter than the 10-year average, according to a survey of senior bank loan officers released by the Federal Reserve Board.
August 1
