CNNMoney names new personal finance writer

CNNMoney.com managing editor Lex Haris sent out the following staff announcement on Monday:

I’m pleased to announce that we have a new reporter joining the Personal Finance team: Melanie Hicken starts on December 17.

Melanie got her start as a beat reporter in Glendale, California in 2009, where she covered everything from pensions to wasteful government spending. And she was part of an investigative team that exposed the shady dealings of a real estate developer that ultimately brought down a city councilman.

Last year, Melanie came to New York for a joint j-school/b-school program at NYU’s Stern School of Business. While here, she’s done time at ProPublica, Business Insider and most recently Thomson Reuters, where she was a computer-assisted reporting intern.

The personal finance team under Nicole has continued to do a great job producing high-impact stories that both attract a huge audience and truly matter in terms of holding institutions accountable and helping our readers manage their money. I’m thinking of our work on banks, taxes, fraud and the ongoing efforts to help homeowners. Melanie is a great addition to round out the coverage.