APPLIED COMPLIANCE TRACK: RESPA Section 8 (Closed to Media)

Alisha Sears

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. Sears covers legal issues, trends in litigation, and regulatory compliance matters, and staffs the Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Committee and the Regulatory Compliance Subcommittee. Prior to joining the MBA, Sears was with the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS). Sears is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, the American Bar Association’s Banking Law Committee, and Women in Housing and Finance.

Holly Spencer Bunting

Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

Holly Bunting is a partner in Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office and a member of the Financial Services Regulatory & Enforcement group. Holly represents companies in the mortgage lending, title insurance and real estate industries on regulatory compliance matters and defends clients subject to government audits, investigations and enforcement proceedings. She provides counsel on federal and state consumer credit and protection laws, and focuses particular attention on assisting companies in complying with the anti-kickback requirements of RESPA, including counseling clients on the creation and operation of affiliated business arrangements, reviewing proposed and existing business relationships, and drafting agreements and disclosures.

Suzanne Garwood

Managing Director, Associate General Counsel, Chase

Suzanne Garwood is Managing Director and Associate General Counsel in JPMorgan Chase’s home lending legal division, where she assists with the bank’s compliance related to home lending originations. Suzanne also is active in the firm’s ESG efforts, concentrating her efforts on climate change. Prior to joining Chase, Suzanne was outside counsel at two Washington DC-based law firms. While in private practice, Suzanne advised her clients with respect to compliance with consumer protection laws and advocated for her clients before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Congress.

Michael Y. Kieval

Partner, Weiner Brodsky Kider PC

Michael Y. Kieval is a Partner at financial services boutique Weiner Brodsky Kider PC, in Washington, DC, where he heads the firm's licensing and state law practice. He also provides federal regulatory compliance advice to clients large and small, and represents companies in the financial services and mortgage industries nationwide in state and federal litigation, including numerous RESPA Section 8 class actions, as well as government investigations, and both federal and state examinations and enforcement actions. Michael regularly speaks to industry audiences about the CFPB, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity.

Matthew Sheldon

Partner, Co-Chair of the Banking & Consumer Financial Services Practice, Goodwin

Matt Sheldon counsels many of the nation’s largest banks, mortgage lenders, and fintech companies on their most sensitive regulatory, enforcement, and litigation matters. His practice focuses on helping those clients successfully align their business goals and strategies within the complex framework of federal and state regulatory requirements. Much of his work centers on assisting clients with their regulatory relationships, whether in the examination, investigation, or enforcement context. Matt is a partner in Goodwin’s Consumer Financial Services Litigation practice and he serves as co-chair of Goodwin’s Banking and Consumer Financial Services practice. He is also the Head of Goodwin’s Litigation Practice for the Washington, DC office. Matt is top-ranked by both Chambers USA and The Legal 500 US, with Chambers recognizing him as “a very thoughtful regulatory and litigation attorney, with a practical mindset toward complicated and often ambiguous issues.” Although Matt specializes in advising clients on residential mortgage lending matters, he counsels and represents clients regarding a broad array of consumer financial services and products, including credit cards, payment systems, insurance and reinsurance, and ERISA-covered retirement plans.