| RALPH WUTSCHER | PRINCIPAL |
| The Loop Center Building | Consumer Credit Litigation |
| 105 W. Madison Street, Suite 2100 | Regulatory Compliance |
| Chicago, Illinois, 60602 | Commercial Litigation |
| TEL (312) 551-9320 • FAX (866) 581-9302 | |
| RWutscher@kw-llp.com |
Ralph Wutscher's practice focuses on representing depository and non-depository mortgage lenders and automobile finance companies, as well as mortgage loan servicers, mortgage loan investors, distressed asset buyers and sellers, loss mitigation companies, and other consumer financial services companies. He represents the consumer lending industry as a litigator, and as regulatory compliance counsel.
Ralph has substantial experience in defending private consumer finance lawsuits, including cases ranging from large interstate putative class actions to localized single-asset cases, as well as in responding to regulatory investigations and other governmental proceedings. His litigation successes include not only victories at the trial court level, but also on appeal, and in various jurisdictions. He has successfully defended numerous putative class actions asserting violations of a wide range of federal and state consumer protection statutes. He is frequently consulted to assist other law firms in developing or improving litigation strategies in cases filed around the country.
Ralph's clients regularly rely on his advice in connection with evaluating their compliance with federal laws, and with state and local laws primarily of the Midwestern United States. For example, he regularly provides assistance in connection with consumer lending disclosure issues, the design and implementation of marketing and advertising campaigns, licensing and reporting issues, compliance with usury laws and other limitations on pricing, compliance with state and local “predatory lending” laws, drafting or obtaining opinion letters on a single- or multi-state basis, interstate branching and loan production office licensing, evaluations and modifications of new or existing products and procedures, debt collection and servicing practices, proper methods of responding to consumer inquiries and furnishing consumer information, as well as proposed or existing arrangements with settlement service providers.
He is the current Chair of the Preemption and Federalism Subcommittee for the ABA's Consumer Financial Services Committee. Ralph is also a member of the Governing Committee of the Conference on Consumer Finance Law. He served on the Law Committee for the former National Home Equity Mortgage Association, and completed two terms as Co-Chair of the Consumer Credit Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.
Ralph is a frequent speaker on consumer lending and litigation developments. His publications include: "The New Trajectory of Federal Preemption," 65 The Business Lawyer 2 (February 2010), "The Perils of Judicial Activism: 'Unfairness' in the Massachusetts Attorney General Litigation," 16 Business Torts Journal 3 (Spring 2009), "Defining the Scope of Federal Preemption: State Farm, Exclusive Agents, and Other Emerging Issues," 64 The Business Lawyer 2 (February 2009), "Preemption and Federalism Developments: Watters Under the Bridge," 63 The Business Lawyer 2 (February 2008), "Mired in the Process?: The Future of State Bank Preemption," 52 The Business Lawyer 2 (February 2007), "Proposed Illinois Motor Vehicle 'Truth in Financing' Legislation," 58 Consumer Finance Law Quarterly 250 (Winter 2004), and "The Illinois High Risk Home Loan Act: Yet Another Jurisdiction Tackles Predatory Lending," 58 Consumer Finance Law Quarterly 117 (Fall 2004).
Ralph received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law, and his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He is a member of the national Mortgage Bankers Association, the Conference on Consumer Finance Law, the ACA International Members Attorney Program, as well as the American and Chicago Bar Associations.
Ralph is admitted to practice in Illinois, as well as in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and has been admitted pro hac vice in various jurisdictions around the country.