Press Clips

Karen Petrou, the Blind Banking Analyst Who Saw the Future of Finance, Dies at 72 With the aural equivalent of a photographic memory, she advised financial companies on regulatory and public-policy issues  By Jon Mooallem Karen Petrou often said that the stereotypes thrust on blind people were worse than actually being blind. “I find I frequently become a person’s Cub Scout moment, their good deed for the day,” she told the New York Times—like the people who grab her unexpectedly from behind when she’s walking down stairs, trying to steady her. Strangers always assumed she needed help. But the reality was the opposite: Her whole persona was about being indispensable to others.  Petrou died on Feb. 21 at age 72 at home in Washington, D.C., after breast cancer spread to her liver. She was a co-founder and managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics, a boutique firm that advised some of the world’s [...]

Karen Petrou, Influential Fiscal Policy Analyst and Critic, Dies at 72 Her insights on financial regulations and monetary policy guided big banks and Washington policymakers. By Stacy Cowley Karen Petrou, a fiscal policy analyst whose insights into banking regulation and monetary strategy influenced the actions of Washington policymakers and global financial services giants, died on Feb. 21 at her home in Washington. She was 72. The cause was metastatic breast cancer that spread to her liver, her brother, Stephen Dolmatch, said. For four decades, Ms. Petrou ran a Washington-based consultancy, Federal Financial Analytics, that advised many of the world’s biggest financial companies and trade groups on the intricacies of banking regulation and federal policy. Her expertise and clarity made her a sought-after speaker at conferences, and she testified frequently before Congress and spoke to policymakers at the Federal Reserve. Ms. Petrou was known for delving into complex rules and bluntly distilling their real-world impact [...]

February 23, 2026 Remembering Karen Petrou, whose strategic vision, personal courage, and unwavering commitment helped shape the future of inherited retinal disease research. The Foundation Fighting Blindness community mourns the loss of Karen Petrou, our Board Chair, who passed away after a private battle with liver cancer. Throughout her many years of service to the Foundation, Karen was an extraordinary force for progress, advocacy, and hope for everyone affected by inherited retinal diseases. Of all the roles Karen held in her distinguished career, from co-founding a prominent financial services firm to advising Congress and international institutions, it was serving as Board Chair of the Foundation Fighting Blindness that she cherished most. Karen often said it was the highest honor of her life, a joy and privilege that gave her profound purpose. For those of us who had the honor of working alongside her, we know that the privilege was entirely [...]

Karen Petrou, founder of Federal Financial Analytics, dies    By   John Heltman WASHINGTON — Karen Petrou, co-founder and managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics and a luminary of financial policy, died Saturday afternoon of liver cancer after a brief illness. She was 73. Petrou wielded an outsized presence in Washington economic and regulatory circles, cultivated over the course of decades in the industry and through countless speeches, reports, op-ed pieces and media appearances. Dubbed "the sharpest mind analyzing banking policy today — maybe ever" by this publication in 2012, Petrou offered policymakers and casual observers uncommonly comprehensive insight into the inner workings of the financial system. In a policy sphere riven with smart people, Petrou stood apart. Her distinctive guiding light was to improve the lives of people far removed from finance or power, even if her policy prescriptions might not align with the political valence of her audience. Petrou could be an intimidating presence; she did not suffer fools, [...]

Trump adviser Stephen Miran mired in Fed’s personnel purgatory By Eleanor Mueller Stephen Miran was supposed to step down from the Federal Reserve at the end of this week. That’s not going to happen. As Trump nears a decision on a central bank nominee who’d arrive as his chosen successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whomever he picks still has no path to confirmation. Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pledged earlier this month to prevent the Senate Banking Committee from advancing any of Trump’s nominees until the Justice Department scraps its criminal investigation into Powell. But the administration has instead signaled that the Powell probe should “take its course,” as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent put it earlier this month. The stalemate leaves Miran marooned at the central bank, since the law allows Fed governors to stay on as long as it takes for a successor to be “appointed and qualified.”...“We’ll [...]

What Trumpian Chaos Is Doing to the Dollar One potential long-term casualty of continued political instability sown by the administration: America’s centrality to the international monetary system. By Grace Seger Natural gas futures charts on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on January 20. Stocks, bonds and the dollar fell after President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on various European countries before high-level meetings in Davos, Switzerland. For more than 80 years, the U.S. dollar has been central to the international financial system, in no small part because it is the primary global reserve currency. But as in politics, narratives are incredibly important in understanding stock market moves....“What it typically takes to be a reserve currency is a deep and liquid market—which the U.S. has unquestionably—clear rule of law, and policy predictability. And the latter two are a lot less clear these days,” said Karen Petrou, co-founder and managing [...]

Ford and GM get FDIC approval to open their own banks By Justin Ho The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently announced that it accepted applications to set up deposit insurance for new banks created by automakers Ford and GM. Ford Credit Bank and GM Financial Bank are planning to start offering online savings accounts, along with auto loans. Banks that are owned and operated by corporations — also known as industrial banks — aren’t all that common in the U.S. There are currently about a couple dozen of them, according to the FDIC. Industrial banks operate basically the same way as traditional banks: “They take deposits and make loans,” said Karen Petrou, managing partner at Federal Financial Analytics. She said industrial banks are also eligible for FDIC insurance, which backs deposits up to $250,000. Petrou said when a bank can provide that safety, it doesn’t have to pay as much interest to its depositors. “And [...]

Stop Obsessing About Risks and Let The Banks Compete By Karen Petrou Americans have been worrying about the risks of mixing banking and commerce since Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton. Burr’s Manhattan Company at the time promised to build safe drinking-water pipes across Manhattan funded by deposits entrusted to its care. This early example of a bank that took commercial business risks didn’t produce a hit musical, but it did leave Americans with a grudge against mixing deposit-taking and business investments. Burr and his co-conspirators absconded with the money, and it took another 40 years for New Yorkers to gain wide access to potable water. The residual anger at Burr left many firmly committed to never allow another bank to undertake commercial activities. Worries still abound that deposit-holding institutions will take unhealthy risks if left unchecked. But the idea that banks ought not to conduct commerce is at best only a partial [...]

Five Crypto Firms Get Coveted US Bank-Charter Nod By Emily Mason and Katanga Johnson Five cryptocurrency firms received preliminary approval to perform certain banking functions from a US regulator on Friday, marking the latest step in the White House‘s embrace of what was once viewed as a risky, fringe industry. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency offered conditional approval for national trust bank charters that Circle Internet Group Inc., Ripple, BitGo Inc., Fidelity’s digital assets arm and Paxos had requested, according to a press release....In addition to granting charters, US bank regulators including the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. are looking for other ways to welcome avant-garde firms into the financial system. For instance, the Fed is weighing whether to grant financial-technology firms access to payments systems like FedWire through so-called “skinny” master accounts. These developments do not just signal legitimacy for newcomers, but also a competitive risk [...]

Inside the 2025 Bank Reg U-Turn Karen Petrou is again featured on IntraFi's podcast, Banking with Interest, hosted by Rob Blackwell.  It’s a wide, wide-ranging discussion of issues from deposit-insurance reform to sharp reductions in the Fed’s portfolio, whether stablecoins really have a use case, and what’s next from the federal banking agencies. Listen here.