
An impressive breadth of knowledge and experience … highly competent and pragmatic.Chambers USA
Christopher M. Witeck
Partner
Biography
Chris Witeck represents financial services entities in negotiating a wide variety of corporate transactions, including company M&A, asset purchases, and critical vendor and other third-party relationships. His clients include banks, mortgage companies and servicers, marketplace and other lenders, fintech and emerging payments providers, and other business entities in the financial services industry. Mr. Witeck is the firm's Chief Operating Partner.
Mr. Witeck has an active financial services mergers and acquisition practice, focusing on transactions that involve regulatory risks and concerns or novel structures at the forefront of industry trends. He also represents buyers and sellers of mortgage loans and other consumer lending assets, including interests such as mortgage servicing rights. He regularly negotiates many varieties of servicing and subservicing contracts.
Mr. Witeck advises clients on outsourcing, joint venture, and bank partner agreements, particularly in the fintech and e-commerce arena, providing years of experience addressing “true lender” issues. He also advises clients on loan repurchase and indemnity matters as well as corporate governance and compliance matters.
His regulatory practice focuses on advising lenders and servicers on matters involving the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), including affiliated business arrangements, portfolio retention transactions, and vendor management issues. He is also a leading counselor to loan sellers on Regulation AB requirements.
Representative transactions include assisting:
- A federal savings bank in the sale of a default mortgage servicing platform and a related agreement for the purchaser to subservice the bank’s defaulted loans
- Buyers and sellers of mortgage (both originators and servicers) and other financial services and fintech companies in stock and asset acquisitions, including fintech companies in the payments and regulatory compliance businesses
- A well-funded joint venture to structure and launch a mobile wallet and related e-commerce initiatives
- A mortgage servicer in a private-label component subservicing agreement to address a regulatory prohibition on default servicing, including related regulatory and corporate diligence
- A major Wall Street wealth management concern in a private-label mortgage origination and servicing transaction
- Buyers and sellers of mortgage loans and servicing rights, including through correspondent and other channels, with aggregate principal balances in the hundreds of billions of dollars
- Lenders in the formation of joint ventures with title insurers, real estate agents, and home builders
Mr. Witeck is recognized by Chambers USA for Fintech: Payments & Lending, which cited his capabilities “advising on regulatory compliance, commercial contracts matters and transactional work, with notable expertise handling M&A in the financial services sector.” He received his J.D. from Georgetown University and his B.A. from the University of Virginia. Before attending law school, he worked at the U.S. Department of State.
An impressive breadth of knowledge and experience … highly competent and pragmatic.Chambers USA
Webcasts & Speaking Engagements
Buckley Sandler CFPB Today Conference 2015: Vendor Management in 2015
Valerie Hletko, Jon Langlois, Jeffrey Naimon, and Christopher Witeck spoke at the Buckley Sandler CFPB Today 2015 conference on Monday, October 26, 2015 in Washington, DC. Their panel was titled “Vendor Management in 2015.”
Speaking EngagementMortgage Bankers Association: Addressing Repurchases in the New Rep and Warrant Model
Buckley Sandler was a sponsor of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Regulatory Compliance Conference which took place September 29 – October 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. Christopher Witeck spoke on the "Addressing Repurchases in the New Rep and Warrant Model" panel on September 30, which analyzed the...
Speaking Engagement
In The News
Buckley announces name and leadership changes
WASHINGTON, DC (Jan. 17, 2019) – Buckley Sandler LLP, a premier national law firm focused on financial services, white collar defense, and complex civil litigation, has changed its name to Buckley LLP and reorganized its governance structure and leadership team. The decision to shorten the firm’s...
Press ReleasesBuckley Sandler ranked for fintech by Chambers USA
Buckley Sandler has been highly ranked in the area of Fintech by Chambers USA, a well-regarded ranking agency of law firms and lawyers.
Chambers placed the firm in its Band 2 ranking and commended it for “an impressive depth of ready...
AnnouncementsChristopher M. Witeck Quoted in Bloomberg BNA Article, “Bank M&A Stagnates Despite Trump Push to Deregulate Industry”
Christopher M. Witeck was quoted on September 28, 2017 in a Bloomberg BNA article, “Bank M&A Stagnates Despite Trump Push to Deregulate Industry,” which noted that there has not been an increase in bank mergers and acquisitions despite President Trump’s push to deregulate the financial industry...
In The NewsBuckley Sandler’s Fundraising Efforts for Legal Aid Featured in the American Lawyer
Everyone has had a boss they wanted to pie in the face. But why get fired when you can do it for charity? On Thursday, the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia announced that it had raised $1.79 million as part of its 2017 Generous Associates Campaign , a fundraising drive launched each...
In The NewsBuckley Sandler Hosts 2nd Annual CFPB Today Conference
Buckley Sandler LLP hosted its second annual CFPB Today conference in Washington, DC October 25-26, 2015. The two-day event featured an evening of interactive roundtable discussions on CFPB trends, followed by a full day of seminars and breakout sessions. The roundtables and seminars were led by...
Press Releases
Articles & Special Alerts
Special Alert: Election Results - Preliminary Thoughts and Reactions
As a result of last Tuesday’s election, Republicans will control the White House and both houses of Congress in 2017. It is likely there ultimately will be some significant changes affecting financial services regulation and enforcement, but they will take time to implement. The President-elect has...
ArticlesSpecial Alert: CFPB Finalizes Amendments to Mortgage Servicing Rules
On August 4, the CFPB issued its long-awaited final amendments to the mortgage servicing provisions of Regulations X and Z. The Bureau had sought comment on the proposed rule in December 2014, more than 18 months ago. Spanning 900 pages, the final rule makes significant changes that will impact...
ArticlesSpecial Alert: Maryland Ruling Opens New Front in Battle Over Bank Partnership Model
On June 23, the Maryland Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court judgment holding that a non-bank entity assisting consumers obtain loans from an out-of-state bank and then repurchasing those loans days later qualifies as a “credit service business” under the Maryland Credit Services Business Act (...
ArticlesVendor Management in 2015 and Beyond
With evolving regulatory expectations and increased enforcement exposure, financial institutions are under more scrutiny than ever. Nowhere is this more evident than in the management and oversight of service providers. When service providers are part of an institution’s business practice,...
ArticlesSpecial Alert: CFPB Bulletin Re-Emphasizes Focus on Mortgage Servicing Transfers
On August 19, 2014, the CFPB issued Bulletin 2014-01 to address “potential risks to consumers that may arise in connection with transfers of residential mortgage servicing rights.” The bulletin, which is the latest in a series of CFPB regulations, statements, and guidance on this subject, replaces...
Articles
Education
- J.D., Georgetown University, 1998
- B.A., University of Virginia, 1993
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Virginia