Steven Sugarman serves financial institutions and emerging enterprises navigating complex regulatory, corporate, and transactional challenges. His work is rooted in decades of experience founding, leading, and transforming banks and other financial services companies—often in high-stakes or mission-driven contexts.

A longtime advocate for equitable access to capital, Steven is the Founder of The Change Company, a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution focused on serving Black, Latino, and low-income communities. Previously, he served as Board Chair, CEO, and President of Banc of California, which he grew into one of the fastest-expanding banks in the country. In 2024, Steven was named President of Patriot National Bancorp, where he is spearheading a strategic restructuring to raise capital, refine the company’s business model, and ensure regulatory compliance and operational integrity.

His broad experience also includes leading the recapitalization and sale of COR Clearing, founding COR Capital LLC, and advising on transactions, governance, and compliance across the financial services spectrum. Steven’s counsel is informed by a career that began at Lehman Brothers and McKinsey & Company and has since evolved into a trusted presence at the helm of legal, corporate, and civic initiatives.

Steven served as General Counsel of the National Diversity Coalition from 2017 to 2020 and currently sits on the board of Los Angeles Team Mentoring. He is the co-author of The Forewarned Investor: Don’t Get Fooled Again by Corporate Fraud, a book that reflects his enduring focus on ethical business practices and investor protection.