Contact: Mark Fefer, Marketing Communications, 206.757.8583 or markfefer@dwt.com
JUNE 3, 2019 – The Financial Services practice at Davis Wright Tremaine continues its expansion from a consumer financial services and payments practice into a broad-based financial institutions practice with the addition of Kevin Petrasic, one of the country's leading regulatory advisers to national and international banks and other financial institutions. Mr. Petrasic joins as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, where he will help anchor its financial institutions regulatory practice.
Mr. Petrasic comes to Davis Wright from White & Case, where he served as Global Head of the firm's Financial Institutions Advisory practice. He previously chaired the Washington, D.C., Corporate Department at Paul Hastings. Mr. Petrasic's broad government experience includes serving in a number of high-level positions at the U.S. Treasury's former Office of Thrift Supervision as well as serving as Counsel to the House Banking Committee.
"Kevin has an enormous reputation as an expert in federal and state banking regulation," said Claude Goetz, chair of Davis Wright Tremaine's financial services practice group. "He's well known for providing practical, even-tempered advice, informed by his extensive government service. His substantive expertise, robust network of contacts within the industry and government, and deep understanding of how to find solutions that work for clients will further strengthen our bank regulatory and financial institutions advisory practice and enhance the breadth of service we can offer."
"Davis Wright has an established, preeminent team in payments and consumer financial services that superbly complements my practice," said Mr. Petrasic. "I look forward to expanding the firm's bank regulatory and financial institutions advisory work, as well as providing my clients the innovation and cost-efficiency for which Davis Wright is rightly renowned."
Mr. Petrasic brings to DWT 35 years' experience across the full range of regulatory, transactional, compliance, supervisory, enforcement, legislative, and policy issues affecting financial institutions—both domestic and international. His clients include commercial banks and savings associations, fintech and regtech firms, investment banks, private equity and hedge funds, investment managers and advisers, retail securities firms, insurance companies, and payment services firms.
He has particular expertise with bank, foreign bank, and bank holding company regulation, compliance, enforcement, and transactional issues, Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance and enforcement, complex and emerging issues involving nontraditional bank charters, including industrial loan companies and special purpose national bank and fintech charters, regtech issues and the application of artificial intelligence in the financial services sector, as well as bank powers and activities, Dodd-Frank compliance, leveraged lending issues, consumer financial services, and online banking.
Mr. Petrasic has extensive experience working with the House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committees, the federal banking agencies, and other financial services regulators. During his 21-year career at the Office of Thrift Supervision, he held roles that included Special Counsel, Managing Director of External Affairs, Director of Congressional Affairs, Legislative Counsel, and Assistant Chief Counsel.
Mr. Petrasic received his B.A. from the University of Delaware and his J.D. from Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with more than 550 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.