POLICY PRIORITIES TRACK: RESPA at 50: Necessary Reforms to Modernize the Statute

Director, Regulatory Counsel, Mortgage Bankers Association

Alisha Sears is Director and Regulatory Counsel in the Residential Policy and Strategic Industry Engagement Department at the Mortgage Bankers Association. Alisha covers legal issues, trends in litigation, and regulatory compliance matters. Alisha also staffs the Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Committee and the Regulatory Compliance Subcommittee. Prior to joining the MBA, Alisha was with the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS). Alisha received her Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland and her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the American Bar Association’s Banking Law Committee, and Women in Housing and Finance.

Of Counsel, Katten & Temple, LLP

Brian Levy, Of Counsel with Katten & Temple, LLP in Chicago, provides practical, creative and industry leading guidance for mortgage lenders and related providers. Brian has unique vision and experience enabling him to offer actionable counsel on matters such as RESPA (MSAs, AfBAs, etc.), LO compensation, mortgage repurchase defense, loan sale agreements, marketing, transactions and business structuring and enforcement issues. Brian is the author of the provocative and widely read Levy’s Mortgage Musings blog at www.mortgagemusings.com and is a frequent conference speaker, magazine contributor and podcast guest. Brian was General Counsel from 1994-2009 for a mid-sized midwestern bank and its 3 mortgage banking subsidiaries and prior to that worked for 5 years in commercial real estate law.