Edward Yingling, president and chief executive officer of the American Bankers Association, is retiring from the ABA and joining Covington & Burling, the law firm said Tuesday. Yingling will finish out his term as president and CEO of the ABA, and begin with Covington & Burling Jan. 1. He will be based in Washington D.C. Yingling has been with the ABA for 25 years, serving as head of the trade association’s legislative, legal, regulatory, tax and policy development activities before his tenure as president. He said he is excited to assist financial institutions in the restructuring that will come from a new regulatory climate. “I look forward to working with Covington’s talented team of lawyers to help the firm’s financial institution clients navigate the new landscape,” Yingling said. Yingling plans to remain a consultant with the ABA after joining the law firm. He will be replaced by the current governor of Oklahoma, Frank Keating. Covington & Burling is an international law firm with offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Calif., and Washington D.C. Write to Christine Ricciardi.