Pacific Street helps companies in fintech, financial services, and emerging technologies understand the rules that apply to them, obtain the licenses, registrations, and approvals they need, and manage regulatory risk practically. We handle money transmitter, lending, virtual currency, and other licenses through NMLS and state licensing systems, from initial applications to renewals, change-of-control filings, and ongoing maintenance. Our lawyers include former regulators from federal and state regulatory agencies, and we bring that inside perspective to every matter.

What we do

NYDFS Matters

Licensing, charters, compliance, examinations, and enforcement matters before the NYS Department of Financial Services, including BitLicense and virtual currency, limited purpose trust company charters, banking, insurance, money transmission, and consumer protection.

Compliance Programs

Design, review, and improvement of policies, controls, testing, and procedures, built around how the company actually operates and updated as it changes.

Multi-State Regulatory Analysis

State-by-state analysis of licensing, registration, and compliance requirements, including 50-state surveys and select international jurisdictions.

Licensing & Registrations

Federal and state licensing strategy, applications, renewals, amendments, and ongoing reporting, including filings through NMLS and other licensing systems and large multistate application projects.

Securities Offering Filings

Form D and other Regulation D filings, state blue sky notice filings, and related exemption analysis for private offerings and investment vehicles.

Regulatory Examinations & Inquiries

Examinations, inquiries, requests for information, and other interactions with federal and state agencies, handled by lawyers who have overseen regulated companies from inside the government.

Policy & Government Strategy

Strategy for companies that want a voice in the laws affecting their businesses, developed alongside leading lobbying, government-relations, and communications firms.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have experience with the New York Department of Financial Services?

Yes. Founder and Managing Attorney Gareth Rhodes served as Deputy Superintendent and Special Counsel at NYDFS, and brings firsthand experience with how the agency approaches licensing, supervision, and enforcement across banking, insurance, virtual currency, and consumer protection. We advise companies seeking New York licenses and charters, preparing for examinations, and responding to DFS inquiries.

How do I know which regulations apply to my business?

We start with the business: what you do, how your product works, where you operate, and who your customers are. From there, we identify what applies and separate outright prohibitions from manageable risks and judgment calls, so leadership can make informed decisions and keep moving.

Can you review or build our compliance program?

Yes. We review existing programs or build new ones around your operations and risks, including policies, controls, testing, training, and reporting. We update them as your business and the rules change.

Can you run a 50-state analysis and handle the licensing applications?

Yes. We handle multistate analyses and manage the process through approval. That includes applications and filings through NMLS and other licensing systems, regulator questions, supplemental submissions, renewals, and ongoing reporting.

Do you handle Form D and state blue sky filings?

Yes. We prepare and file Form D for Regulation D offerings and the related state blue sky notice filings, and we advise on which exemption fits the offering. We coordinate the filings with your financing or fund documents so deadlines aren’t missed.

What should we do if a regulator contacts us?

Call us immediately. Members of our team have worked on both sides, supervising regulated companies from inside government agencies and representing companies in front of regulators. We help assess what the regulator is asking, understand the risk, develop a response, and engage directly with the agency where appropriate.

Our business is doing something regulators haven’t seen before. Can you help?

Yes. Much of our work involves analyzing new products and business models and determining how they fit within regulatory regimes built long before they existed. We have helped clients obtain licenses and approvals in new areas where others considered approval unlikely. We know how regulators think, and we don’t assume the most conservative, lowest risk answer is the only one.

How much does regulatory and compliance counsel cost?

Defined projects such as regulatory analyses, compliance reviews, licensing work, and offering filings can often be scoped and priced upfront. For ongoing needs, we can structure an arrangement that gives you regular access to counsel without treating every question as a new project.

Regulatory Compliance & Licensing