Christopher Cole

Chris Cole is executive vice president and senior regulatory counsel for the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA). He focuses on a broad portfolio of issues including deposit insurance, regulatory restructuring, safety and soundness, corporate governance, accounting and taxes, credit unions, and capital requirements. Cole has also served as ICBA’s staff liaison for the association’s Regulatory Review Committee, Mutual Bank Council, and Large Community Bank Council.

Before joining ICBA, Cole was vice president and assistant general counsel for First Virginia Banks Inc., which merged with BB&T. Prior to that, he served as counsel for the Marriott Corp. and as a tax attorney for the Department of Treasury.

Cole has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, American Banker and CBS Market Watch, and he has appeared on the PBS Nightly Business Report and Bloomberg Television.  Cole received a BA with honors in history from University of Virginia, a JD also from the University of Virginia, and an LLM in Taxation from Georgetown University.