Blackwell named editor in chief of American Banker

Rob Blackwell, currently the Washington bureau chief of American Banker, has been named its editor in chief.

He succeeds Marc Hochstein, who is leaving the company in September.

Blackwell is a prize-winning journalist who this year was honored with the Timothy White Award for exemplary editorial leadership. In addition to being DC bureau chief, he is also editorial director of regulatory policy for SourceMedia’s Banking Group.

“For 12 years, Rob Blackwell has led the best financial-regulatory news team in the industry; his commitment to excellence runs deep and his presence on social media is a powerful source of influence and engagement,” said Rich Melville, editorial director for SourceMedia’s Banking and Capital Markets Groups, in a statement. “Rob is the ideal person to step into one of the most important roles in financial journalism.”

Under Blackwell’s leadership, American Banker’s award-winning Washington bureau expanded its reputation as the industry’s best resource for regulatory insight, analysis and news.

In 2016, Blackwell oversaw American Banker’s coverage of one of the biggest financial-services stories of the year — the Wells Fargo fake-accounts scandal. The coverage won a Neal Award this year for its in-depth insight into the bank’s issues and the resulting fallout.