Jera L. Bradshaw is a former state and federal regulator who advises community, regional, and national banks on all aspects of financial regulatory compliance and enforcement, with an emphasis on state and federal enforcement actions; corporate and board governance matters related to regulatory compliance, bank-fintech partnerships, regulatory applications, enterprise risk; and “troubled” banks.
Jera regularly assists financial institutions of all sizes with examinations, applications, and enforcement matters; has an extensive background advising banks on compliance and remediation programs; and is experienced appearing before the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and multiple state bank regulatory authorities.
Before joining private practice, Jera served ten years as bank regulatory counsel to the FDIC and the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (“TDFI”) where she conducted legal review of regulatory filings such as branch applications, golden parachute payments, mergers, brokered deposit waivers, changes in bank control, and retirement of capital; supported regulatory examinations; oversaw enforcement actions; and advised on legislation, laws, and policies affecting financial institutions.
More recently, she acted as senior counsel of regulatory affairs for a large regional bank advising on intricate legal issues affecting the enterprise including implementation of enhanced prudential standards, affiliate transactions, dividend restrictions, Community Reinvestment Act strategy, and consumer compliance management systems (“CMS”).
Jera leverages her deep bank regulatory experience to deliver practical legal advice on a range of financial regulatory topics including affiliate transactions, deposit products, BSA/AML compliance, lending limits, insider transactions, capital and liquidity risk management, and the Community Reinvestment Act. She counsels clients on regulatory aspects of new product development, including bank partnership models, BaaS relationships, payment systems, fintech deposit platforms and third-party oversight. She also advises bank acquirers and sellers on regulatory approvals for M&A transactions, noncontrolling investments, nonbank activities, and other complex issues.
Jera is chair of the American Bar Association’s Regional and Community Banks Subcommittee, a faculty member of Fundamentals of Banking Law, and a guest lecturer at the SMU Dedman School of Law. In addition to speaking on regulatory issues affecting insured depository institutions, Jera is routinely called upon to train bank boards and management on a wide range of legal and risk management topics.
Concentrations
•Bank regulatory compliance and strategy
•Federal and state bank regulatory enforcement
•Bank Secrecy Act and AML/CFT compliance
•Financial crimes
•Bank-fintech partnerships
•Corporate governance and board advisory
•Consumer financial compliance
•Community and regional banking
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Financial Services Regulation Law, 2026
