Bruce Jay Baker

Bruce is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel to the Illinois Bankers Association and also serves as of counsel to the firm's financial institutions group.

Bruce concentrates his practice on the financial services industry in the areas of regulatory compliance, trust administration, product development, regulatory enforcement, litigation and legislation. He is the principal author of numerous Illinois laws related to banking and financial services, including Illinois’ first interstate banking law, Illinois’ law authorizing banks to sell insurance, Illinois’ nationally recognized “super wild card” provisions and other state laws ranging from structural deregulation to trust laws to revisions of the Uniform Commercial Code. Bruce regularly works with a diverse group of financial institutions ranging from the largest money center banks to de novo community banks. He has extensive experience in national and state bank regulation, compliance and enforcement matters, Illinois licensing issues, new product development, trust and fiduciary laws, Articles 3, 4 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, payment systems, and residential mortgage and other consumer laws.

Professional Activities and Honors

• Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Illinois Bankers Association
• 1991 and 1997 recipient, Illinois Bankers Association Distinguished Bank Counsel Award
• Member, Washington University Law Quarterly
• American Jurisprudence Award, Property

Publications

• Co-Editor, Advising Illinois Financial Institutions, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (2006)
• Co-Author, Illinois Trust Policy Manual, Illinois Bankers Association (1999)
• Monthly Columnist, Illinois Banker Magazine

Events & Speaking Engagements

• 2010 Illinois Bankers Association Annual Conference & Trade Show (Springfield, IL/June 2010)
• Organizer, lecturer and moderator of Illinois Bankers Association Annual Bank Counsel Conference, Chicago
• Frequent lecturer to bankers, bank counsel and bank regulators