About Jonathan L. Levin
Jonathan focuses his law practice on providing regulatory and compliance counsel to banks and financial services companies. Throughout his career, he has counseled banks, thrifts, holding companies, mortgage bankers and other financial services companies, as well as their directors and officers. Jonathan helps his clients understand and comply with the full range of federal and state financial institution regulatory requirements. He designs strategies for offering innovative products and services, manages charter and license applications, establishes branches and subsidiaries, facilitates mergers and acquisitions, and assists in drafting corporate documents and vendor agreements.
From a global perspective, Jonathan’s practice centers on interaction with regulatory agencies at both the state and federal levels. Acting as a liaison with government, he is able to engage officials in crafting regulatory interpretations that help achieve his clients’ business objectives within the boundaries of existing law. While a client must reveal its identity when making direct contact with the government, Jonathan often can explore legal issues and business plans with regulators on an anonymous basis.
Jonathan began his career with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) as Senior Attorney for more than twelve years, authoring national bank regulations and interpretations, drafting major banking legislation, preparing Congressional testimony, and evaluating the effectiveness of the national bank regulatory framework. Jonathan also participated on numerous joint task forces, representing the OCC alongside officials from the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC and other financial supervisory agencies.
In 2006, Jonathan joined Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. as Chief Compliance Officer and Chief Regulatory Counsel of its subsidiary bank. After leaving Bear Stearns, he opened his own law practice which he has maintained continually since 2008. Earlier in his career, he was a partner and, more recently, senior counsel with Reed Smith LLP and practiced with Pepper Hamilton LLP and Dinsmore & Shohl LLP.
Jonathan has written numerous banking articles, spoken regularly before banking and professional organizations, lectured at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University and authored several books, including The Guide to National Banking Law. He is an active member of the American Bar Association Banking Law Committee, a Governor of Gratz College and a Trustee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. from Temple University.