Matthew T. Cronin

Practice Areas

Having handled hundreds of cases in federal and state court involving bankruptcy, finance, and commercial disputes, Matt has significant litigation experience.  By serving as General Counsel to a small, rural community bank and a large Iowa financial institution, Matt gained a thorough understanding of the unique business and regulatory challenges that financial institutions face daily, which enabled him to tailor his services to meet the needs of corporate clients of all sizes efficiently.

Banking

Matt has extensive experience overseeing all legal operations for two Iowa community banks.  He has drafted loan documents for significant transactions, directed workout and recovery efforts for numerous borrowers, negotiated liquidations, restructured loan document processing, streamlined underwriting, built underwriting models for new business lines (including churches, non-profits, and manufacturing), built and implemented a risk-rating system, developed several retail products (including 15-year fixed rate home loans and HELOC products), developed and implemented CARES Act products and processes, investigated and pursued fraud recovery, and oversaw trust and wealth management operations.

Bankruptcy

Matt has represented a diverse range of clients in protecting or enforcing their legal rights in financial transactions. This has included reviewing and drafting agreements for multiple transactions, as well as representing diverse clients in collections, bankruptcy, and fraud matters. Representative matters include representing the buyer of substantially all the assets of a multiple-location hospital and clinic network in bankruptcy under Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, which earned national recognition in 2017 from The M&A Advisor as the Section 363 Sale of the Year. Other representative clients have included bankruptcy trustees pursuing collection, banks attempting to recover collateral or fraudulent losses, and hundreds of farmers who were the victims of fraud at the hands of a local implement dealer.

In addition, Matt previously led the office of the U.S. Trustee for the Western District of Michigan, which was charged with prosecuting bankruptcy fraud and abuse on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice in the Western District of Michigan. As part of that mission, he oversaw bankruptcy reorganizations and sales involving historic companies such as the Checker Motor Company. He also investigated and oversaw proceedings involving multiple Ponzi schemes, including some featured on CNBC’s American Greed.

Honors and Accomplishments

• Recipient, the M&A Advisor Section 363 Sale of the Year (2017)
• Community and Professional Activities
• Board for Central Iowa Shelter & Services (Present)
• Lobbying Efforts, Iowa Bankers Association (2019)
• Advisory Board, Des Moines YMCA (2000 – 2008)

Publications

• Matthew T. Cronin, Note, UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-border Insolvency:  Procedural Approach to a Substantive Problem, 24 J. CORP. L. 709 (1999)
• Matthew T. Cronin, Thomas L. Flynn, Self-settled Spendthrift Trusts Move Close to Home, AMERICAN BANKRUPTCY INSTITUTE JOURNAL, Sept. 2000

Education

• Legal: University of Iowa, J.D., 2000 (Highest Distinction; Order of the Coif; Associate Editor, Journal of Corporation Law)
• Undergraduate: University of Missouri – Columbia, B.S. 1997 (Magna Cum Laude)