By Jenny Strasburg

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (September 25, 2018).

John Bartling, former chief executive of Invitation Homes Inc., has joined Deutsche Bank AG as a senior U.S. banker, in a bid by the bank to boost its relationships with corporate boards, private-equity firms and other deal makers.

Mr. Bartling most recently was president and CEO of Dallas-based Invitation Homes, a Blackstone Group LP -- backed real-estate investment trust that went public in January 2017.

Deutsche Bank advised the rental-home investment company on that offering, which raised $1.8 billion, and later advised the company o n its $20 billion merger with Starwood Waypoint Homes, completed in November 2017. Mr. Bartling stepped down as planned when the merger was done.

At Deutsche Bank, Mr. Bartling started Monday as vice chairman of investment banking in the real estate, gaming and leisure sectors. He is based in Dallas and reports to Drew Goldman, head of investment-banking coverage for the Americas, according to Deutsche Bank and Mr. Bartling.

The hiring of an ex-CEO with experience in asset management, private equity and real-estate banking should bring Deutsche Bank additional CEO access and help it increase its overall advisory and lending businesses in the Midwest and other areas outside of New York City, Matt Borstein, Deutsche Bank's global head of commercial real estate, said Monday.

Mr. Bartling said Deutsche Bank's ranking as a top U.S. property lender and its broader structured-finance business open doors for its bankers. Online retailing and internet-based home-shopping tools are creating opportunities in everything from construction financing to company mergers, he said.

The aging U.S. population is also helping fuel health-care-related real-estate transactions. "There's still a fair amount of tailwind to the sector," Mr. Bartling said.

Deutsche Bank has gone through multiple restructurings and executive turnover, raising questions among clients and staff about its commitment to lending and advisory businesses, particularly in the U.S., where it faces stiff competition with Wall Street.

Deutsche Bank executives have said they want to focus on areas of strength and cut back in businesses that don't justify their costs.

"Senior management has been clear to the market and to me personally that it's committed to having a strong presence in the U.S.," Mr. Bartling said.

Write to Jenny Strasburg at jenny.strasburg@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 25, 2018 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)

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