Based in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Brian Christiansen is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Financial Institutions Practice. With more than two decades of experience, he is recognized as one the country’s foremost financial services lawyers. He counsels U.S. and international banking organizations, nonbank financial services firms and their investors and counterparties on all types of regulatory, transactional, compliance and enforcement matters.
Brian often handles multifaceted and novel matters in the financial services industry. He has helped clients structure and execute acquisitions, investments and corporate transactions, obtain charters, raise capital, develop new products, implement compliance programs, conduct internal investigations and resolve enforcement actions. Brian also routinely represents clients before the OCC, FDIC, Federal Reserve and state banking departments.
Notable experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes advising:
- Banc of California in its combination with PacWest Bancorp, simultaneous capital raise from Warburg Pincus and Centerbridge Partners and conversion of the resulting institution to a state member bank;
- Flagstar Bank in its acquisition of a large branch network from Wells Fargo and its subsequent merger with New York Community Bancorp, and later advising New York Community Bancorp in its $1 billion capital raising transaction led by three prominent private equity firms;
- Stone Point Capital in multiple transactions, including as lead investor in EverBank, Standard Bancshares, Inc., Atlantic Capital Bancshares and TriState Capital Holdings, Inc.;
- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in numerous matters, including its investment in The Bank of East Asia, Ltd., its acquisition of American Railcar Leasing, its investment in Ares Management Corporation, and its strategic partnership and minority investment in Jefferies Financial Group;
- Citigroup in numerous matters, including the internal reorganization of its banking charters and their nonbank subsidiaries, divestitures of significant U.S. and non-U.S. businesses, and minority investments; and
- Financial services firms of all sizes and charter types on supervisory, compliance and enforcement matters before the major banking authorities, including the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC and state banking authorities.
Brian has been recognized in Chambers USA as “a highly skilled transactional and regulatory attorney, who offers specialized counsel to financial services firms,” with clients noting he “is a regulatory expert but has a business mind.” He was also featured in the IFLR 1000 as a “market leader” in the Financial Services Regulatory category.
Brian received his J.D. from George Washington University in 2002, where he graduated with honors and was a member of The George Washington Law Review. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1999. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Updated Oct 2024
