Art represents banks and their holding companies, clients acquiring banks, and companies opening banks throughout the transactional process.
He regularly drafts merger and acquisition agreements, negotiates and documents both debt and equity capital raising in public and private offerings, advises on financing and corporate structuring, and addresses regulatory requirements regarding all such activities. He also assists with general corporate maintenance for banks and financial institutions. In addition, Art frequently interfaces with regulators and regulatory agencies and is extensively experienced with preparing for and responding to regulatory examinations and negotiating informal and formal regulatory orders. He routinely works at the very highest levels of confidentiality.
A seasoned attorney and chair of the firm’s Financial Institutions M&A & Regulatory Compliance team, Art has represented banks and financial institutions since 1980, devoting his career to the California banking industry. He’s deeply familiar with all aspects of the banking world and understands the concerns and challenges facing bankers and bank boards of directors. His experience advising financial institutions includes mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, SEC filings and regulatory reporting, corporate governance, regulatory enforcement, loan documentation and restructuring, and consumer compliance and operations. Art is extensively knowledgeable regarding the legal requirements in this heavily regulated industry and has worked closely and directly with many of the regulators at all levels, including the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI).
In 2023, Art joined Husch Blackwell with the aim of building the firm’s Banking & Finance team into a national practice assisting banks with corporate matters, major corporate transactions, and regulatory compliance. He primarily divides his own practice between SEC filings, regulatory reporting, and related oversight; mergers, acquisitions, and other major corporate transactions; and regulatory work.
Clients value Art as a trusted confidant and advisor: an attorney who knows banking on a cellular level, he can be counted on to provide not just generic legal advice, but legal advice that’s grounded in the banking industry. He understands the motivations and concerns of banking clients, and he offers counsel that’s not only legally correct, but also correct for a client’s business needs.