Margaret E. Tahyar
Head of Financial Institutions and on Fintech team. Provides strategic bank and financial regulatory advice to banks, financial institutions and tech companies.
Meg is head of our Financial Institutions practice and a member of our Fintech team. She provides strategic bank and financial regulatory advice to many of the largest U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions, regional banks, fintechs, cryptocurrency exchanges and other digital assets companies.
In 2023, she led teams representing the Signature and Silicon Valley bridge banks and advised JPMorgan on its acquisition of First Republic. This work built on years of representing more than two dozen clients on living wills.
She has been involved in several regional bank combinations. She also advises on corporate governance, consent order remediation, bank chartering, payment systems, fintech partnerships, bank powers and activities, cryptocurrencies, digital assets, securities disclosure, capital and liquidity and the Federal Reserve’s liquidity programs.
Meg is a member of the FDIC’s Systemic Resolution Advisory Committee. She co-authored Financial Regulation: Law and Policy, a leading textbook, and FinTech Law: The Case Studies.
In 2023, she was named a Law360 “Banking MVP” and an NYLJ “Dealmaker of the Year.”
Experience
- Atlantic Union Bankshares $1.6 billion acquisition of Sandy Spring Bancorp
- JPMorgan Chase in its acquisition of First Republic Bank from the FDIC
- Silicon Valley Bridge Bank on a range of issues relating to its status as a bridge bank and ending with the acquisition of substantially all of its deposits by First Citizens
- Signature Bridge Bank on various legal, regulatory and corporate governance matters related to its creation, operation and exit from bridge bank status
- A consortium of the 8 U.S. G-SIBs and 3 large regional banks in making a $30 billion deposit investment into First Republic Bank in an attempt to stabilize the bank
- Truist on its:
- $1.95 billion sale of a stake in Truist Insurance to Stone Point Capital
- $2 billion acquisition of Service Finance
- sale of BB&T and a portfolio of leases and loans to TCF Capital Solutions
- U.S. G-SIBs and various regional banks on numerous regulatory proposals, including involving the Basel III endgame, long-term debt, holding companies and IDI resolution plans
- A group of large regional banks on a comment letter on a proposal to subject them to a long-term debt requirement developed for G-SIBs
- Crypto Council for Innovation, Circle and Coinbase on legislative proposals for a federal framework for regulating crypto assets including stablecoins
- Advice to numerous banks and other financial institutions on the government’s COVID-19 support programs, as well as leadership of Davis Polk teams that produced a series of related insights for clients
- Several large banking organizations in consent order remediation projects
- Multiple securities offerings as either issuer or underwriters counsel for banks and nonbank financial companies
- A large regional bank in connection with its defense in a putative PPP class action
- BPI and SIFMA in their development of comment letters on the Federal Reserve and FDIC’s multiple proposals to change the regulations around living wills
- Several fintech companies on strategic approaches, including a national bank charter, an OCC limited purpose charter, and a state industrial bank charter
- ICICI on all aspects of U.S. securities laws related to its NYSE listing and 144A offerings
Insights
News
Recognition
ABA Banking Law Committee – “Frank Simpson III Award,” 2024
IFLR Americas Awards – “Outstanding Achievement Award,” 2024
Law360 – “Banking MVP of the Year,” 2014, 2023
New York Law Journal – “Dealmaker of the Year,” 2023
Euromoney Women in Business Law Americas Awards – “Financial Regulation Lawyer of the Year,” 2022
Chambers USA – Financial Services Regulation: Banking (Compliance), Band 1
Chambers Global – Banking & Finance: Mainly Regulatory, USA, Band 1
Burton Awards for Legal Achievement – “Distinguished Legal Writing Award,” 2009 and 2020
IFLR1000 – Financial Services Regulatory, United States, Market Leader; “Women Leaders”
Expert Guides – Women in Business Law, 2021
Legal 500 U.S. – Financial Services Regulation
National Law Journal – “Outstanding Women Lawyers,” 2015
Education
- Valedictorian
- Articles Editor, Columbia Law Review
Clerkships
Prior experience
- New York office, 1995-1997 and 2009-present
- Paris office, 2002-2009
- London office, 1997-2002
- Washington DC office, 1989-1995
Qualifications and admissions
- District of Columbia
- State of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit