Mr. Svalina advises banks, credit unions, captive finance companies, FinTech companies and non-bank lenders on significant corporate transactions. In addition, he focuses his practice on representation of financial institutions and their officers, directors and shareholders/members in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate governance, cybersecurity initiatives and regulatory and compliance matters.

Mr. Svalina routinely represents clients in various regulatory matters, including advising clients with respect to internal investigations, preparing for regulatory exams and responding to enforcement actions by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and state regulators.  In addition, Mr. Svalina regularly advises clients on new product and service rollout and compliance with various federal and state banking and consumer finance statutes, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Fair Housing Act (FHA), Unfair, Deceptive or Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP)/Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices (UDAP), Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Military Lending Act (MLA), Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), and state licensing and usury statutes.

Mr. Svalina also counsels clients on various privacy and data security issues.  He has assisted clients in the development and implementation of data incident response plans, drafted and reviewed data privacy and security policies and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state privacy-related laws and regulations, assisted clients with privacy risk assessments, provided board counseling and employee training, and counseled clients through various data incidents.

Prior to joining Vedder Price, Mr. Svalina worked in the Asset Management Group at PNC Bank and as a legal fellow to the Honorable Chief Judge Frank J. Bailey of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Massachusetts.

Mr. Svalina obtained his LL.M. in Banking & Financial Law from Boston University School of Law, where he was first in his class and was awarded the Dennis S. Aronowitz Award for Academic Excellence in Banking and Financial Law.  While in law school, Mr. Svalina served as a law clerk in the National Railway Equipment General Counsel’s Office, assisting with general corporate matters and regulatory compliance.  He also served as a law clerk for a well-respected bankruptcy firm, assisting companies in structuring, workouts and foreclosures.  In recognition of his contributions to the firm, he was awarded the Medal of Excellence in Bankruptcy by the American Bankruptcy Institute.