Washington, D.C. and New York, NY, June 9, 2026—Skadden is pleased to announce that Monica Freas has joined the firm as a partner in its Financial Institutions Regulatory Group. Ms. Freas brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), where she most recently served as acting senior deputy comptroller for regional and midsize financial institutions. She also served as deputy comptroller for large bank supervision and director of enforcement, overseeing the supervision of the nation’s largest and most complex financial institutions.
Ms. Freas brings extensive firsthand knowledge of how bank regulators operate, supervise, investigate and approach enforcement matters. Her practice focuses on bank regulatory and enforcement matters, internal investigations, BSA/AML and sanctions investigations, compliance and risk management, and emerging issues involving the regulation of blockchain technology, digital assets and stablecoins. A central focus of her practice is counseling bank charter applicants and payment stablecoin issuers on a variety of supervisory-related matters, including field investigations, pre-opening examinations, full-scope examinations and regulatory concerns.
“We are delighted to welcome Monica to Skadden,” said Mark Chorazak, head of Skadden’s Financial Institutions Regulatory Group. “Her extensive experience in banking supervision and enforcement will be a tremendous asset to our clients, particularly for fintechs and digital assets firms obtaining bank charters and undergoing stringent regulatory exams for the first time.”
“I am excited to join Skadden and to bring my experience to this exceptional group,” said Ms. Freas. “My background in supervision, investigations and enforcement positions me to help clients navigate their most challenging regulatory matters. The firm’s collaborative culture and global platform provide a unique opportunity to support clients at every stage of the regulatory lifecycle.”
Skadden continues to strengthen its financial institutions and regulatory capabilities. The firm recently welcomed financial institutions partner Michael Reed in New York and derivatives partner Tim Elliott in Chicago. The firm advises leading financial institutions on their most sophisticated transactional, litigation and regulatory matters.
Ms. Freas earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law and her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida.
