JOHN VAN DE WEERT is a partner in the firm’s Banking and Financial Services practice group, whose practice focuses on advising financial services clients on a wide range of issues, in regulatory, litigation, transactional and counseling contexts.
The core of John’s practice is consumer and retail banking. He advises credit card companies, payment card networks, mortgage lenders and servicers, retail banks, auto lenders, brokerage firms, and others, including both depository and non-depository financial institutions. He has deep experience with the evolution of the regulatory environment for consumer financial services, including the Credit CARD Act of 2009, the Dodd-Frank Act, and the actions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
John works regularly with clients in the marketplace lending area, including the bank lenders, the marketplace platforms, and the loan investors. He has also worked with other FinTech clients, counseling on the regulatory complexities of offering financial products and services through new channels. John also works extensively on partnership programs between banks and non-bank entities to offer innovative financial programs.
John also serves as the Chancellor of the Diocese of Washington of The Episcopal Church. As Chancellor, John advises the Bishop of Washington and the Diocese on a variety of legal matters.
Representative Engagements:
- Advised bank client on structuring consumer lending programs involving extensive use of third-party servicers and the sale of credit receivables after origination.
- Advising large and small credit card issuers on the extensive regulatory requirements applicable to the card industry, including the Truth in Lending Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
- Advising clients on the prohibition against unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s actions that have sought to expand those concepts through enforcement actions.
- Advising clients on the ability of loan assignees to collect interest on loans originated by banks, especially in light of the Second Circuit’s decision in Madden v. Midland Funding.
John has practiced law at Sidley since graduating from law school, first in the Chicago office and then in Washington, D.C.
Awards
- Ranked in Chambers USA Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance (Compliance) (2019–2023); Consumer Finance (Enforcement & Investigations) (2022–2023)