Peter G. Weinstock

Peter’s practice focuses on corporate and regulatory representation of a wide range of financial institution franchises.

During the past several years, Peter has devoted substantial time to strategic planning, bank compensation, fintechs and banking as a service and defense of enforcement matters, including concerning fair lending and BSA. He is Co-Practice Group Leader of the Financial Institutions Section. He has counseled institutions on more than 400 M&A transactions, hundreds of securities offerings, including over a dozen IPOs, and capital planning, over 50 de novo banks and hundreds of administrative and other enforcement actions. He has lectured at hundreds of trade group and industry functions, including as a guest lecturer for Harvard’s Kennedy School of Public Policy in Beijing, China in 2017 and 2018.

Relevant Experience

Representation includes:

  • firm representation of approximately 8% of Baas banks;
  • lead counsel in Entegra Financial merger of equals and then responding to First Citizens BancShares’ topping bid – 2019. We were nominated for advisor of the year by The Deal’s Middle Market Awards. The transaction was highlighted in PLC’s 2019 Year-End Public M&A Wrap-Up;
  • hired by national law firm as an expert on banking regulation;
  • facilitated over 25 strategic planning retreats in 2017-2019;
  • convinced the U.S. Treasury to issue the first community development financial institution designation for a for-profit indirect lender (a lender that buys loans). The U.S. Treasury had previously not approved such entities to be CDFIs for policy reasons;
  • obtained the first ever shelf charter (a charter that was not activated until a bank failed) to buy assets and assume liabilities from the FDIC as receiver of failed banks;
  • proposed to senior regulatory personnel changes to the Shared National Credit (“SNC”) review process and how that process may be enhanced;
  • more representations of buyers, sellers and committees of firms involved in 363 bankruptcy actions than any other firm;
  • more topping bid transactions as buyer or seller than any other banking firm over the past 20 years;
  • more M&A transactions than any firm over the last 20 years (according to S&P Global Market Intelligence);
  • number 1 in 2013 with 19 M&A transactions and in 2014 with 20 M&A transactions, number 2 in 2016 with 15 transactions, and number 4 in 2017 with 14 M&A transactions, number 6 in 2018 (according to S&P Global Market Intelligence); number 2 in 2019 with 22 bank M&A transactions, including six bank merger of equals over the last three years;
  • hundreds of capital offerings, including over 18 IPOS;
  • hundreds of fair lending, CMPs, and other enforcement actions;
  • testimony before Panel of the House Judiciary Committee regarding Operation “Choke Point” in July 2014;
  • myriad compliance issues before all of the federal bank regulatory authorities, including the CFPB; and negotiations of administrative actions;
  • worked with Puerto Rico taxing authorities to create a tax structure to allow Puerto Rican bank holding companies to issue trust preferred securities;
  • advised the first and largest online auctioneer and broker of oil and gas properties in the United States;
  • first voluntary liquidation by merger of a national bank into a nonbank subsequent to adoption of new OCC procedures;
  • representation of Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. in merger-of-equals transaction with BBCN Bancorp creating the only super regional Korean-American bank in the United States;
  • representation of Bank of Cascades in the acquisition of 15 Bank of America branches;
  • advised dozens of bank holding companies and private equity firms regarding application of the Bank Holding Company Act and the Change in Bank Control Act;
  • representation of foreign banks, foreign bank branches and agencies regarding U.S. banking laws, rules and regulations; and
  • representation of eight Fintech platform banks.

He has authored numerous articles in banking publications. His article, “Acquisitions of Failed Banks – Present Risk and Opportunity,” was honored by The RMA Journal in 2011 as the second best article for that year. For the 22 years during its existence ending in 2019, he served as co-editor of ICBA’s Newsletter, “SUBCHAPTER S: THE NEXT GENERATION.” He has spoken at over 250 banking conferences and seminars, including for over the last 13 years, ICBA’s annual conference. In addition, he is listed in Chambers USA “Leaders in Their Field” for banking and FinTech and as AV Preeminent in Martindale-Hubbell®; named to the National Law Journal’s list of Mergers & Acquisitions and Antitrust Trailblazers for 2018; recognized in the 2019 Legal 500 USA rankings; ranked in the following categories: Chambers USA 2020 – Banking & Finance – Texas; Chambers FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending USA 2019-2021; recognized in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as Best Lawyer for Banking and Finance law; recognized in D Magazine as one of the 2022 Best Lawyers in Dallas; and received a recommended lawyer ranking in the 2022 Legal 500 US for M&A Middle Market. He has also spoken at all sessions of the first-ever Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking’s Digital Banking School in October 2020, March 2021, May 2021 and April 2022.

Law Journal Articles

  • Co-author, “A New Rosetta Stone for Credit: Federal Bank Regulators’ Policy Statement on Commercial Real Estate Loan Workouts and Accommodations,” The Banking Law Journal, April 2023
  • Co-author, “If it Walks Like a Duck …”: The Demise of the Guidance Masquerade, The Banking Law Journal, April 2018
  • Co-author, CFPB Issues Updated Guidance for Residential Mortgage Servicing Transfers and Alerts Servicers of CFPB Review of Servicing Transfers, The Real Estate Finance Journal, Summer/Fall 2014
  • Author, Acquisitions of Failed Banks Present Risk and Opportunity, The RMA Journal, December 2010 - January 2011 (this article was voted the second best article appearing in the Risk Managers Association Journal of 2011; and a winning article for the 2012 Burton Awards for Legal Achievement)
  • Author, Federal Reserve Requires Banks to Implement New Overdraft Procedures and Related Disclosures, Electronic Banking Law & Commerce, March 2010, Volume 14, Issue 8
  • Author, Prompt Corrective Action, The Banking Law Journal at 317-324, April 2009
  • Co-author, Health Savings Accounts and the Convergence of Healthcare and Banking, The Banking Law Journal, January 2008
  • Co-author, Less is More: Changing the Regulator’s Role to Prevent Excess in Consumer Disclosure, 123 The Banking Law Journal, 99, 2006
  • Author, Payroll Cards, Journal of Payment Systems Law, 2005
  • Co-author, Overdraft Protection Programs: The Emerging Battleground for Bankers and Consumer Advocates, 121 The Banking Law Journal, 791, 2004
  • Co-author, Banking Law Developments, Southwestern Law Journal, 1991-1992
  • Co-author, Banking Law Developments, Southwestern Law Journal, 1990-1991
  • Author, Banking Law, Southwestern Law Journal, 1990-1991
  • Author, Directors and Officers of Failing Banks: Pitfalls and Precautions, 106 The Banking Law Journal, 434, 1989

Memberships

  • Member, IBAT Community Bank Charter Task Force
  • Member, ICBA’s General Counsels’ Advisory Group, 2014
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Founding Board Member, The Family Place Foundation, 2007-2013; 2022-present
  • Advisory Director, Matrix Bancorp, Inc., Denver, Colorado, 1996-2006
  • Past President, The Family Place, nonprofit agency devoted to battered women and abused children, 1994-1996; President-Elect 1992-1994; Director 1990-1996
  • Founding Board Member and Past President, Helping Hands for The Family Place

Awards & Recognition

  • Recognized on Independent Bankers Association of Texas’ Wall of Heroes and Legends.
  • 2022 AV®Preeminent Attorney – Judicial Edition Rating in Martindale-Hubbell
  • Recommended for FinTech (2019-2020, 2022-2023) and M&A: Middle Market (2022), Legal 500 United States
  • Recognized among the “Best Lawyers in Dallas,” in Banking & Finance, D Magazine, 2021-2023
  • Recognized as a Best Lawyer for Advertising Law, Banking and Finance Law and Corporate Law, The Best Lawyers in America, 2021-2024

  • Recognized as a Leader in Legal: Payments & Lending, USA, Chambers FinTech, 2019-2022

  • The Deal 2020 Financial Services Law Firm of the Year Nominee
  • AV®Preeminent Peer Review Rating in Martindale-Hubbell and featured as a 2022 Legal Leader in Banking and Finance in ALM Publications
  • Recipient of a Game Changer Award, Finance Monthly Magazine, 2018
  • 2017 M&A Advisor Award for Financial Deal of the Year for the sale of Cascade Bancorp to First Interstate BancSystem, Inc.
  • Chambers USA, leading lawyer in Banking (Texas), 2012-2017
  • Lead counsel on the North American Corporate Deal of the Year (Middle Market) – The M&A Atlas Awards – for Cascade Bancorp, Inc.’s successful topping bid to acquire Home Federal Bancorp, Inc., a NASDAQ-listed thrift holding company
  • Finance Monthly Deal Maker of the Year Award 2014 – Cascade Bancorp, Inc.’s successful community bank topping bid in connection with Cascades’ agreement to acquire Home Federal Bancorp
  • Selected a best law firm writer of 2012 by The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement, a program run in association with the Library of Congress
  • Winner of the 2010 RMA Journalistic Excellence Award – second place
  • Selected one of eight lawyers in the midsection of the country to The International Who’s Who of Banking Lawyers, 2003
  • Selected as one of the “Top-Rated Speakers” by the Financial Managers Society (FMS) and member of the FMS Hall of Fame 
  • Selected for inclusion in “Go-To Guide of Top Lawyers,” Texas Lawyer, 2002 
  • Recipient, Pro Bono Award, Corporate Counsel, The State Bar of Texas, 1997 
  • Nominee, Individual Category, Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award, Volunteer Center of Dallas, 1996

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