Richard K. Kim
Richard K. Kim is a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where he specializes in representing financial institutions in a broad range of regulatory matters, including in connection with mergers and acquisitions, enforcement actions, compliance and related matters. Previously, he was an attorney with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, where he worked on a wide range of bank supervisory matters. He was also Assistant General Counsel with NationsBank Corporation.
Representations include:
- Webster Financial in its merger with Sterling Bancorp
- Cadence in its merger with BancorpSouth Bank
- SoFi in its acquisition of Golden Pacific and conversion to a bank holding company
- PNC in its acquisition of BBVA USA
- Huntington in its acquisition of TCF
- Boston Private in its acquisition by SVB Financial
- BB&T in its merger of equals with SunTrust
- TD Ameritrade in its merger with Charles Schwab
- Banco Santander in the sale of its Puerto Rico banking franchise to FirstBank Puerto Rico
- JPMorgan Chase in its acquisition of Instamed
- Square, Inc. in its establishment of an FDIC-insured industrial bank
Other notable representations:
- Numerous money center, foreign, regional and community banks in enforcement and compliance matters
- The United States Department of Treasury in its conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- Bank of America in its acquisitions of Merrill Lynch, MBNA, Montgomery Securities, Barnett and Boatmen’s
- JPMorgan Chase in its acquisitions of Bear Stearns and Bank of New York’s retail bank branches
- Capital One in its acquisitions of Cabela’s bank assets, ING Direct, HSBC’s domestic credit card business and Chevy Chase Bank
- Wells Fargo in numerous acquisitions and divestitures, including its acquisition of Wachovia Corporation
- Morgan Stanley in its conversion to a bank holding company and formation of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
- GMAC in its conversion to a bank holding company and its agreement to provide financing to Chrysler dealers and customers
- CIT in its conversion to a bank holding company and its acquisition of OneWest Bank
- PNC in its acquisitions of the U.S. retail banking subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada, National City and Riggs
- BB&T in its acquisitions of Susquehanna Bancshares, National Penn, BankAtlantic and Bank of Kentucky
- Huntington Bancshares in its acquisitions of FirstMerit, Camco Financial and Unizan
- Sterling Bancorp in its acquisitions of Astoria Financial, Hudson Valley Holding and Provident New York and the sale of its wealth management business
- PrivateBancorp in its acquisition by CIBC
- Cadence Bancorporation’s formation, initial public offering and acquisitions of State Bank Financial, Encore Bancshares, Superior Bank and Cadence Bank
- Cathay General’s acquisitions of Far East National Bank, Asia Bancshares, United Heritage Bank and Great Eastern Bank
- NBH’s formation, initial public offering and acquisitions of Peoples, Inc., Pine River Bank, Community Banks of Colorado, Bank Midwest and Hillcrest Bank
Richard has been recognized as a Law360 MVP, one of the 500 leading lawyers in America by Lawdragon and as a leading lawyer in Who’s Who Legal and the Chambers guide.
Richard is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School. He is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the American Bar Association, where he previously served as Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Subcommittee of the Banking Law Committee. He is also Co-President of the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund, a member of the the City Year New York Advisory Board, and a former trustee of the Rye Country Day School and The Stanwich School.
Select Publications
- The Growing Enforcement Focus on Cryptoassets,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, February 23, 2022.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTION DEVELOPMENTS - Federal Reserve Control Rule Has Broad Implications,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, February 17, 2020.
- Special Issues in Financial Services Joint Ventures and Alliances,
in Partnerships, Joint Ventures, and Strategic Alliances (Law Journal Press, 2019).
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Landmark Approval of BB&T and SunTrust Merger of Equals,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, December 14, 2019.
- Editor and author of U.S. chapter,
in Banking Regulation, 2019 and 2018 eds. (Getting the Deal Through, Law Business Research Ltd.).
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Bank M&A Remains Sound Strategy in Chaotic Equity Markets; Inattention to Deal Basics Can Lead to Failed Deals,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 16, 2019.
- The Government Shutdown's Effect on Deals,
in Harvard Law School’s Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 9, 2019.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Regulatory Reform Should Spur Consolidation,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, May 29, 2018.
- Federal Reserve Takes Severe and Unprecedented Action Against Wells Fargo: Implications for Directors of All Public Companies,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, February 5, 2018.
- Mergers and Acquisitions -- 2018 - With a Brief Look Back,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, January 29, 2018.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Capable and Committed Boards Drive Transactions and Value Creations,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, October 16, 2017.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Regulatory Reform - It's Time for the Pendulum to Swing Back,
in Wall Street Lawyer, Volume 21 Issue 3, March 2017.
- Mergers and Acquisitions - A Brief Look Back and a View Forward,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Reporter, Volume 57 Number 6, February 2017.
- FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS DEVELOPMENTS - Significant Activity in All Sectors as Financial Institutions Innovate and Evolve,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, October 12, 2016.
- Commentary: Bank M&A: Is There a Pulse? Plan ahead. Start early. Expect pain.,
in The M&A Journal Volume 15 Number 5, 2015.