SVB Law Chief Takes Spotlight as Regulators Investigate Collapse

Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse places its parent company’s law department leader in the spotlight as regulators probe what went wrong and whether the Wall Street lawyer was a contributing factor in its demise.

Michael Zuckert has been general counsel for SVB Financial Group since the company hired him in 2014 from Citigroup Inc. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley and won plaudits from SVB for aiding its risk management efforts while earning nearly $2.7 million in total compensation last year.

While Zuckert and top officers haven’t been accused of wrongdoing, US authorities are examining the bank’s failure for any misconduct, ...