Karen Witt represents large and small financial institutions and their holding companies throughout the Midwestern and Western United States, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, filings and applications with federal and state bank regulatory agencies, and corporate governance. She regularly assists financial institutions with mergers, branch purchases and assumptions, de novo charters, holding company formations, geographic expansion, capital raising, regulatory compliance issues, strategic planning, stock redemptions, FDIC-assisted bank purchases, and shareholder ownership issues.
She also advises boards of directors and board committees on regulatory compliance issues, fiduciary duties, recapitalizations, corporate governance matters, tender offers and going private transactions.
Clients value Karen’s long-term approach to relationships, describing her as a focused, committed team player who sees each transaction within a larger strategic context. Karen’s clients are confident they have the sophisticated counsel required to balance and resolve issues to achieve their goals in a timely, commercial, and efficient manner. Karen provides savvy, actionable counsel geared to the demands of complex, fast-paced corporate transactions for financial institutions.
Karen's hobbies include hiking and traveling with her family when she is away from the office.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients
Financial Institutions
- Representation of bank holding companies in public and private equity and debt offerings.
- Representation of banks and bank holding companies in all types of mergers, acquisitions, and disposition transactions, including branch purchase and assumption transactions, charter conversions, and FDIC-assisted bank purchases.
- Representation of banks and bank holding companies in de novo charters, holding company formations, S-corporation formations, squeeze-out transactions, and stock redemptions.
- Representation of financial institutions with federal and state regulatory approvals and compliance, including with the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, various State Banking Commissions, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the United States Treasury.
- Representation of banks, bank holding companies, and their boards of directors in connection with regulatory compliance issues, strategic planning, business structuring issues, and corporate governance matters.
Capital Raising / Securities
- Offerings of equity, debt, and derivative securities.
- Offerings in connection with mergers and acquisitions.
Corporate Governance
- Representation of boards of directors and board committees with regulatory compliance issues, fiduciary duties, succession planning, business plans, compensation, charters, director qualifications, and other corporate governance matters.
- Representation of financial institutions and their boards of directors with the negotiations of regulatory agreements and administrative proceedings related to cease and desist orders and other regulatory enforcement actions.
- Strategic planning retreats with boards of directors.
Mergers and Acquisitions
- Representation of individuals and financials institutions as both buyers and sellers in acquisition transactions.
- Representation of financials institutions in all types of mergers, acquisitions, and disposition transactions, including mergers of equals, tender offers, and branch purchase and assumption transactions.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Colorado Women's Bar Association, Member
- Business Law Section of the Colorado State Bar, Member
- Denver Bar Association, Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Independent Bankers of Colorado Education Foundation, Director, 2014-2016
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Corporate Law, 2021-present; Business Organizations, 2023-present
- Law Week Colorado, “Best Banking Lawyer,” Barrister's Best, 2019
- 5280 Magazine, Top Lawyers, Banking, 2023-2024
Thought Leadership
- Panel Moderator, "Ready or Not... the Future is Here,” Community Bankers Executive Panel; Western States Directors Education Foundation - Symposium for Community Bank Directors, October 2019
- Presenter, "Bank M&A: What Can You Negotiate Other Than Price to Enhance Value?" Womble Bond Dickinson Seminar for Community Banks, October 2019
- Presenter, "Raising Capital for Community Banks," Womble Bond Dickinson Seminar for Community Banks, October 2017
