A senior partner of Pillsbury’s Financial Institutions group, Rodney Peck has worked with some of the world’s largest financial institutions and other corporations in transactions worth billions of dollars.

Rod practices in the areas of corporate, securities, M&A, finance and banking law, with a particular focus on the financial services industry. Rod’s practice regularly includes representation of banks and bank holding companies in connection with federal and state regulatory matters (including bank and bank holding company formations).

Representative Experience

  • Represented BNP Paribas and Bank of the West in their $2.4 billion acquisition of United California Bank.
  • Represented Union Bancal Corporation (MUFG Americas Holding Corporation) in its $3.5 billion going-private transaction with MUFG Bank, Ltd.
  • Acted as chief outside counsel to a large financial institution in disposition of some $8.5 billion in branches, assets and deposit liabilities following a large in-market merger.

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  • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Represented BNP Paribas and Bank of the West in $1 billion merger of Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Inc., in $1.2 billion acquisition of Community First Bancshares Inc., and in $1.4 billion acquisition of Commercial Federal Corp.
    • Acted as chief outside counsel to Pacific Telesis Group in its $17 billion merger with SBC Communications Inc., the fourth-largest merger in U.S. corporate history at the time.
    • Represented WestAmerica Bank in its $330 million acquisition of ValliCorp Holdings Inc.
    • Represented Zions Bancorporation in its $1.7 billion acquisition of Amegy Bancorporation.
    • Represented the Pacific Exchange Inc. in its demutualization and its acquisition by Archipelago Holdings.
  • Securities Transactions
    • Has represented many underwriters and issuers in IPOs and a variety of other securities transactions.
    • Acted as counsel to a large financial institution in “carve-out” transaction in which the client sold to the public $233 million of common stock of a significant financial services subsidiary.
    • Represented a large financial institution in establishment of a “collecting entity” formed to hold and liquidate several billion dollars of nonperforming assets acquired in a merger.
    • Represented MUFG Union Bank in a number of bank note offerings totaling over $10 billion.
    • Represented Puget Sound National Bank, Tacoma, and Peoples National Bank, Seattle, in public offerings of common stock.
  • Finance
    • Represented Chevron Corporation in a $14 billion credit facility from a syndicate of some 75 banks for the acquisition of Gulf Oil Company.
    • Represented a large financial institution and a syndicate of some 25 banks in revolving credit facility to Boise Cascade Corporation totaling $1.5 billion.
    • Represented a large financial institution and other lenders in a $3 billion financing for Levi Strauss & Co.
  • Other Corporate Activity
    • Assists in formation and organization of corporations and partnerships, shareholder relations and counseling management and boards of directors in connection with the discharge of their fiduciary responsibilities.
    • Has counseled many boards of directors, including the Boards of Pacific Telesis Group, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, MUFG Union Bank including Chevron Corporation, Bank of America, Bank of the West and Pacific Exchange Inc.
    • Represented the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision in many matters arising out of the savings and loan crises in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Professional Highlights

  • Dominican University of California – Member, Board of Trustees
  • Bank of the West – Director Emeritus
  • Chambers USA, Financial Services Regulation—National (2005 – 2012)

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  • Honors & Awards

    • Recognized by Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC), Banking and Finance Law (2006 – 2025); Financial Services Regulation Law (2011 – 2025); Lawyer of the Year – Banking and Finance Law, Financial Services Regulation Law—San Francisco (2013; 2019; 2025), Banking Law (2011)
    • PLC Which Lawyer?, Finance—San Francisco & Silicon Valley (2007 – 2012)
    • Who’s Who Legal, Corporate & Securities—San Francisco (2006 – 2010)
    • BTI Client Service All-Star (2005)
  • Associations
    • Fall River Conservancy, Shasta County, California – President and Director
    • American Bar Association, Banking Law Committee of the Corporation, Banking and Business Law Section – Member
    • State Bar of California, Financial Institutions Committee Past Member
    • State Bar of California, Ad Hoc Committee Past Member
    • California State Club Association – Past Member, Board of Directors

Education

  • J.D., Columbia Law School, 1970

    A.B., Stanford University, 1967

Admissions

  • California

    New York

    District of Columbia