Financial Institutions

Vedder’s Financial Institutions group is a reliable advisor to financial institutions navigating complex mergers, acquisitions, consolidations and spinoffs with a proven track record and laser focus to transactions that shape organizations’ futures.

Clients rely on our deep familiarity with the financial services industry and the surrounding regulatory environment. Our attorneys come from a variety of backgrounds, including careers with financial institutions and FinTech platforms. Through that experience, the team anticipates issues early and structures transactions strategically. We work seamlessly across disciplines, integrating knowledge of bank regulation, antitrust concerns, tax, securities and more to address the full scope of a deal.

The group’s work is consistently recognized by the market. We are regularly ranked by S&P Global Market Intelligence among the leading national law firms based on the volume and value of financial institutions mergers and acquisitions and capital offerings completed each year. The Financial Institutions group is also frequently recognized by U.S. News and Best Lawyers® as one of the premier banking law practices in the country.

Vedder advises financial institutions, underwriters, placement agents and investment advisers on a broad range of capital markets and securities matters. Our attorneys work closely with issuers and underwriters to structure and execute public and private financings, including initial public offerings, registered equity and debt offerings, follow-on and secondary transactions, private placements, PIPEs, tender and exchange offers, and Rule 144A placements. We guide clients through each stage of the process, from preparing offering materials to managing SEC registration and private placement requirements.

Our team also counsels underwriters on due diligence, underwriting and placement agreements, selling shareholder considerations, FINRA filings and related regulatory issues. In addition, we regularly serve as outside counsel to public companies, advising on disclosure obligations, periodic reporting, corporate governance, exchange listing requirements, proxy matters, shareholder activism and board-level issues.

Our attorneys advise financial institutions and executives on compensation and employment matters governed by complex regulatory and market considerations. Our team provides integrated guidance on the design and administration of executive and director compensation arrangements, helping clients navigate employment agreements, severance and change-in-control arrangements, incentive compensation programs, equity-based and deferred compensation plans, indemnification provisions and restrictive covenants.

We also represent financial institutions in a wide range of labor and employment matters, including claims involving wrongful discharge, discrimination, retaliation, breach of contract and wage and hour issues.

We advise clients on a wide range of regulatory, enforcement and compliance issues, and we represent clients before the FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve Board, CFPB, FINRA, SEC, CFTC, FTC and various state regulatory authorities.

Our regulatory expertise includes representing and advising clients on issues arising from bank examinations, such as safety and soundness, compliance, privacy, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and anti-money laundering, the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), information technology and cybersecurity.

We have broad skills across a range of regulatory compliance and enforcement matters. Our attorneys advise clients on a wide range of regulatory, enforcement and compliance issues, including, but not limited to, compliance issues involving the following:

• Data breach incident planning and response
• BSA, anti-money laundering and OFAC requirements
• ECOA, FHA and other fair lending requirements
• Section 23A and 23B of the FRA
• UDAAP
• TILA, RESPA, HMDA and TISA
• EFTA
• Federal and state regimes governing money service businesses and money transmitters
• FDCPA
• Right to Financial Privacy Act

We also offer regulatory advice regarding such matters as bank holding and financial holding company issues and other complex regulatory matters.

Our regulatory team provides the care and expertise needed to plan and launch new products and services, including the development of innovative financial technology platforms. From complex payment systems, e-lending/marketplace lending, remote deposit programs, mobile banking products, data analytics and digital currencies to FinTech joint ventures, our team has the skills and the strategic relationships to guide your institution through the rollout of all new product or service offerings.

Our FinTech practice guides financial institutions and technology-driven companies through the regulatory and operational challenges of the modern financial marketplace. We help clients bring products to market, expand into new jurisdictions and navigate the evolving landscape of federal and state regulation with surety.

Our lawyers draw on experience inside financial institutions and government agencies to advise on product and system design, payment systems, money transmission and state licensing and exemptions in all 50 states. We also help clients manage relationships with federal and state regulators, including FinCEN, OFAC, SEC and CFTC, ensuring programs are both compliant and operationally practical.

We support FinTech companies at every stage, from early capital formation to strategic partnerships, helping structure equity and debt arrangements. When disputes arise, we provide representation in regulatory enforcement matters, commercial litigation, consumer finance claims and intellectual property disputes.

Our technology-focused practice advises on protecting and commercializing innovation, including software, design patents, trademarks, licensing, cloud platforms and complex technology transactions. Our cross-disciplinary collaboration and commercial perspective delivers solutions that anticipate risk, address operational needs and advance clients’ strategic goals.

Our attorneys are trusted advocates for financial institutions and their stakeholders in complex litigation matters brought by both private parties and government agencies. Legal risk deeply affects day-to-day operations and long-term objectives in the financial services industry and our team’s guidance is practical and tailored to address short- and long-term impacts.

Every matter taken on by our team is viewed through a lens of industry perspective. Many of our attorneys have spent their careers advising financial services companies and understand how litigation exposure develops. Practical insight shapes our strategy from the outset and allows the team to assess and adapt to risk efficiently.

As Vedder represents institutions of all sizes in a myriad of disputes, clients can rest easy knowing they are in experienced hands. You can expect a disciplined and thoughtful approach to case management with thoughtful staffing and transparent reporting in each engagement.

We advise venture funds, investor groups and executives on the formation and operation of de novo banks, providing end-to-end guidance on regulatory applications, executive and equity compensation, business plans, contracts, and technology and cybersecurity matters. Our team has handled high-profile engagements, including a de novo bank that completed the largest equity offering in Illinois and the formation of the largest U.S. bank fund focused on new institutions. Through regulatory insight and practical business guidance, we help you launch banking ventures efficiently and confidently.