This combination of knowledge and experience permits us to anticipate potential problems before they become serious timing or deal issues and to access the key decision-makers in the agencies if necessary to address these items.  We are aware of very few firms that have our capabilities and skills at this level.  The group's work consists of six principal elements.

Transactional Matters:  We represent our clients in transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, stock and debt issuances and investments, strategic alliances, and joint ventures.

Regulatory Counseling:  We engage in all aspects of regulatory counseling and representation before the financial institution regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Treasury Department, and state banking departments.  This includes counseling as to handling a full range of regulatory filing and processing matters, including for complex and novel applications in emerging areas, as well as federal and state securities filings.

Corporate Governance:  We provide advice to senior management, boards of directors, and committees on a wide range of corporate governance matters and issues relating to Board and Committee structure and operations.

Legislation:  We provide legislative and strategic advice concerning pending legislation before the U.S. Congress as well as with respect to public policy issues generally.  This includes drafting proposed amendments to bills and meeting with members of Congress and their staffs to seek support for such amendments.

Bank Secrecy Act:  We provide representation on matters relating to federal and state anti-money laundering and know your customer statutes and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act, suspicious activity reporting, disclosure of customer information and related privacy issues.

Enforcement and Litigation:  We provide advice to officers and directors of financial institutions on a wide variety of federal and state investigatory and enforcement matters, primarily concerning matters initiated by federal and state banking agencies.  We also have been engaged to represent special board committees, including outside directors, in connection with these kinds of matters.

Further Information

To learn more about our Financial Institutions Practice Group, please contact the practice group co-chairs: Christopher Bellini, in our Washington D.C. office, at (202) 887-3693, and Amy Rudnick, in our Washington D.C. office, at (202) 955-8210.