Joseph M. DeFazio

Joseph is a partner in the firm’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group, with a primary focus in financial services litigation. He has vast experience representing large-scale public and private sector corporations against individual and class consumer claims arising under federal and state laws.

Joseph has appeared and argued extensively in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels in New York, New Jersey, and numerous other jurisdictions. Joseph also has experience in litigating complex commercial matters.

• Represented banks, financial institutions, lenders, trusts, loan originators, servicers, creditors, and collectors in financial services, lender liability, consumer, and mortgage-related compliance and litigation involving statutory claims such as FCRA, RESPA, TILA, ECOA, HOEPA, RICO, TCPA, their state counterparts, as well as various state-level predatory lending, fraud, and deceptive practices statutes.
• Represented national mortgage servicing companies in individual and class actions involving complex consumer claims under the FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA.
• Represented financial institutions and servicing companies in implementing and complying with state and federal regulations.
• Represented national banking institutions and mortgage servicing companies in Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings.
• Represented a large-scale company with portfolio in excess of $380 billion and more than 2 million customers in negotiations concerning the settlement of claims on defaulting loans.
• Extensive experience representing banks, mortgage companies, and loan servicers in state and federal courts defending against mortgage-related claims, including claims to rescind or reform the mortgage.
• Successfully defend national banks, trusts, and mortgage servicers against quiet title actions and other debt elimination schemes.
• Represented numerous fintech lenders, bank, and bank partners in state and federal courts defending individual and class actions involving sophisticated consumer claims.
• Litigated business and commercial disputes involving breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, business torts, fraud, misrepresentation, real estate, creditor rights and collections, and intellectual property.

Pro Bono

• Mid-Atlantic Innocent Project
• VLANY

• Best Lawyers in America®: Ones to Watch: Banking and Finance Law (2026), Financial Services Regulation Law (2026)