Experience translated into practical decisions.
Andrew P. Collins advises on corporate, commercial and fintech transactions involving regulated products, payment systems and cross-border counterparties. A former senior counsel to a federal banking regulator, he combines transaction discipline with an operating understanding of licensing, sponsor-bank relationships, third-party oversight, sanctions and AML/CFT responsibility. His clients include financial institutions, technology companies, investors, charities and boards considering acquisitions, partnerships or strategic change.
Andrew maps how value, data, responsibility and regulatory dependency move through the transaction. Diligence focuses on material evidence: customer and geographic exposure, open findings, monitoring data, sponsor and correspondent rights, agents, vendors and government contacts. Confirmed issues are translated into structure, conditions, price, covenants, information rights, remediation milestones or a recommendation not to proceed.
The best transaction advice identifies which risks can be priced, which must be cured and which change the deal itself.
How Andrew works
Every engagement begins with a defined scope, conflicts clearance and a communication protocol. The team identifies urgent deadlines, relevant authorities, decision-makers, systems, custodians and jurisdictions. Confirmed facts are separated from reasonable inferences and unresolved questions. That discipline is maintained in board materials, government submissions, transaction documents and litigation positions.
Andrew works with the firm’s financial-crime, sanctions, litigation, cybersecurity, transaction and government-affairs lawyers when the matter crosses disciplines. A single transaction may be viewed differently under a contract, sanctions authority, the Bank Secrecy Act, an export rule or a court standard. Workstreams are coordinated without blurring privilege, local-law responsibility or the distinct decisions required in each forum.
Focus areas
- Regulated mergers and acquisitions
- Fintech and sponsor-bank agreements
- Commercial and technology transactions
- Sanctions and AML/CFT deal diligence
- Third-party risk allocation and audit rights
- Post-closing compliance integration
Representative experience
Representative experience includes urgent response to government or counterparty action, privileged reconstruction of transactions and communications, preparation of witnesses and senior decision-makers, and development of precise written submissions. Client confidentiality is maintained throughout every engagement, and prior experience does not guarantee a future result.
A matter may begin when a client receives simultaneous questions from a government authority, financial institution and business partner. Andrew organizes the request set, preserves the evidence, identifies the governing standards and sequences responses so one explanation does not compromise another forum. Where forensic, accounting, technical or foreign-law expertise is required, the expert question and reporting line are defined before work begins.
A related assignment may begin when diligence or an internal alert identifies a control or ownership issue before a transaction closes. The team determines what is known, what must be tested, which conditions can address the concern and which risks alter the business decision. The result is documented in language that boards, operators and counsel can use.
Education and professional background
Education: Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. Prior public service: Senior counsel to a federal banking regulator. Professional focus: Regulated transactions, fintech partnerships, financial-services acquisitions and compliance integration.
Use the firm’s central confidential intake page for engagement inquiries. Individual phone numbers are not published. Do not send classified information, suspicious activity reports, identity documents or privileged files until the firm confirms an engagement and provides secure transfer instructions.
