The banking and consumer finance regulation practices at Arnold & Porter houses lawyers from former federal and leading state regulators. The firm also continues to advise on issues impacting foreign banks including regulatory body guidance, from advice on interpretive letters to advice on engagement letters. Kevin Toomey in Washington DC, oversees both branches of the financial services practice, demonstrating an anti-money laundering compliance, alleged unfair, deceptive or abusive lending practices. The group demonstrates experience in an array of consumer credit issues, with a focus on matters before the CFPB, the FTC, federal banking agencies, and state regulators. Washington DC-based David Freeman leverages knowledge of state and federal banking and securities laws to deal with a variety of regulatory compliance, transactions, and enforcement matters. Freeman is also a go-to contact for UDAAP regulations, a strength of the wider group in both the banking and the consumer finance realm.

Highlighted for its knowledge of complex federal rules within consumer finance, Ballard Spahr LLP leverages strong ties with enforcement agencies such as the CFPB and state banking agencies. The team is often entrusted with regulation-driven transactional work such as due diligence for large investors, mortgage companies, and private equity firms who deal with consumer finance companies, and is increasingly forging a path into lending laws related to credit cards. John Socknat in Washington DC and Daniel McKenna in Philadelphia are at the helm of a group which continues to stand out in the fintech realm, often representing payment systems. This particularly applies to emerging fintech systems and systems at the forefront of innovative technology, extending to AI, buy now pay later, privacy, and cybersecurity regulation. Regulatory aspects of high-stakes litigation form a key pillar of McKenna’s practice, while Socknat, managing partner of the DC office, is experienced in dealing with state and federal regulators and in helping clients with obtaining commercial lending licenses. Kristen Larson in Minneapolis handles a varied workload at all phases of the regulatory life cycle, from due diligence to risk management. Denver-based Joseph Schuster regularly advises on a range of consumer finance connected with consumer credit, payments, and debt collection.

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is adept in various banking regulation work, encompassing Dodd-Frank compliance, fintech regulations and cryptocurrency oversight into its broad remit. The group has been strengthened by the addition of banking regulation expert Daniel Meade, who re-joined from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in February 2025. Meade and Mercedes Turnstall head up the group, while Christopher Horn stands out for regulatory aspects of securitization and structured finance investment. Such banking regulation expertise is combined with a strong consumer finance compliance practice, which combines with the cross-practice expertise of the enforcement and litigation teams at the firm. Consumer finance head Tunstall is a key figure in this regard. All named practitioners are based in Washington DC.

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton counts some of the world's largest international investment banks as key clients, who the group advises on areas topics as the EGRPRA response on capital, stress-testing and 009 reporting. Based in Washington DC, Derek Bush provides advice across the full range of banking regulation, from advice on the Dodd-Frank Act and Volcker Rule, to regulation elements of restructurings and corporate governance. Bush leads the team alongside New York-based Hugh Conroy, who displays a strength in bank and bank holding company regulatory matters. The pair is supported by Lauren Semrad in Washington DC, whose knowledge of compliance with the SEC’s treasury clearing rules is a key pillar of the wider group's ability to advise clients looking to access advice on regulatory and enforcement actions by the SEC clearing rules. More widely, the group's regulatory expertise extends to compliance with banking acts such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, and the group's expertise in the SEC's reimagining of the market structure of the U.S. Treasury securities market continues is contingent upon its 'important relationships with senior FINRA/SEC regulators.' Jennifer Morton joined the team from A&O Shearman in May 2026.

Showcasing a strength in fintech regulation, Cooley LLP is skilled in representing clients in examinations and investigations by the CFPB, DOJ, FDIC, OCC, and Federal Reserve. This extends to compliance matters at the forefront of CFPB regulation and enforcement processes, including matters of first impression. As such, the lending and fair banking space is an additional area of prominence for the team, as well as fraud control. Washington DC-based Michelle Rogers, chair of the financial services enforcement and regulatory group as chair, oversees the practice. On the broker dealer and consumer finance side, the group has notable credentials within credit card compliance, and payment and consumer lending compliance more widely, for which Obrea Poindexter in Washington DC is an important point of contact.

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP‘s knowledge of financial regulations and their developments, including the implementation of securities laws, risk assessments, and advising on Chapter 11 filing and involuntary liquidation, is a standout feature of the practice. More generally, clients turn to the group for supervisory, enforcement, governance, and transactional matters. The group boasts several practitioners with experience in regulatory bodies. New York-based Lucas E. Beirne brings experience in the Federal Reserve’s supervisory appeals processes, while John Buretta in New York also has experience in government institutions, as a former senior Department of Justice official. Jelena McWilliams departed the team in January 2026.

Turned to by large global alternative asset managers and international financial institutions, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP stands out for its involvement in AML compliance issues, and advice on ongoing compliance with the Volcker Rule, and regulatory issues tied to Dodd-Frank Act and the Basel III framework within a range of banking and capital markets transactions. Indicative of the group’s activity at the forefront of banking regulations is Margaret Tahyar in New York, who combines advice to fintech companies and cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital asset companies with more traditional financial services companies such as investment banks. Practitioners also advise on other areas of fintech such as stablecoin, as well as displaying strong knowledge of derivatives, and trading. The group is also able to advise banks on relationships with the Federal Reserve. New York-based Luigi De Ghenghi is often called upon for advice on areas such as CCAR/DFAST stress testing and capital planning requirements, and resolution plans. Randall Guynn departed in May 2025.

Distinguishing itself by the versatility of its client base, spanning regional banks, global banks, and companies wishing to enter the banking industry, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is described as ‘informed by long-standing relationships with regulators and a deep understanding of how institutions actually operate.’ This translates to regular advice to clients on risk management policies, a topic in which the wider group is highly engaged, and a profound knowledge of international banking regulation. Among other key mandates are advice on complying with SEC requirements and regulatory advice stemming from M&A/joint venture-related regulation, as well as advising on regulatory capital and quantitative liquidity standards. Satish Kini in Washington DC and Gregory Lyons in New York jointly head up the team, the latter of whom is ‘exceptional on banking regulation, particularly in navigating evolving supervisory expectations’. Kini, chair of the banking group, handles a wide variety of regulatory, enforcement and transactional issues, while Caroline Swett in New York is key for advising on AML compliance programs, and Patrick Fuller in Washington DC stands out for compliance programs more widely.

Dentons acts for household name financial institution clients, including banks and credit card issuers, and regularly advises on regulation related to consumer finance products utilising commercial and consumer lending. Matthew Yoon and John Holahan are at the helm, based in New York and Washington DC respectively. The group has a strong track record in CFPB representation and advice on compliance with state regulation, particularly rule changes affecting the mortgage and consumer credit markets and advice on consumer finance products utilising fintech platforms. Practitioners also advise on regulatory structures and issues related to mortgage lenders, demonstrating knowledge of mortgage trading regulations. William Beecher's previous post as in-house legal and compliance officer for a fintech company in New York is relied upon by clients in this regard. Mortgage lenders also feature prominently among the group's client base.

Showcasing a range of banking regulation expertise, Eversheds Sutherland focuses on retail banking and helping clients to comply with SEC financial rules and market entries, in addition to assisting with avoiding potential violations of SEC or FINRA financial and operational rules and securities law expertise more widely. New York-based Clifford Kirsch, head of the investment services practice group, leads the team alongside Brian Rubin, Bruce Bettigole and Olga Greenberg in Washington DC, New York and Atlanta respectively, who all act as co-heads of securities enforcement at the firm. The breadth of the firm’s capabilities is further evidenced by securities regulators SEC investigations involving Reg BI, representing firms being investigated by FINRA for potential Reg BI violations. Former SEC attorney Holly Smith in Washington DC is key in this regard.

Handling a significant volume of resolution-planning work for foreign and domestic banks, Freshfields is highlighted for acting as outside council for prominent banks. New York-based David Sewell and Alison Hashmall lead the group. Hashmall is a standout team member, whose contractual and general regulatory compliance nous is indicative of the wider group’s strength, specifically compliance with the Bank Holding Company Act, Volcker Rule, and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). Sewell, noted for his ‘understanding of navigating the compliance and regulatory landscape’, combines strength in traditional banking regulatory matters with expertise in the expanding fintech sector.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP brings expertise in state and federal banking regulations with a practice catered to banking associations, trade associations, international banks and institutes alike. In this regard, practice head Jason Cabral in New York is a popular choice for advice on federal and state banking and financial services laws, including the Bank Holding Company Act and National Bank Act, and his bank chartering and licensing assistance is notable. This specific regulatory nous is only added to by the wider group which advises on bank regulatory matters connected to strategic acquisitions and investments, in addition to featuring as a strong point of contact for a range of payment companies and fintech companies. Fellow practice head Rosemary Spaziani, also in New York, can be entrusted with complex mergers and acquisitions and enforcement actions. Bank compliance is another key area of activity for the group, especially compliance matters in connection with regulatory enforcement and investigations.

Turned to by a client base of holding companies, non-bank lenders, fintech companies and international banks, the banking practice at Goodwin excels in AML and general compliance advice. Displaying a strong versatility of advice in a myriad of AML compliance to capital requirements, William Stern heads up the team out of the firm’s New York office, reflecting a broader focus on credit card programs compliance matters related to risk management and mortgage companies. Led by Crystal Kaldjob and Mike Whalen in Boston and Washington DC respectively, the consumer financial services and financial services practice at the firm is well placed to advise on CFS compliance, a sphere in which clients are increasingly faced with enforcement by regulators. The group’s broker-dealer engagements centre around complying with SEC, FINRA, and state enforced regulation, and a standout strength is the capacity to handle the whole life cycle of such regulatory, supervision and enforcement assistance.

Called upon by banks, mortgage brokers, lenders, and fintech companies alike, Greenberg Traurig is adept in helping clients to navigate consumer lending requirements. Utilising cutting edge technology, the group is able to assist financial services companies, including fintechs, with managing their compliance with US federal and state law. This often translates to the obtaining and maintaining of state licenses. Lisa Lanham in Miami is a key name to note for matters in relation to state licensing and regulatory compliance. Shane Foster in Phoenix, Arizona is also a popular practitioner in the team in relation to state licensing, offering a strong track record of representing clients before state agencies.

The group at Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. is lauded for its ‘excellent expertise in financial services law‘ within financing transactions as well as regulatory aspects of such transactions, incorporating derivatives and commodities trading knowledge. Team members are particularly adept in global credit risk management, mandates which often fall at the door of Giorgio Bovenzi, and margin lending. The group utilises an ability to review multiple loans and fund documents simultaneously. Bovenzi and Craig Unterberg in New York lead the team alongside Todd Cubbage and LeAnn Chen in Charlotte and Chicago/Shanghai respectively, the latter of which is integral to group’s ability to work on cross-border matters in countries such as Singapore. Indeed, the group stands out for the breadth of its cross-border expertise across 90 jurisdictions.

Led by Leonard Bernstein in Philadelphia and Andres Fernandez in Miami, Holland & Knight has vast experience with matters reaching the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and in both regulatory investigations and broker dealer assistance at both state and federal level.

Providing longstanding advice to clients as subject matter counsel for operational advice, Husch Blackwell LLP places an emphasis on compliance, and has strong knowledge of regulations such as compliance with Dodd-Frank Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and other federal and state laws, while incorporating aspects of advises on credit, deposit, and payment systems regulations into the practice. Indeed, practice leader Marci Kawski in Madison has a strong presence in the group's matters at the state and national level and is a key factor behind the group's ability to handle all elements of consumer lending, policies, compliance, and licensing matters. Christopher Friedman in Nashville, whose familiarity with the FTC act is a benefit to clients, is a key figure in the team and is noted for his expertise in all facets of consumer lending.

Practitioners at K&L Gates are often sought out for regulatory aspects of banking M&A, assisting a diverse client roster, which incorporates fund managers, fund sponsors, and asset managers in their relations and transactions with regulators and SROs, among which are the SEC, CFTC, and FINRA.

King & Spalding‘s banking arm of its financial services regulation practice assists financial services clients of all sizes, from fintech start-ups to large international banks. Assistance varies from broker-dealer compliance advice and risk management, exhibiting knowledge of US and state regulators, to advice on AML and compliance advice and ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ schemes. Matthew Biben, a former federal prosecutor for SDNY, Kimberly A Prior and Russell Sacks, all located in New York, head up a team which sits within a special matters & government investigations practice, belying a strength in enforcement of the wider group. Prior joined the firm from Winston Taylor in October 2025, adding significant fintech experience, specifically in blockchain and cryptocurrency, to bolster this side of the practice. The consumer finance element of the group’s work includes credit offerings and regulation associated with credit cards and mortgages. Sacks is a key name to note regarding the regulation of private banks and wealth managers due to his experience in banking regulation,

Displaying a range of involvement in Bank Holding Company Act issues, including those stemming from licensing, Latham & Watkins provides investment advice and compliance advice to a range of banks, broker dealers, investment funds and asset management. This lends itself to representing clients before regulatory bodies such as the SEC, FINRA, and the Federal Reserve. Arthur Long and Courtenay Myers Lima head up the team in New York, the former of whom is well versed in the Dodd-Frank act. Additional strengths lie in transactions, including joint ventures. Long is a key point of contact for fintech companies, belying a wider strength of the group in emerging fintech regulations and developments in electronic trading platforms. Lima has a strong background in SEC-registered, exchange-listed and exempt securities. Within the broker-dealer arena, Stephen Wink in New York and John Sikora in Chicago are key names to note. Pia Naib in New York is a key point of access for banks, broker dealers, investment funds and asset management firms alike.

Offering a one stop shop for capital requirements, prudential standards, cryptocurrency regulations, AML, and sanctions compliance, Linklaters LLP combines the banking compliance and financial regulation groups at the firm in order to engage in general regulatory/compliance advice. Brad Caswell and Don Waack in Washington DC and in New York lead the team. The team excels in Bank Holding Company Act advice, attracting a large client base of bank holding companies who the team advise on compliance aspects of asset management activities. Zila Acosta-Grimes in New York can be highlighted for regulatory aspects of M&A transactions, while Nina Zegarra-Schmid in Washington DC in also a standout practitioner in the team.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Moore & Van Allen, PLLC is praised for ability to operate nationally for a 'prestigious roster of global systemically important bank and regional bank clients'. Practitioners can be noted for guiding international banks through specific regulations like the National Bank Act, National Securities Markets Improvement Act regulatory change management process and the Dodd-Frank act, complemented by strong AML and BSA compliance proficiency, on top of corporate governance/credit reporting advice. Edward O’Keefe and Neil Bloomfield head up the team, and the duo are well supported by Kathryn Wellman, who is a standout practitioner for LIBOR transitions.

Encompassing both banking and consumer finance regulatory expertise, Morrison Foerster's financial services regulation team houses lawyers specializing in consumer financial protection issues and licensing matters, as well as experts in compliance. One such compliance expert is Marc-Alain Galeazzi who focuses on AML sanctions and OFAC compliance, and one such consumer finance expert is practice head Jeremy Mandell in Washington DC, who concentrates on consumer financial products. This features as part of a wider group focus on payment systems issues, CFPB issues, consumer regulations, and payment systems architecture. Enforcement matters also feature strongly in this arm of the practice. The banking arm of the practice has longstanding experience in prudential supervision, governance, and both retail and institutional banking matters. Within this arm of the practice, the group also leverages the experience of Matthew Bornfreund, who joined from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP in June 2025 and is formerly an attorney in the Federal Reserve Board, to assist with Federal Reserve regulations in lending and acquisition transactions. New York-based Evan Minsberg's practice places a particular focus on money transmission, licensing, and loan broker issues. The wider financial services team leans into expertise in the fintech industry, a sphere of expertise for New York-based Jeffrey Silberman, and in particular digital transformation regulation in fintech.

Spearheaded by Tom Delaney and Tim Byrne in Washington DC and New York respectively, Norton Rose Fulbright displays as strength in SEC examination and FINRA investigations, but is adept in a range of banking regulations, including BHCA restrictions.

Spearheaded by Amanda Lawrence in Washington DC and Katy Ryan in New York, the practice at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe covers consumer finance matters at the forefront of state and federal law banking regulation. Located in Santa Monica, Clint Rockwell naturally displays a strong involvement in California-specific lending matters, but is overall a strong advisor in licensing and compliance issues. Good range of financial services issues and products, including investigations, disputes, system advice and enforcement matters. Offering a full service of regulatory advice to major financial institutions but also fintech companies, the group is adept in consumer finance promoting cutting edge financial technology due to a strong presence in innovative payment and digital asset systems, digital payments and buy-now-pay-later schemes. Washington DC- based Jeffrey Naimon features prominently in the group’s fair lending matters.

Particularly skilled in FINRA investigations, McDermott Will & Schulte‘s skillset also spans to SEC investigations, compliance procedures, and the novel digital asset regulation space. Marc Elovitz, Kelly Koscuiszka and Allison Bernbach are key pillars of the Investment Management Group, which counts private investment funds as key clients. Indeed, Koscuiszka is praised for her ‘deep expertise in the investment advisory space‘, and the wider team’s advice includes the intersection of investment funds and fintech regulation, as well as advising private investment clients on developing private investment regulatory framework. Areas of regulatory advice include electronic market-making, institutional sales and trading practices, alternative trading systems, margin and securities financing. All named practitioners are based in New York.

Notably adept in fintech regulation, Sidley Austin LLP leans on an international network to handle cross-border financial regulatory matters, often in the context of regulatory approvals for transactions and acquisitions. Within fintech, team members assist clients with issues related to virtual currency, blockchain, marketplace lending, and mobile payments. Added to this is longstanding experience in traditional US bank regulatory issues, including the Volcker Rule. Financial holding companies receive regulatory advice from lawyers such as Joel D. Feinberg and David Teitelbaum, who lead the group from Washington DC. At associate level, Washington DC-based Matthew S. Katz is a key name to note for the Bank Holding Company Act and the Volcker Rule. Finally, the team is often called upon by foreign banks for governance, risk management, and US regulatory requirements, including licensing and compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and other banking laws. The team has bolstered the enforcement arm of its practice with the addition of Kristin Lee in New York from Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in May 2025.

Sitting within a wider financial institutions practice, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP‘s team provides fund investment advice, and is lauded for ‘consistently putting itself in the shoes of the regulatory agencies’ within both the banking and broker-dealer sectors. Skilled in SEC and FINRA examinations, public offerings, and governance issues, and regulatory advice in the scope of global strategic alliances, the group is able to assist with evolving regulatory requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act and Basel III acts. Practitioners count private equity firms, bank holding companies, and a range of other financial services companies engaging in M&A as key clients. New York-based Sven Mickisch, managing partner of the firm’s financial institutions practice, leads the team alongside the financial services institutions practice chairman and founding partner Lee Meyerson, also in New York. Key support also comes from Tim Gaffney in New York regarding the regulatory aspects of transactions, investments and governance.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is entrusted by some of the world’s largest banks for regulatory aspects of M&A at all stages, including joint ventures and capital raising projects. The group also advises on a range of investigations involving government agencies, which are key channels of work for the team, from redlining investigations to CFPB inquiries. New York-based Jeffrey A. Brill, who is experienced in assisting large financial services clients with complex regulatory requirements, and New York-based Mark Chorazak. Chorazak demonstrates a strong familiarity with regulatory approvals within a wide range of transactions for some of the largest bank mergers.

Troutman Pepper Locke LLP regularly deals with traditional regulatory and state and federal enforcement matters, alongside advising banking companies on newer areas of regulation such as cybersecurity regulation. The practice leans upon its corporate team forte, reflected in the advice on bank acquisitions, acquisitions of control, corporate governance, and commercial loan transactions, Christopher Willis, Thomas G. Yoxall, Kristopher P. Henman, P. Russell Perdew and James Stevens are key lawyers on the banking regulation side, based in Atlanta, Atlanta, Washington DC., Chicago and Dallas respectively. The firm’s bank regulatory practice continues to expand in breadth, providing counsel to a broad range of clients in the financial services sector, including banks, bank holding companies, fintech companies, payments providers, and consumer and commercial lenders. Within this investment structuring, spanning across both consumer finance and banking, is a significant area of activity. Mark J. Furletti in Philadelphia is also proficient in a range of lending and payments laws.

Turned to by a plethora of private equity firms, banks and payment companies, Venable LLP routinely engages in compliance advice under federal and state laws related to developing plans launching new consumer finance products, particularly in the fintech space. In this regard, the group's core competencies lie in consumer-facing fintech platforms and services, most notably in the application of compliance and licensing frameworks, but also at times in areas such as the use of customer data. The practice is overseen by Ellen Berge, Andrew Bigart, Jonathan Pompan, Michael Bresnick in Washington DC and New York-based Leonard Gordon are key figures in the team, the latter of whom possesses a wealth of experience in significant experience in FTC matters, while Berge is highly active when it comes to government investigations and law enforcement actions, a complementary offering to the group's regulatory assistance.

Acting for a variety of banks and financial services companies, White & Case LLP also handles regulatory matters for fintech companies and large financial services institutions alike, the former of which forms part of a wider focus on digital assets as a practice. Specific regulatory knowledge lends itself to assisting financial services companies with remaining compliant with BHCA obligations, as well as a strong knowledge of specific capital requirements and bank insolvency regulations. Former practice head Douglas Landy retired in December 2024. Jiang Liu, who joined from Morrison Foerster in March 2025, is now practice head, demonstrating ‘effectiveness in working with a massive financial institutions.’ Claudette Druehl distinguishes herself by her involvement in state, federal, and self-regulatory organisation registration processes. Pratin Vallabhaneni, who spearheads the the firm’s US AML practice, is another key name to note. All named practitioners are based in New York.

WilmerHale, which combines a securities and financial regulation practice with a financial institutions practice, often assists banks with fulfilling their fiduciary duties arising from litigation and enforcement actions. The group also displays a strong capacity to assist with navigating potential OFAC sanctions, anti-money laundering regulatory issues. Washington DC-based Franca Harris Gutierrez is at the helm, the chair of the financial institutions practice group who is turned to by a diverse client base of banks, mortgage servicers, student loan servicers, consumer lending companies, among others, evidencing a strength in advice on CFPB challenges. Similarly, the group at large has experience in dealing with prudential banking regulators, and state agencies, a point of contact for clients being pursued by such regulators. Elsewhere, Zachary Goldman, based in New York, characterises a wider focus of the group on regulatory and enforcement matters. Michael Dawson departed from the firm in June 2025.