With attorneys and staff worldwide, Bryan Cave attorneys often make the news. Sometimes media mentions highlight the firm’s involvement with notable clients, sometimes the individual accomplishments of attorneys and staff. Recent media mentions of attorneys in the financial institutions practice include:
Klingler in American Banker
Atlanta Associate Robert Klingler was quoted Aug. 4 by American Banker regarding the charges against Rep. Maxine Waters, and whether those charges might be of use to banks denied TARP funds. An ethics panel report alleges Waters may have broken rules when she helped a trade group arrange a meeting between then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and executives of OneUnited Bank, an institution with financial ties to her husband and huge losses from the takeovers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Klingler said the government had a uniform standard for deciding TARP investments – essentially awarding funds to institutions that could prove their viability – and no one ever expected the system to be perfect. “We understand that the process will sometimes result in wrong outcomes,” he said, adding that those who believe they were treated unfairly could use the Waters investigation for “rhetoric” at best. “I don’t know that it is rhetoric that necessarily the public is happy with. Generally, the public is opposed to TARP. So hearing a bank whine about not getting TARP isn’t going to get the American public riled up.”
Moeling in National, Regional Publications
Atlanta Partner Walt Moeling was quoted in the August edition of US Banker on the moves being made by community banks to boost their capital ratios. “In this kind of market, the most successful banks that deal with their problems don’t just take one approach, they pull out the playbook,” Moeling said. “My most successful clients have cut expenses, sold branches, consolidated charters, disposed of nonbank activities.” Click here to read the full article. Moeling was quoted Aug. 10 by American Banker (reprinted by Bank Investment Consultant online) concerning a push of stock offerings expected this fall from community banks, particularly via private placements rather than public offerings. Click here to read the article. In addition, he was quoted Aug. 2 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding JPMorgan Chase & Co., which plans to open 10 new bank branches across the northern metro Atlanta area by the end of the year. Eight currently are under construction. Click here to read the article.
