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J. Brennan Ryan

J. Brennan Ryan

Partner

Atlantic Station
201 17th Street NW
Suite 1700
Atlanta, GA 30363
brennan.ryan@nelsonmullins.com

Brennan practices with the Financial Regulatory and Corporate team where he focuses in the areas of banking law and corporate and securities law, with an emphasis in corporate finance-related activities. He provides strategic counseling to a broad range of clients ranging from "inflatable" charter and de novo banks to start-up technology services companies and multibillion-dollar...

Brennan practices with the Financial Regulatory and Corporate team where he focuses in the areas of banking law and corporate and securities law, with an emphasis in corporate finance-related activities. He provides strategic counseling to a broad range of clients ranging from "inflatable" charter and de novo banks to start-up technology services companies and multibillion-dollar public entities. During the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and the period following the crisis, Brennan represented numerous banks in pursuing distressed banking transactions, including failed bank acquisitions, bankruptcy sales, and recapitalizations. He recently served as Chief Operating Officer of a $20+ billion publicly-traded Midwestern Regional Bank, where he supervised risk management, including regulatory relations, credit, compliance, legal and related corporate development functions, including integration activities and vendor programs. He is a frequent speaker regarding financing and strategic transactions in the financial services area and is often quoted in national and local publications.

J. Brennan Ryan

public entities. During the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and the period following the crisis, Brennan represented numerous banks in pursuing distressed banking transactions, including failed bank acquisitions, bankruptcy sales, and recapitalizations. He recently served as Chief Operating Officer of a $20+ billion publicly-traded Midwestern Regional Bank, where he supervised risk management, including regulatory relations, credit, compliance, legal and related corporate development functions, including integration activities and vendor programs. He is a frequent speaker regarding financing and strategic transactions in the financial services area and is often quoted in national and local publications.

Brennan practices with the Financial Regulatory and Corporate team where he focuses in the areas of banking law and corporate and securities law, with an emphasis in corporate finance-related activities. He provides strategic counseling to a broad range of clients ranging from "inflatable" charter and de novo banks to start-up technology services companies and multibillion-dollar... public entities. During the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and the period following the crisis, Brennan represented numerous banks in pursuing distressed banking transactions, including failed bank acquisitions, bankruptcy sales, and recapitalizations. He recently served as Chief Operating Officer of a $20+ billion publicly-traded Midwestern Regional Bank, where he supervised risk management, including regulatory relations, credit, compliance, legal and related corporate development functions, including integration activities and vendor programs. He is a frequent speaker regarding financing and strategic transactions in the financial services area and is often quoted in national and local publications.

Experience

Following is a selected sampling of matters and is provided for informational purposes only. Past success does not indicate the likelihood of success in any future matter.

Experience

Services relate primarily to:

  • bank regulations; enforcement actions
  • financial institution capital activities
  • mergers and acquisitions
  • private capital financings (equity and debt)
  • public capital financings (equity and debt)
    • multi-company acquisition strategies for large corporate entities

Representative Transactions

  • Private/Public Capital Financings:
    • Represented issuers and investment bankers in more than 50 separate financial institution capital transactions (public and private) between 1999 and 2023 (including experience in failed bank acquisitions and financings)
    • Represented issuers in multiple bankruptcy recapitalization financing transactions
    • Numerous start-up bank financings, including de novo and platform bank acquisitions
  • M&A Transactions:
    • Public and private purchases and sales of numerous bank holding companies with post-merger equity values ranging from $100 million to $8 billion
    • $1.6 billion take private acquisition of regulated public bank technology company
    • Purchases of multiple banks in bankruptcy 363 sale transactions and failed bank acquisitions
    • Represented a publicly traded company in acquisitions of chemical and coatings companies located in the United States
    • Represented publicly traded U.K. company in acquisitions of five separate transaction processing software companies located throughout the world

Previous Professional Experience

  • Chief Operating Officer, Co-Head Integration Team, Chemical Bank and TCF Bank (2018-2020)
  • Partner, Nelson Mullins (1999-2018)
  • Previous affiliation with a Florida law firm

Education

  • University of Florida Levin College of Law, JD
  • University of Florida, Warrington College of Business Administration, MBA
  • University of Florida, BA

Admissions

  • Georgia
  • Florida
  • Michigan

Practice Areas

Industries

The bar rules of some states require that the standards for an attorney's inclusion in certain public accolades or recognitions be provided. When such accolades or recognitions are listed, a hyperlink is provided that leads to a description of the respective selection methodology.

  • U.S. Navy and U.S. Navy Reserves (1987–1995)