We recognise that the issues banking sector clients face in their businesses go well beyond the provision of banking and financial services. The risks faced by such clients require more than the resolution of technical disputes arising from day-to-day banking activities; they also require the experience and flexibility of approach needed to handle the unusual challenges that financial claims frequently present. With the sector under increasing scrutiny, particularly with fast-changing regulation around new market entrants, banking disputes will typically involve not only traditional court based procedures, but will also regularly bring with them regulatory complaint. Given the importance of finding a fair outcome for both customer and bank, our approach is to assist clients to understand the issues they are facing, and to reach a consensus wherever possible.
Issues currently faced by the sector are wide-ranging and can be complex, from the multi-layered effects of Brexit and coronavirus restrictions; increasingly sophisticated financial crime and fraud; and technological change fundamentally affecting the way in which banking services are accessed by consumers.
We work closely with clients across the full range of disputes, from bespoke advice on complex, one-off risks through to high value, multi-party litigation. We understand that banking disputes can have wider commercial and reputational implications and we work with clients to achieve swift and effective resolution. Our banking disputes lawyers represent UK and international retail and investment banks and lending institutions in all types of contentious situations. The team is part of our large, sophisticated Dispute Resolution department of more than 70 litigation specialists. Increasingly we act for private debt funds, regulated funds, peer-to-peer lenders and challenger banks.
Working collaboratively as a core part of our wider banking and financial services group, our specialist banking disputes lawyers combine an in-depth knowledge of core banking, investment and insolvency issues with extensive experience of managing court, ADR and investigatory procedures to provide an all-round service to banking sector clients.
Areas of focus
Our expertise in banking disputes includes the following:
- Commercial loan facility litigation – property finance, acquisition finance, asset finance.
- Inter-bank disputes – syndicated loan disputes, derivatives trading mismatches.
- Financial fraud and anti-money laundering – emergency reaction, asset preservation and tracing, criminal/regulatory investigations.
- Mis-selling of financial products and services, in particular hedging products.
- Professional negligence claims – bank claims against professionals including solicitors and surveyors, covering both negligence and fraud.
- Distressed debt – insolvency litigation; restructuring; specialist corporate turnaround; debt recovery; and security realisation.