Financial Institutions
Our financial services clients know that working with Howard & Howard is a sound investment.
The financial services industry is as familiar as the community bank on the street corner and as multifaceted as a multinational holding company. Heavily controlled and amid fierce competition, all financial institutions, regardless of type and size, face legislative and regulatory scrutiny, changing alliances and business relationships, and the challenge of innovation in today’s marketplace.
Financial Institutions Served
Howard & Howard’s financial institutions practice comprises attorneys from various disciplines. We have the knowledge, agility, and flexibility to respond to the most pressing financial services issues along with sound judgment and vision to shepherd any transaction from conception to completion.
We proudly serve clients across the financial services sector, such as:
- Multinational, national, regional, state-chartered, and community banks
- Thrifts (both shareholder-owned and mutual associations)
- Credit unions
- Fintech providers
- Stock brokerages and securities firms
- Insurance companies
- Credit card issuers
- Mortgage lenders
- Consumer finance companies
- Investment funds
- Accounting firms
- Financial managers and advisors
More so than any other industry, transactions in the financial services space require strict compliance with rules set by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and other federal agencies, as well as state banking, finance, and insurance regulators.
Banking Law Services
Our dynamic, cross-functional team of business and corporate attorneys, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, employee benefits, data privacy attorneys, bankruptcy and restructuring, securities, intellectual property attorneys, and corporate tax attorneys not only ensure that transactions adhere to the letter and spirit of the law, but also bring creative solutions to the table. The vast range of financial legal services we deliver in this area include:
- Business formations including offshore entities
- Whole institution and branch mergers, acquisitions, and other consolidations
- Advice regarding new product introductions including marketing and sales restrictions, customer terms and conditions, and custody and distribution agreements
- Lender liability and enforcement litigation and arbitrations
- Capital planning and recapitalizations
- Public and private securities offerings including trust-preferred securities
- Strategic restructurings, reorganizations, bankruptcies, and workouts
- Drafting and negotiation of vendor and consultant contracts
- Going private and going dark transactions
- Executive compensation, employee benefits planning, and data privacy compliance
- Charter conversions
- Simple, complex, and syndicated loan documentation and transactions
- Debt acquisition
- Trust and investment advisory matters
- Mutual-to-stock conversions
- Cross-industry transactions
- Branch openings and closings
Because of our extensive experience with regulatory compliance, we help clients stay between the lines and avoid unnecessary exposure and publicity. In contentious matters including audits, investigations, and enforcement actions, we efficiently engage with federal and state regulators to frame the allegations and negotiate appropriate responses and resolutions. We also know our way around the courtroom, engaging in hard-fought litigation and enforcement proceedings to appeal administrative decisions; defend clients against insurance claims, lender liability, consumer class actions, and commercial and operational disputes; and enforce our clients’ rights vis-à-vis borrowers.
While they support a number of businesses, our financial institution clients are also businesses in and of themselves, with everyday legal needs, including labor and employment, immigration, real estate, intellectual property, and general corporate matters. Our full-service law firm stands ready to address all issues.
Banking & Financial Attorneys in MI, CA, IL, and NV
Howard & Howard has long been a trailblazer in the financial services sector. We formed one of the nation’s first multibank holding companies in the early 1970s, lead one of the nation’s first cross-border mergers, established one of the first bank-operated securities brokerage services, assisted a client in acquiring one of the first bank-owned insurance agencies in the Midwest, and completed the first purchase of a bank by a credit union. We continue to help financial institutions expand into nontraditional service areas. While innovation isn’t something most people associate with law firms, fortunately for our clients, we aren’t like most law firms.