Steven T. Buquicchio

Business, Creditors’ Rights, Credit Union, Banking and Finance Attorney

Steve is a trusted business lawyer, advisor and strategist who provides counsel and advice to individuals and companies on business and operational issues and serves as outside general counsel to a variety of businesses and organizations with an emphasis in credit union, financial services, agriculture and business representations. He routinely represents credit unions, agri-finance/farm credit institutions, banks, finance companies and businesses in:

• commercial disputes and litigation
• breach of contract actions
• note defaults
• collection actions
• UCC disputes
• claim and delivery/replevin actions
• loan documentation and workouts
• regulatory and compliance issues
• contract negotiation
• strategic planning

Steve, a board certified creditors’ rights attorney, also serves as national creditors’ rights counsel to small and large companies doing business throughout the United States and abroad.

Steve’s litigation practice is focused primarily on creditors’ rights and business litigation including federal and state receiverships, fraud litigation, loan workouts, collections and foreclosures, commercial litigation and consumer protection/Fair Debt Collection Practices Act/Fair Credit Reporting Act defense litigation. Steve also has extensive experience in asset tracing and recovery, judgment enforcement and judicial liquidations.

Experience

Serves as outside general counsel to credit union clients in a variety of representations including mergers and bank acquisitions, contract review and negotiation, regulatory compliance, contract disputes, regulatory actions and approvals, due diligence, CUSO creation and development, operational matters, strategic planning, field of membership expansion, litigation, claim and delivery, foreclosure and collection.

Served as lead counsel to a multibillion dollar in assets credit union during the merger due diligence process with another multibillion dollar in assets credit union.

Served as lead counsel to multiple credit unions of all sizes in multiple completed mergers with other credit unions.

Represented credit unions in statewide field of membership expansions.

Served and serves as lead counsel to multiple debt recovery and accounts receivable management companies in both individual and class action consumer protection/FDCPA/FCRA defense litigation as well as regulatory compliance review.

Represented international furniture maker in the design, implementation and maintenance of credit procedures and training program which resulted in the reduction of millions of dollars in bad debt write-offs to virtually zero.

Represented one of the country’s largest agricultural lenders in multiple multimillion dollar securitized transactions.

Served and serves as regional legal counsel to one of the country’s largest farm equipment financing companies in connection with loan defaults and workouts.

Honors and Recognitions

Business Review West Michigan, Business Leader Under 40

Grand Rapids Business Journal^©, 40 Under Forty Business Leader

Grand Rapids Magazine’s Top Lawyers, Construction Law, since 2021; Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights Law, 2023

Leading Lawyers: Banking & Financial Institutions Law; Commercial Litigation; Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections Law

Martindale-Hubbell^® AV Preeminent^™ Peer Review Rated

Michigan Lawyers Weekly^, Leaders in the Law

Michigan Super Lawyers^®, Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney (including Creditor Debtor Rights: Business; Business/Corporate)

The Best Lawyers in America®, Banking and Finance Law, 2024

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association: Litigation Section; Business Section; Committee on the Uniform Commercial Code; ABA Advisory Panel

American Board of Certification: Board Certified in Creditors’ Rights; past Board of Directors

Federal Bar Association, Michigan

Grand Rapids Bar Association: Litigation Section, past chair

Michigan Lawyers Weekly, past Board of Editors

State Bar of Michigan: Litigation Section; Business Section

Community Involvement

American Red Cross, past Board of Directors

Heart of West Michigan United Way – Project Blueprint/Schools of Hope

March of Dimes – Michigan Chapter, Grand Rapids Division, past Board member