About

Acting for an organization going through a major legal challenge is not for the faint-hearted, but it is testimony to Matthew Biben’s abilities that he not only managed tricky negotiations during 2011’s national mortgage settlement, but also found time to rebuild and improve his in-house legal team. He currently oversees some 550 lawyers, and being head of consumer banking means responsibility for around 850 million customers. Recognizing that the consumer business is ‘moving almost towards a securities model, as it’s much more highly regulated’, Biben felt he needed a solid team of lawyers and business support to meet those needs, and went on something of a hiring spree. At the same time, he introduced an internal social media site, named Octagon. He explains: ‘I didn’t want it to be just another corporate site, I wanted people to engage. I want to create leaders, not followers’. Biben is also a strong advocate for early case resolution, and he consolidated all of the business’ class action work, meaning outside counsel get a bigger slice of the pie. Mary Beth Hogan of Debevoise and Plimpton says: ‘Biben has a commanding and charismatic presence, and is also a terrific listener who encourages dialogue. The respect and esteem with which the lawyers who work for him hold him is palpable to outside counsel’.