Travis Nelson is an experienced attorney, providing comprehensive legal services to financial institutions, such as banks, credit card companies, mortgage lenders and servicers, money services businesses and fintech companies, and their directors and their officers. His practice focuses on corporate mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance encompassing consumer finance and non-consumer regulations, federal and state enforcement actions, internal investigations and defense against financial services class action litigation.

Travis dedicates a substantial portion of his practice to defending financial institutions in examinations, investigations and enforcement actions initiated by federal and state governmental agencies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and state regulators.

Additionally, he provides strategic counsel to financial institutions and other businesses on compliance with anti-money laundering and trade sanctions (BSA/AML/OFAC) and cannabis and hemp banking and commerce.

Earlier in his career, Travis served in the Enforcement Division of the OCC, where he conducted extensive investigations and prosecuted enforcement actions against financial institutions and their insiders for violations of federal banking laws.

In addition to his law practice, Travis serves as adjunct faculty at Villanova University Law School and Temple University Law School, where he teaches a course on regulation of financial institutions. Previously, he served as co-editor of the ABA's Banking Law Committee Journal, was formerly the chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Banking Law Section, is currently the chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Banking & Financial Services Committee, and is editor of the quarterly magazine of the Bucks County (PA) Bar Association.

Education

  • Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (J.D.)
    • Villanova University, School of Business (B.S.)
      • Economics

    Bar Admission

    • Pennsylvania
    • District of Columbia
    • Maryland
    • New Jersey
    • New York

    Professional Affiliations

    • American Bar Association, Banking Law Committee
    • New Jersey Bar Association, Banking Law Section, Past Chair
    • Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) Alumni Association, Secretary-Treasurer
    • Maryland State Banking Board (Appointed by the Governor), 2006-2008
    • District of Columbia Bar Association, Member
    • Philadelphia Bar Association, Banking & Financial Services Committee, Chair
    • Editor, The Writs, Bucks County (PA) Bar Association Magazine, 2023-Present
    • Adjunct Faculty, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, 2010-Present
    • Adjunct Faculty, Temple University Beasley School of Law, 2018-Present
    Publications
    All Publications
    FinCEN Order on Suspected Minnesota Fraud Takes Effect
    Key Takeaways FinCEN’s Geographic Targeting Order requires banks and money transmitters in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, Minnesota, to report certain international funds transfers of $3,000 or more from Feb. 12 through Aug. 10, 2026. Covered institutions are not required to collect new information but must report data they are already required to retain under existing BSA recordkeeping rules. Financial institutions should review and update their BSA and AML policies, procedures and reporting workflows to ensure timely identification and reporting of covered transactions. A Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) order recently took effect, requiring financial institutions to identify and report certain transactions that FinCEN believes are associated with fraud on federal child nutrition programs — particularly past and ongoing suspicious activity potentially related to fraud
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    Ninth Circuit Decision Underscores Preemption Limits, Spotlights State-Level Banking Risk
    Key Takeaways: Ninth Circuit reaffirms that the National Bank Act does not preempt California’s escrow-interest law: The court found no significant interference with national bank powers and again upheld the state’s authority to require interest payments on mortgage escrow accounts. Cantero and Dodd-Frank continue to narrow the scope of federal preemption: The decision confirms that courts will demand a high bar for preemption and will give weight to congressional intent, preserving state-level consumer protections. National banks should reassess preemption strategies and bolster state-law compliance: Where preemption isn’t viable, lenders should be prepared with strong, state-specific programs to reduce litigation risk and meet overlapping regulatory obligations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reaffirmed that the National Bank Act (NBA) does not preempt
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