Debevoise & Plimpton LLP's expertise in financial services regulation spans traditional areas, such as bank M&A, to more esoteric matters in involving fintech and crypto-assets. Led by Satish Kini in Washington DC and Gregory Lyons in New York, the practice group has recently counseled fintech clients on issues such as the launch of new products and acquiring regulatory approval to enter new areas of the market. Further, Lyons assisted Jones Financial with the creation of an industrial bank, advising on state-level and FDIC approval, in addition to a range of other regulatory issues, including Volcker Rule compliance and consumer lending regulations. Kini, a former senior lawyer at the Federal Reserve, is noted for his work in the area of anti-money laundering regulations; his clients include major US and international banks, as well as non-bank institutions. Another key contacts in the New York office is Jeffrey Robins, who chairs the team's broker-dealer practice. David Portilla joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in February 2021.

Latham & Watkins LLP's financial regulations practice has core strengths in broker-dealer issues, derivatives regulations, and transactions in the banking space. The global nature of the New York-based practice is exhibited by its recent work for Credit Suisse, which the team advised on securities law issues involving the Chinese coffee company Luckin Coffee, working alongside lawyers in firm's London and Hong Kong offices. Contacts in the team include Dana Fleischman, a trusted advisor to clients including the SIFMA and its members on various broker-dealer issues; and Alan Avery, who routinely advises on the regulatory aspects of transactions and investments, such as compliance with the Banking Holding Company Act and the Volcker Rule. Also recommended is Stephen Wink, who has expertise in both traditional banking and fintech; his recent work includes advising RealBlocks on the establishment of a platform for trading tokenized securities representing interests in REITs.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP specializes in M&A, debt and equity investing, and other corporate transactions in the financial services industry. Banks, investment funds, and fintech companies are among the team's key clients. New York-based practice head Lee Meyerson has an outstanding track record of handling billion-dollar deals, with highlights in 2020 including his representation of Toronto-Dominion Bank in the $26bn sale of its affiliate, TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. Elizabeth Cooper is another key name to note  in the New York office; she is active in the growing area of special purpose acquisition companies, advising Finance of America Companies on becoming a publicly traded company through a business combination with the SPAC Replay Acquisition Corp. Keith Noreika in the Washington DC office previously served as Acting Comptroller of the Currency and focuses on the regulatory aspects of transactions.

Arnold & Porter stands out for its expertise in bank M&A and compliance issues relating to the Dodd-Frank Act, the Bank Holding Company Act, and FDIC regulations. In addition to handling high-value transactions, such as the all-stock merger of First Citizens Bancshares and CIT Group, the team has been involved in a number of novel transactions. Practice head David Freeman is based in Washington DC and counts broker-dealers, banks, and non-bank financial service providers among his clients, while Robert Azarow leads the financial institutions M&A team from the firm's New York office and is noted for his expertise in banking sector transactions. Charles Bethill and senior counsel Brian McCormally have now retired.

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP has core strength in advising broker-dealers, advising the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and its member firms on regulatory changes made by the SEC, FINRA and the CFTC. In addition, the team has deep experience of Dodd-Frank compliance, advising both domestic and foreign banks. Charlotte-based Scott Cammarn takes the lead on much of the team's broker-dealer regulatory work alongside Steven Lofchie in New York. Cammarn also handles the regulatory aspects of bank M&A transactions, advising Community Bank Systems on antitrust concerns raised by its acquisition of Steuben Trust Corporation. The team has also advised a number of clients on issues relating to the transition away from LIBOR. Mark Chorazak left the team in May 2020, but Nihal Patel, who focuses on broker-dealer and swap regulations, was promoted to partner in January 2021.

Morrison & Foerster LLP‘s financial services group has noted expertise in transactional matters, wholesale banking, and consumer finance regulatory work. The team counts US and foreign investment banks, fintech companies and trade associations amongst its clients, with New York-based Barbara Mendelson leveraging more than 30 years’ experience advising foreign banks entering the US market. Joan Warrington focuses on retail financial services and is highly active in advising non-financial institutions, such as retail and hospitality companies on their credit card schemes. Marc-Alain Galeazzi specializes in anti-money laundering work (AML); his highlights in 2020 included advising a fintech start-up on ensuring its platforms comply with all existing AML regulations. Both Galeazzi and Warrington are based in New York. In Washington DC, senior partner Rick Fischer handles retail financial services for banks and non-banks, with a particular focus on the growing area of privacy and data security.

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP is well regarded in the bank regulatory space, where it handles the creation of new products and transactions and investments in the financial sector, and is also highly active in the broker-dealer space. An area of focus for the firm in 2020 was advising banking clients on rule changes promulgated under the Bank Holding Act, related to control regulations and the Volcker Rule; Julian Rainero advised banks including UBS, Credit Suisse, and ICBC on these changes. Donald Mosher specializes in the payment and money transmission sectors, handling the regulatory aspects of transactions and investments as well as the development of new products, including in the cryptocurrency space. The team’s broker-dealer work is handled by Rainero and Craig Warkol. Betty Santangelo is also recommended, having garnered particularly high praise from clients. All named lawyers are based in the firm’s New York office. Since publication, Joseph Vitale left the firm.

Mayer Brown advises a strong international client base on financial services compliance matters, with a particular emphasis in the mortgage space, acting for mortgage lenders, servicers, investors and title underwriters. Of late, the team has been advising on issues relating to government measures taken in response to Covid-19 pandemic, and has also been active in compliance matters relating to the Truth in Lending Act. Jeffrey Taft and Steve Kaplan jointly lead the financial services regulatory and enforcement group. The team is also recognized for its broker-dealer work, with Marlon Paz the key contact in this area. Another leading name in the team is Thomas Delaney, who specializes in helping international banks and financial services companies navigate US regulations. The team experienced some turnover in 2020: in January, David Sahr, Melanie Brody , and Jon Jaffe retired, and Donald Waack left for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Michael Levy and Andrew Olmem joined the team from Paul Hastings and the US National Economic Council, respectively, and Eric Mitzenmacher was promoted to partner in January 2020. All named lawyers are based in Washington DC. Since publication, Thomas Delaney left the firm.

Shearman & Sterling LLP advises clients including banks and broker-dealers on compliance with financial services regulation, ranging from Dodd-Frank to FINRA rules. The team has a long history in the broker-dealer space, with Russell Sacks noted for his expertise in this area; he has been advising SIFMA on responding to FINRA and SEC rule changes. Another key contact is Reena Agrawal Sahni, who has a varied practice, covering standalone compliance and bank M&A. The team also draws on its knowledge of securities regulation to advise fintech companies moving into the securities market. Jennifer Morton was made up to partner in 2020 and specializes in broker-dealer regulation. Mark Chorazak joined the New York office in June 2020 from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.

Ballard Spahr LLP fields a team of consumer finance specialists spread across the US, with experience in mortgage banking, fintech, payment services, and student lending. The practice group also advises clients on data protection and privacy issues. Key figures in the team's Philadelphia office include Alan Kaplinsky, Jeremy Rosenblum, and Mark Furletti, while Chirstopher Willis is a name to note in Atlanta. Kaplinsky is noted for his expertise on the use of arbitration provisions in consumer lending contracts. The team's student lending practice is led by John Culhane, while Richard Andreano takes the lead on mortgage lending matters.

Hogan Lovells US LLP's financial institutions team is led by Richard Schaberg, who stands out for his experience in bank M&A work. Counsel Sara Lenet is another name to note; she handles regulatory matters both for banks and clients in the fintech sector. Schaberg and Lenet are based in Washington DC.

Allen & Overy LLP has a strong pedigree in regulatory broker-dealer matters, with deep experience handling the registration of broker-dealers with the SEC and FINRA, as well as providing on-going advice on myriad compliance. The team is also noted for its ability to draw on wider firm's global network of offices to provide advice to US clients on their overseas activities. Joint practice heads Barbara Stettner and Chris Salter are names to note in this space; both are based in the Washington DC office.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP specializes in securities regulation issues, advising clients on a standalone basis and also in response to SEC investigations and FINRA enquiries. The team's client base includes investment banks and brokerages as well as non-financial institutions facing allegations of securities fraud. The overall financial markets team is led by Lance Zinman in Chicago and Gary DeWaal in New York. Michael Lohnes and Michael Diver handle much of the team's SEC investigation work, with Diver drawing on his past experience as a branch chief in the enforcement division of the SEC; both are based in Chicago. Susan Light is also recommended in the New York office. Paul McCurdy joined the team in August 2020 from Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, and Daniel Davis joined in January 2021; Davis previously acted as General Counsel for the CFTC. Guy Dempsey has now retired.

Based in Washington DC, Venable LLP's regulatory practice focuses on consumer banking and fields a team including a number of former counsel at the CFPB. Recently, the team has been active in advising fintech lenders on compliance, as well as assisting non-financial institutions involved in financial services, an example of which was advising Verizon on its device financing service. Andrew Arculin and Jonathan Pompan advise a wide range of clients on compliance at the state and federal level. Michael Bresnick is currently serving as independent monitor of Deutsche Bank following a settlement between the bank and the DOJ related to the packaging and sale of RMBS. Allyson Baker represents clients in investigations and litigation involving the CFPB and state attorneys general.