Senior Counsel - Deposit & Bank Operations

Western Alliance Bancorporation; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ownership stake

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Paid time off

401k match

Tuition assistance

Volunteer program

Wellness program

Job summary

Western Alliance Bancorporation seeks a Senior Counsel to support Deposit & Bank Operations, consumer lending, mortgage origination, and servicing compliance. The role involves advising management, drafting complex banking forms, and overseeing external counsel in litigation matters.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of legal experience in financial services, with strong regulatory knowledge (TILA, RESPA, ECOA, HMDA) and excellent negotiation and writing skills. Arizona bar license required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of related experience in Legal, preferably supporting financial institutions, bank operations, consumer lending or mortgage servicing.
• Active license to practice law in Arizona or another U.S. jurisdiction.
• Strong knowledge of banking operations, regulatory compliance, and consumer financial laws (TILA/Reg Z, RESPA/X, ECOA/B, HMDA, FDCPA, SCRA).
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and risk assessment abilities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and legal research tools.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice across deposit and bank operations, consumer lending, regulatory compliance, and mortgage origination/servicing.
• Draft, review, and negotiate bank agreements, forms, and customer documents.
• Support compliance, risk, product, and operations teams on regulatory matters and enterprise risk initiatives.
• Coordinate with external counsel and manage complex contracts and litigation oversight.
• Deliver legal updates to business leaders and advise on third-party relationships and technology partnerships.

Skills

Legal experience

Regulatory compliance

Negotiation

Communication skills

Education

Juris Doctor Degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Legal research tools

Job description

Job Title:Senior Counsel - Deposit & Bank OperationsLocation:CityScapeWhat you'll do:Senior Counsel working within the Deposit & Bank Operations practice group reports to the Deputy General Counsel and works alongside other attorneys and staff on a wide variety of financial institution activities, including operational, compliance, and customer matters. Senior Counsel within the Deposit & Bank Operations practice group provides legal advice to multiple areas of the Bank, including advising company’s management of bank operations, primarily focusing on consumer lending and mortgage origination and servicing compliance; risk management; legal process; bank regulatory and compliance (including TILA/Regulation Z, RESPA/Regulation X, ECOA/Regulation B, Fair Housing/Banking, HMDA, FDCPA, SCRA, MLA, SAFE Act, UDAP/UDAAP, flood insurance, state consumer lending and mortgage laws and licensing requirements) activities; litigation including oversight of external counsel; reviewing and drafting complex documents including banking forms and agreements and general contracts. This position will also work with other attorneys across all practice groups within the Legal Department. This attorney provides strategic legal guidance regarding consumer credit products, mortgage origination and servicing activities, regulatory compliance, product development, third-party relationships, examinations, audits, and enterprise risk initiatives. Responsible for advising business lines regarding compliance with laws and regulations applicable to assigned practice area(s), including deposit and bank operations, consumer lending, mortgage origination and servicing, payments, cash management, legal process, and related customer or third-party matters. This includes providing legal updates to business leaders and supporting compliance related to applicable business lines. Provide legal support, including diligence, drafting, negotiation, and legal risk assessment, on practice-specific business transactions, bank agreements, forms, customer-facing documents, third-party service provider agreements, technology partner agreements, and other commercial contracts. Support business lines in following and implementing policies and satisfying applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Collaborate with compliance, risk, product, operations, and other internal partners to advise the Bank on applicable laws, regulations, internal procedures, examinations, audits, and enterprise risk initiatives. Partner with other Counsel members and cross-functional stakeholders on business transactions, operational issues, product development initiatives, disputes, and projects. Perform legal research as assigned by Senior Counsel or Deputy General Counsel and support outside counsel engagements as appropriate. Provide practice-specific legal support for payment services and platforms, cash management products, remote deposit capture, sweep products, online banking, strategic payment optimization, and API banking initiatives.What you'll need: 5+ years of related experience in Legal, preferably supporting financial institutions, bank operations, consumer lending, mortgage origination or servicing, payments, cash management, regulatory compliance, or related commercial banking products and services. Juris Doctor Degree required; active license to practice law in Arizona or another U.S. Jurisdiction. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of general banking operations, including deposit operations, loan administration, treasury management, payment services, cash management products, consumer lending, mortgage origination and servicing, and/or other commercial banking products and services. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of general banking operations, including deposit operations, loan administration, treasury management, payment services, cash management products, consumer lending, mortgage origination and servicing, and/or other commercial banking products and services. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of applicable regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices, including consumer compliance and bank regulatory requirements, this includes: TILA/Regulation Z, RESPA/Regulation X, ECOA/Regulation B, Fair Housing/Banking, HMDA, FDCPA, SCRA, MLA, SAFE Act, UDAP/UDAAP, flood insurance, state consumer lending and mortgage laws and licensing requirements) Intermediate to advanced ability to draft, review, negotiate, and advise on bank agreements, forms, customer documents, third-party agreements, technology partner agreements, and other commercial contracts. Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office Suite skills. Expert speaking and writing communication skills.Benefits you’ll love:We offer all the important things you'd want — like competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands-on experience to help grow your career!About the company:Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Alliance Bancorporation. Serving clients nationwide, Western Alliance Bank includes six legacy bank brands — Alliance Association Bank, Alliance Bank of Arizona, Bank of Nevada, Bridge Bank, First Independent Bank and Torrey Pines Bank — that remain part of the company’s heritage, as well as AmeriHome Mortgage, a Western Alliance Bank Company.Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to equal employment and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, nation origin, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process and/or need an alternative method of applying, please email [e-mail] or call 602-386-2488. When contacting us, please provide your contact information and state the nature of your accessibility issue. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests that involve a reasonable accommodation in the application process. Western Alliance Bancorporation