Bates White welcomes the return of two experts with deep consumer finance protection experience to its Finance Practice: Branko Jovanovic as Partner and Bryce Stephens as Principal.
Dr. Jovanovic is an economist with over 20 years of experience as a testifying and consulting expert in the areas of consumer protection, securities and finance, and regulatory matters. He has worked on investigations for and requests from regulatory entities including the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), state attorneys general, and US stock exchanges. He has provided testimony before federal and state courts, the SEC, the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court of Arbitration, and the American Arbitration Association, and has extensive experience with matters involving companies with multi-level marketing compensation models. Dr. Jovanovic has taught graduate-level econometrics courses at New York University and Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Stephens has expertise in compliance with consumer financial protection laws and regulation and has worked on a variety of engagements involving asbestos liability, fraud and breach of contract in adherence to mortgage underwriting standards, and fair lending and fair housing compliance. He spent seven years as Section Chief in the Office of Research at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where he led economists in conducting fair lending analysis and supporting policy development. He advised on the technical aspects and strategic direction of fair lending related rulemakings and policy initiatives, including the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) and 1071 (women-owned, minority-owned, and small businesses data collection).
Chair of the Finance Practice Partner Ilan Guedj stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Branko and Bryce back to the firm. They bring significant knowledge and expertise in consumer finance, and they are well positioned to advance our Finance Practice in this growing area. We look forward to having them join our practice leadership.”