David G. Sewell is a counsel in the firm’s New York office and a member of the firm’s Financial Institutions and Banking Groups. Mr. Sewell is also Secretary of the New York City Bar Association Committee on Banking Law. His practice focuses on banking regulatory and enforcement matters with special emphasis on anti-money laundering, sanctions and financial crime compliance issues.
- Advises U.S. and non-U.S. banks and other financial institutions regarding U.S. banking laws and regulations with special emphasis on anti-money laundering and sanctions law and regulation
- Counsels clients on supervisory matters including examinations, formal and informal enforcement actions, governance matters, Federal Reserve regulatory reporting, investments and activities
- Provides regulatory advice to financial institutions including: charter, license and other applications; requests for interpretive relief and preparation of comment letters; analyses and strategies for agency rulemakings
- Assists clients to develop and refine compliance policies and procedures
- Deals on a regular basis with federal and state bank regulatory and law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve Banks, OFAC, FinCEN, the OCC and state banking departments
Prior to joining Debevoise, Mr. Sewell was Counsel and Assistant Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“FRBNY”). During his tenure at the FRBNY, Mr. Sewell advised on a wide variety of bank regulatory issues, supervisory matters and enforcement actions. In the context of his enforcement activities, Mr. Sewell was involved in many of the large enforcement actions the FRBNY brought against bank holding companies and foreign banking organizations with respect to BSA/AML and U.S. sanctions violations.
Mr. Sewell also worked in a senior role within the regulatory relations organization of J.P.Morgan Chase, where he had responsibility for significant regulatory deliverables including the firm’s responses to supervisory letters and bi-annual presentations to its College of Supervisors.
From 2006 to 2009, he was an associate with a New York-based law firm, where his practice focused on white collar criminal defense and financial investigations. Mr. Sewell began his legal career as a law clerk to the Hon. Gladys Kessler of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Before attending law school, he served in a variety of roles in the federal government, including as a senior congressional aide and, during the Clinton Administration, on the White House Domestic Policy Council.
Mr. Sewell earned his J.D., magna cum laude, in 2005 from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif, as well as the Executive Board Member and senior book reviews and essays editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He received his M.A. in 1998 from Columbia University and his B.A., Phi Beta Kappa and with High Honors, in 1996 from Wesleyan University.
Experience:
- Citizens Financial in its acquisition of Clarfeld Financial Advisors.
- Citizens Financial in its acquisition of Franklin American Mortgage.
- Fifth Third Bank in the sale of its Pennsylvania branch presence to First National Bank of Pennsylvania, and the sale of its Missouri branch presence to Great Southern Bank.
Education:
- Georgetown University Law Center, 2005, J.D.
- Columbia University, 1998, M.A.
- Wesleyan University, 1996, B.A.
Bar Admissions:
- Connecticut
- New York
Cost
Rate : $$$
