EMERGING ISSUES TRACK: Trends in Consumer Contact and Collection FDCPA/FCRA/TCPA

SVP, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Counsel, Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC

Jim Petros is the SVP, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Counsel for Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC, with over 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry. In his current role, he oversees the Compliance Management System for the Lending and Servicing Divisions, ensuring adherence to legal and regulatory requirements by leveraging advanced GRC technology, as well as machine learning and AI (www.RegComplyGPT.com). A seasoned leader, Jim is a primary liaison with state and federal regulators. He also serves on the Board of Directors for South County Outreach (www.sco-oc.org), a nonprofit organization that provides case management designed to prevent financial setbacks and homelessness.

Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

Christa Bieker represents financial services clients in connection with government investigations, supervisory examinations, and other government requests relating to a variety of consumer finance laws and regulations, including the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and federal and state prohibitions against unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. She has experience representing clients in investigations led by a wide range of agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She also counsels clients on compliance with consumer finance laws.

Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Lauren Campisi is a partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and is recognized as a national leader in the field of consumer financial services. She provides strategic, practical advice on federal and state law compliance matters, as well as federal and state enforcement actions and supervisory examinations and single-party and class action litigation. Her clients include national and state-chartered banks, national mortgage lenders and servicers, automotive and personal property finance companies, installment lenders, and online lenders. She has also helped clients navigate state lending and licensing laws, as well as state debt collection laws and regulations. She is the current Chair of the Louisiana Bankers Association Bank Counsel Committee.

Partner, Alston & Bird, LLP

Anoush Garakani, co-leader of Alston & Bird’s Consumer Financial Services Team, advises on mortgage banking and consumer finance and concentrates on counseling clients on compliance with federal and state consumer financial protection laws and regulations. Clients trust his guidance when facing challenges surrounding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Mortgage Servicing Rules, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth in Lending Act, and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. He is experienced with federal and state prohibitions against unfair and deceptive acts or practices, as well as laws and regulations related to mortgage origination and servicing, debt collection, retail installment sales contracts, telemarketing, and the use of autodialer systems. Garakani also assists clients with regulatory compliance due diligence for investments or acquisitions involving consumer financial products, such as mortgage loans and secured and unsecured consumer loans. He clerked for the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Financial Practices.

Partner, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC

Tim Ofak is a Partner with Weiner Brodsky Kider PC. He represents companies in the financial services and mortgage industries nationwide in federal and state litigation and government investigations. Ofak's practice includes general business and commercial litigation, including contract disputes, defending consumer class actions, suits under state consumer protection statutes, and claims under various federal statutes, including the False Claims Act, HMDA, CFPA, RESPA, TILA, FCRA, TCPA, FDCPA, EFTA, and PFCRA. He also advises clients in connection with investigations and enforcement actions brought by federal and state agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).