Banking and Financial Services
Due to its nationally-recognized pro-banking business climate, South Dakota attracts major regional and national leaders in the financial services industry. Many are surprised to find that South Dakota also offers highly-qualified lawyers with sophisticated practices in specialized areas of commercial law. Davenport Evans offers banking and compliance attorneys with diverse backgrounds serving clients ranging from community banks to multi-national institutions.
South Dakota ranks #1 in banking assets among all states, with South Dakota-based banks holding over $3.1 trillion in assets at year-end 2018. Major credit and prepaid card issuers and related processing and service providers are based in South Dakota, and Davenport Evans has provided legal counsel to many of these industry leaders during a forty-year period of unparalleled growth and prosperity.
Contact our Banking and Financial Services attorneys: Charles D. Gullickson, Dixie K. Hieb, Keith A. Gauer, David L. Rezac, Anthony M. Hohn, Joel R. Rische, Alayna A. Holmstrom, Terry N. Prendergast, Preston J. Tetzlaff, and Braiden H. Petersen.
DAVENPORT EVANS BANKING SEMINAR
Thank you to all who attended the Banking Seminar April 10 at The Country Club of Sioux Falls! We had a great morning sharing legal updates and catching up with bankers from around the region.
Have follow-up questions? Contact our lawyers at 605-336-2880 or [email protected].
Sign up for eNews to receive event updates and monthly Banking articles from Davenport Evans lawyers. You may unsubscribe at any time.
For information on this event or to request a speaker from Davenport Evans, please contact Kristen Townsend at 605-357-1249 or [email protected].
Davenport Evans Banking and Financial Services
Davenport Evans is committed to providing a full range of legal services to financial industry clients in a timely and cost-efficient manner. We share your focus on quality and service through strong, individualized working relationships.
Davenport Evans represents banks and their marketing partners in all phases of federal and state banking law and regulatory compliance including:
- bank acquisitions and mergers
- branch banking
- regulatory compliance
- creditors’ rights
- commercial litigation
- prepaid and credit card programs
- subprime lending
- financial privacy
- bank-vendor relationships
- strategic planning
- unclaimed property
Learn about National Products Experience at Davenport Evans.
Learn about Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights at Davenport Evans.
Learn about Corporate and Business Law at Davenport Evans.
Articles on Banking and Financial Services
Davenport Evans Lawyers “Most Recognized in South Dakota” by Best Lawyers® 2027
Davenport Evans Lawyers Awarded “Most Recognized in South Dakota” by The Best Lawyers in America® (2027 Edition). The lawyers at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP have been named the “Most Recognized Lawyers in South Dakota, with 18 lawyers selected to The...
Whose Name Is on Your Financing Statement?
As bankers well know, perfecting a security interest protects your collateral against anyone else who might claim it. Article 9 of the UCC offers several ways to perfect, but the most common is filing a financing statement (a UCC-1) with the appropriate filing office....
The Agricultural Processor Liens – What Bankers Should Know
The 2026 legislature adopted amendments to significantly revise South Dakota’s agricultural processor lien statutes, which generally provide a lien on crops to persons who “process” the crops, including threshing, combining, bailing, and related services. The changes...
Super Lawyers 2026 Recognizes 14 Davenport Evans Lawyers
Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP is pleased to announce selection of the following Davenport Evans lawyers to the 2026 edition of Great Plains Super Lawyers. Attorneys selected were ranked in the top 5% of practicing attorneys in South Dakota. ...
Banking Highlights from the 2026 South Dakota Legislative Session
Most legislative enactments (unless they have an emergency clause attached to them) take effect on July 1. The 2026 South Dakota legislative session led to some interesting bills affecting financial institutions. The Lawful Delay of Suspicious Transactions One of the...
Davenport Evans Welcomes 2026 Summer Associates
Davenport Evans is pleased to welcome its 2026 summer associate class, (as shown, left to right:) Caleb M. Stork, Benjamin R. Connor, and Tommy L. Morrison. Davenport Evans has a long history of hiring law students who participate in the firm’s summer associate...
The Demise of the CFPB?
At this point, the Trump administration’s strategy with respect to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) is completely transparent. Instead of seeking the dissolution of the agency through the legislative process, it has sentenced the CFPB to death by...
Attorney-Client Secrets: Can Regulators Override Attorney-Client Privilege?
As published in the Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota quarterly magazine The Bottom Line, Volume 4 | 2025. Sign up for ICBSD e-news here. The attorney-client privilege protects communications between attorneys and their clients from compelled disclosure....
Retirement: Celebrating the Distinguished Career of Robert Hayes
On December 30, Davenport Evans lawyers and staff, spouses and honored guests, gathered to celebrate the retirement and distinguished career of Robert E. Hayes. Bob has spent his entire legal career, 48 years, at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP. He joined...
Commercial Loan Workouts: Balancing Legal Remedies and Relationship Banking
As interest rates and operating costs remain high, more commercial borrowers are showing signs of financial stress. For community and regional banks, a well-managed loan workout can preserve both the customer relationship and the bank’s legal rights. Early...
Federal Bank Regulators “Flip” on Crypto
On July 14, 2025, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released new guidance for banks seeking to provide safekeeping services relating...
Best Lawyers® 2026 Recognizes 18 Davenport Evans Lawyers
Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD is pleased to announce that 18 Davenport Evans lawyers were listed in Best Lawyers® 2026 for South Dakota, in 22 different practice areas. The following three Davenport Evans lawyers were named 2026 Best...
Trademark Protection: What’s in a Name? Everything.
One consequence of the internet age is far more businesses have an interstate reach through their websites and social media. In the past one bank could operate with a name in South Dakota, and another could operate with the same name somewhere on the coast, all...
Charles Gullickson Selected to SDSU 2025 Distinguished Alumni
The following article, written by Dave Graves, is shared courtesy of South Dakota State University. Three women in wide-ranging leadership positions and three men with extensive legal careers comprise the six graduates who have risen to the top of their fields and...
Enforcement Actions Highlight Danger of Profits Over BSA Compliance
As published in the Independent Community Bankers of South Dakota quarterly magazine The Bottom Line, Volume 2 | 2025. Sign up for ICBSD e-news here. In recent years there have been a number of high-dollar penalties imposed by regulators in connection with the Bank...
