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Thomas J. Curry

Retired

Overview

Thomas J. Curry is a retired partner in Nutter’s Corporate and Transactions Department and was a co-leader of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services group. He was a regulatory attorney who advised clients on a wide range of policy, financial services regulation, governance, and other issues. He chairs the Milken Institute’s Fintech Advisory Committee and is a foundation board member of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation (AIR), which helps regulators integrate technology into every stratum. Tom serves on the board of directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBB) and serves on The Brookings Institution's Center for Regulation and Markets Policy Advisory Council, based in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining Nutter, Tom served as the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency until May 2017. He also served as an expert consultant for the International Monetary Fund. 

In 2012, Tom was nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as Comptroller of the Currency – the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the federal agency that charters, regulates, and supervises national banks and federal savings banks. As Comptroller, he launched the OCC’s Responsible Innovation Initiative, proposed the Fintech national bank charter, and established the OCC Office of Innovation, a first among federal financial regulators. In this role, Tom served as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Financial Stability Oversight Council. He was also a member of the Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision (GHOS), the oversight body of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

Tom also served as Chairman of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) for a two-year term from April 2013 until April 2015.

Before becoming Comptroller in 2012, Tom served as a member of the Board of Directors of the FDIC. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2003. He continued to serve on the FDIC Board until May 2017.

Prior to joining the FDIC’s Board of Directors, Tom served five Massachusetts Governors as the Commonwealth’s Commissioner of Banks from 1995 to 2003 and from 1990 to 1991. He was appointed by Governor William F. Weld, a Republican, in 1995 and by Governor Michael S. Dukakis, a Democrat, in 1990.

Tom served as the Chairman of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors from 2000 to 2001, and served two terms on the State Liaison Committee of the FFIEC, including a term as Committee chairman.

Previously, Tom served as Acting Commissioner of Banks from February 1994 to June 1995. He previously served as First Deputy Commissioner and Assistant General Counsel within the Massachusetts Division of Banks. Tom entered state government in 1982 as an attorney with the Massachusetts’ Secretary of State’s Office.

Tom was a longtime member of the NeighborWorks America Board of Directors (NWA). He twice served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, most recently from March 2014 through June 2016. NWA is a Congressionally chartered non-profit whose mission is to support affordable housing and community development.

Experience

Experience

  • Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P.

    Nutter served as counsel to Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P., the marketing agent for Provident Bancorp, Inc., in connection with its conversion from the mutual holding company to the stock holding company form of organization and its related stock offering.

  • Leader Bank, N.A. and Leader Bancorp, Inc.

    Nutter served as sole outside legal counsel to Leader Bank, N.A. and its parent company Leader Bancorp, Inc. in connection with the recent spin-out of ZSuite Technologies.

  • PeoplesBancorp, MHC

    Nutter represented PeoplesBancorp, MHC, the holding company for PeoplesBank, in the private placement of $40 million in fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due 2028.

  • BankFive, MHC

    Nutter represented BankFive, MHC , the parent company of Fall River-based BankFive, in the private placement of $25 million in fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due 2031.

  • Eastern Bankshares, Inc.

    Nutter served as legal counsel to Eastern Bank Corporation, the mutual holding company of Eastern Bank, in its conversion to a fully public stock holding company known as Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select Market: EBC).

  • Eastern Bankshares, Inc.

    Nutter served as legal counsel to Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (Nasdaq Global Select Market: EBC), the stock holding company for Eastern Bank, in connection with its acquisition of Century Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNBKA), the stock holding company for Century Bank and Trust Company, in a transaction valued at approximately $642 million.

  • Fidelity Bank

    Nutter successfully obtained a settlement on behalf of its client Fidelity Bank in connection with a multi-district litigation class action relating to the TelexFree international Ponzi scheme. The Court approved the $22.5 million settlement and entered judgment dismissing the claims with prejudice. The legal team was led by Ian Roffman, chair of Nutter’s Securities Enforcement and Litigation practice, and included Joe Toomey, Ken Ehrlich, and Tom Curry.

News & Insights

News

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Honors

Honors

  • Chambers USA, Leading U.S. Banking and Finance: Corporate & Regulatory Attorney, 2019-2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2021 Lawyer of the Year
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2020-2022

Education & Admissions

Education

New England School of Law, J.D.
Manhattan College, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • Connecticut

Noteworthy

  • Chambers USA, Leading Banking and Finance: Corporate & Regulatory Attorney, 2019-2022
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2021 Lawyer of the Year
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2020-2022
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