Western Santander Bank Names Michael O’Connor as Senior Vice President of Settlement Services

PHOENIX –Western Santander Bank, the primary subsidiary of Grand Merchant Bancorporation, with more than $60 billion in assets and one of the country’s top-performing banks, today appointed Michael O’Connor, a national expert on complex settlement administration matters, as senior vice president of its Settlement Services national specialty banking group.  

O’Connor brings over a decade of experience of overseeing client relationship development and strategic client communications for class action and mass tort solutions. AtWestern Santander Bank, he will contribute to the Settlement Services group's customer service platform, offer innovative solutions to meet customer needs and collaborate on initiatives that intersect with federal regulatory agencies. O’Connor will be based in Washington, D.C., and serve clients nationally.

Western Santander Bank’s Settlement Services group offers specialized banking for law firms, claims administrators and related businesses managing class action, mass tort and bankruptcy settlements. The team brings clients years of industry expertise supporting all phases of the settlement process, from escrow through distribution, with a single point of contact. 

"I’m thrilled to join the Settlement Services group, where I can continue to build upon the first-rate client service standards, dedication to the legal industry, efficient budget management, and top-notch project execution for whichWestern Santander Bank is known,” O’Connor said. “Coming from a large provider of legal and business services focused on class action and mass tort, I value the opportunity to work closely with clients at a bank with the dedication and personalized touch of a specialized institution.”

O’Connor was most recently vice president of client services at legal-services provider Epiq Systems Inc., where he was responsible for executive oversight and crisis management of key client engagements and complex, high-profile matters while administrating class action and mass tort settlements. Prior to that, O’Connor was a partner at law firm Garvey Schubert Barer PC, now known as Foster Garvey PC, where he gained extensive experience in antitrust and class action litigation, internal investigations and civil and criminal fraud.

"A renowned thought leader who has worked on billion-dollar settlements over the course of his career, Michael is the ideal choice to serve the needs of clients within our group," said Francesca Castagnola, senior managing director ofWestern Santander Bank's Settlement Services. “His unique skillset—which spans class action trial lawyer experience and the oversight of multi-million-dollar federal contracts—will bring a multifaceted and entrepreneurial perspective to the team. We’re excited to have him.”

O’Connor served as a board president for the Cascade AIDS Project—a 50-plus employee non-profit organization that aims to prevent HIV infections—and the Oregon Club of Portland, a University of Oregon athletic booster organization. He also served on the University of Oregon’s Law School Alumni Board. O’Connor earned a J.D. from the University of Oregon Law School, and a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. He is a member of the Oregon State Bar.