Jose Rivas Email & Phone Number

New York, New York, United States

Providing primary legal support to business teams, legal, and other functional groups within Global Consumer Banking on the execution and implementation of Citi’s transformation efforts.

New York, New York, United States

Providing strategic legal counsel to consumer banking departments, digital banking, marketing, deposit operations, and financial crimes. Conducting monthly training of branch staff on various front-line legal issues. Managing electronic mailbox that provides timely answers to the Bank’s 80+ branch network. Conducting monthly regulatory change management meetings.

Greater New York City Area

Assisted Sterling National Bank in maintaining a proactive risk based compliance management program by providing subject matter expertise on deposit products, digital banking, marketing, social media, treasury management services, and various non-lending products or services. Conducted compliance risk assessments of new and existing products and services. Created new policies and procedures related to various Bank departments that incorporate regulatory requirements, trends, and best practices. Conducted initial and ongoing due diligence of the Bank’s customer facing vendors. Areas of expertise include:• Truth in Savings Act / Regulation DD• Regulation D• Electronic Funds Transfer Act / Regulation E • GLBA Privacy / Regulation P • Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)• the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)

Greater New York City Area

Assisted Sterling National Bank in merger and intergation projects. Conducted compliance reviews of new deposit products. Reviewed for compliance sales and marketing materials sent to private wealth clients. Providing SME-level regulatory advice to the Bank’s various lines of business and committees. Conducted monitoring and testing, including reviews of policies and procedures, to identify potential risks and to ensure the bank complies with various consumer protection laws and regulations. Creating remediation plans whenever potential violations identified. Areas of responsibility include the Electronic Fund Transfer Act/Regulation E, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and the Military Lending Act, the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Conducted annual review of the bank’s BSA/AML Compliance Program and identified weaknesses in the Customer Identification Program’s non-documentary verification methods and identification of beneficial ownership.

Greater New York City Area

Lead attorney on high-priority complex investigations of senior executive officers to determine whether violations of law or regulation, unsafe and unsound banking practices, and/or breaches of fiduciary duty had occurred. Reported investigative findings to senior officials in the FDIC's Division of Risk Management Supervision and provided them with legal advice and guidance on what regulatory enforcement actions were warranted. Also, co-counsel on several consumer investigations to determine whether financial institutions had engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices (UDAP). Lead enforcement counsel on numerous prohibition actions and on assessments of civil money penalties. Coordinated enforcement actions with Assistant United States Attorneys, local prosecutors, and state banking agencies. Negotiated settlement agreements with opposing counsel; drafted the resulting consent orders issued by the FDIC. Litigated and won two cases against officers and directors of financial institutions that involved extensive legal research on novel questions of law and that established legal precedence.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Successfully managed, conducted, and completed numerous complex investigations of banks and bank insiders. Provided legal advice and guidance to senior officials in Large Bank Supervision and Special Supervision on what enforcement actions were warranted based on evidence developed during investigations. The complex investigations involved insider abuse by officers and directors and principal shareholders, faulty books and records, violations of compliance consent orders, mortgage fraud, money laundering, financial crimes, and violations of consumer protection laws, among others. Successfully managed and directed a team of attorneys in a sensitive investigation of municipal bond brokers at three of the largest national banks that resulted in substantial civil money penalties against the banks and bank insiders and also in the prohibition from the banking industry of several senior executives.Won as lead attorney 12 cases litigated before administrative law judges. Primary responsibilities included drafting all court pleadings, making oral arguments, discovery management, and litigation strategy. Successfully defended the OCC via legal briefs and oral arguments in a Right to Financial Privacy case before a United States District Court. In addition, reviewed draft Reports of Examination and examination correspondence for legal sufficiency, worked on various licensing matters regarding de novo institutions, chartering, and branching. Served on a committee that drafted and developed a chartering manual and on a committee that developed a curriculum for junior enforcement attorneys.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Prepared client reports on legislation, committee hearings, and proposed and final regulations affecting financial services, e-commerce, consumer credit, online and financial privacy, electronic signatures, government-sponsored enterprises, and trade promotion. Conducted legal research and drafted legal memoranda on various issues raised by federal banking laws and regulations.

Washington D.C. Metro Area