Christopher C. Frieden

Banking, Mortgage, and General Corporate

• Counsel to a bank roll-up strategy financing transaction, as well as multiple loss-share and whole bank acquirers. 
• Represented acquirers in acquisitions of mortgage origination companies and warehouse lenders, as well as the disposition of a title insurance company.
• Represented the seller in the sale of a large reverse mortgage company to a large, publicly held buyer.
• Seller’s counsel in the structured sale of a large premium finance company to a publicly held bank holding company. 
• Issuer’s counsel for a $140 million private equity investment in convertible preferred stock issued by a large, privately held savings and loan holding company.
• Issuer’s counsel for a $230 million private equity investment in common stock of a privately held bank holding company.
• Represented the issuer in a $150 million registered offering of noncumulative perpetual preferred stock.
• Issuers counsel in registered offerings of $265 million of subordinated notes for a Southeast-based bank holding company.
• Represented a private-equity-backed bank holding company in its $400 million sale to a publicly held Southeastern bank holding company.

Wealth Management and Investment Advisory

• Represented wealth management and investment advisory firms of all sizes in joint venture transactions, as well as other acquisition transactions and complex financing transactions.
• Counsel to wealth management and investment advisory firms in capital restructuring and corporate reorganization transactions.

Chris Frieden, co-leader of Alston & Bird’s Financial Services & Products Group, focuses his practice on public and private mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions in the financial services industry. In particular, Chris concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and strategic transactions involving depository institutions, mortgage companies and wealth management and investment advisory firms. Chris also has extensive experience in advising public company clients on SEC reporting and disclosure requirements, corporate governance issues and other corporate and securities matters.

Chris served as an adjunct professor at the Emory University School of Law from 2001 to 2008, teaching a course on mergers and acquisitions. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in commerce with a concentration in finance from the University of Virginia in 1996. Chris received his law degree in 1999 from the Emory University School of Law, where he graduated with honors and was awarded Order of the Coif. Chris is recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2017 and 2018 for excellence in the area of banking and finance. He was also named to the 2014 Georgia “Rising Star” list by Super Lawyers magazine, an award given to lawyers nominated by their peers. Chris appeared on The Deal’s Middle Market M&A shortlist as a financial services dealmaker of the year for 2018.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia

Education

• Emory University (J.D., 1999)
• University of Virginia (B.S., 1996)

Memberships