M&T Bank longtime attorney Laura O’Hara has been appointed as the institution’s new senior vice president and general counsel effective Aug. 21, reporting to Vice Chairman Richard Gold.

"I am pleased to welcome Laura to M&T,” Gold said. “She is a highly talented and trusted counselor with vast experience in managing complex legal matters. She brings a wealth of banking and regulatory expertise and she will play an important role at M&T as we drive strategic growth in the years to come."

O’Hara brings over 30 years of expertise in litigation, regulatory compliance and risk management to her new position as senior vice president in Buffalo, New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics from Villanova University and her J.D. from Georgetown University.

Most recently she worked as executive vice president and general counsel for Boston-based Santander Bank; previously she served in a similar capacity for Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS Citizens. Additionally, M&T’s new senior vice president worked at J.P. Morgan Chase and Co., overseeing mergers and acquisitions and regulatory matters in addition to legal compliance and risk management.

M&T maintains its headquarters in Buffalo, with main banking subsidiary M&T Bank operating in eight states plus the District of Columbia.