Moorari K. Shah

Moorari K. Shah combines deep in-house and law firm experience to deliver practical, business-minded legal advice. As a Partner in the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of Buckley LLP, he represents banks, fintechs, mortgage companies, auto lenders, and other nonbank institutions in transactional, licensing, regulatory compliance, and government enforcement matters covering mergers and acquisitions, consumer and commercial lending, equipment finance and leasing, and supervisory examinations, investigations, and enforcement actions involving state and federal agencies.

He has significant experience negotiating asset- and stock purchases, bank partnership arrangements for fintech platforms, start-up company financings, loan purchase and servicing agreements, and complex on-shore and off-shore information technology and business process outsourcing transactions with an eye toward navigating contractual, operational, and regulatory hurdles to achieve real-world business outcomes. Mr. Shah also has experience in real estate, asset-based, and unsecured financings, as well as enforcing rights and remedies against corporate debtors in nonbankruptcy workout negotiations. He regularly advises companies on California-specific financing topics, including new legislation impacting consumer and commercial lenders and lessors, and matters before the California Department of Business Oversight (DBO).

Representative matters include assisting:

• Private equity companies in acquisitions and regulatory due diligence of mortgage, commercial equipment, automobile, and specialty finance company targets
   
• Financial institutions develop new products and services, including small business financing products, banking services, point-of-sale financing options, and home acquisition and investment alternatives
   
• Banks and nonbanks in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and state regulatory examinations and investigations involving bank vendor activities
   
• “Challenger banks” and other fintech platforms in bank partnership agreements
   
• Equipment lessors in financing transactions and state regulatory and licensing matters
   
• Mortgage companies in warehouse financings, affiliated business arrangement joint ventures, and loan purchase and sale agreements
   
• Fintech companies preparing for funding rounds and initial public offerings
   
• Financial institutions in acquiring core provider, information technology, and business process outsourcing services from domestic and foreign-based service providers

In 2019, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association honored Mr. Shah with its David H. Fenig Distinguished Service in Advocacy Award.

Mr. Shah received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law (cum laude) and his B.A. from Duke University. He is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP) and a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.