Walter Zalenski is a partner in the Washington, DC, and New York, NY, offices of Buckley LLP. With more than 25 years of private practice experience, Mr. Zalenski advises banks and other financial institutions, specialty lenders, retail installment lenders, private equity firms, and other entities on bank regulatory and consumer finance issues, corporate and transactional matters, and related issues. Mr. Zalenski has an active corporate practice and regularly provides counseling in connection with financial services mergers and acquisitions. In particular, he is regularly called on to assist private equity sponsors and strategic buyers in acquisitions of bank and non-bank financial services firms, providing regulatory and transactional advice to identify and mitigate risk. His counseling practice encompasses issues related to bank powers, retail banking, consumer finance, including credit cards, auto finance, retail installment credit, and mortgage credit, debt collection, electronic finance, payment systems, and anti-money laundering. He represents financial service providers in connection with litigation matters and in enforcement actions by regulatory agencies including the CFPB, DOJ, FTC, and HUD.
Mr. Zalenski lectures and writes on a wide variety of issues such as electronic finance, privacy laws, payment systems, Truth in Lending, fair lending laws, arbitration clauses, bank interstate expansion, RESPA, assignee liability, asset-based financing, preemption of state law, lender liability, and the impact of tax policy on consumer credit. He is an active member of various professional associations, including the American Bar Association's Committee on Consumer Financial Services (past chair of its Real Estate Finance Subcommittee) and the New York City Bar's Banking Law Committee. Since 2008, Mr. Zalenski has been ranked consistently in the top tier of practitioners for his work in the area of Financial Services Regulation by Chambers USA. He also has been recognized by the International Financial Law Review IFLR1000, Super Lawyers, and the Washington Post Magazine.
