BREAKOUT SESSION: Pathway to Fair Lending

Partner and Co-founder, Strong Estrada PLLC

Sheila M. Strong is Partner and Co-Founder of Strong Estrada, PLLC. With over 20 years of experience in the real estate and mortgage industry, Sheila Strong has assisted depository and non-depository identify mechanisms to utilize mortgage compliance as a competitive advance and navigate the ever-changing regulatory environment. Ms. Strong has developed Compliance Management Systems designed to implement, monitor, improve, and revise corporate policies and procedures to serve the mortgage needs of consumers in a manner that is consistent with ethical lending and servicing practices. As a former mortgage loan originator and a former SVP of Compliance and General Counsel, Ms. Strong brings real-world experiences in implementing compliance management strategies.

Partner & Chair, Consumer Financial Services, Paul Hastings LLP

Jonice M. Gray is a partner in the Financial Services - Investigations, Regulation, and Litigation group at Paul Hastings and is based in the Washington D.C. office. Ms. Gray specializes in work with banks, non-bank financial institutions, and other companies providing financial products and services. She works with many of the largest bank and non-bank financial institutions, emerging companies such as fintechs, and retailers whose business operations include consumer and small business finance. Ms. Gray’s work is focused on representing corporate and individual clients in high-stakes legal proceedings, including matters initiated by federal and state regulators, private civil litigation, and internal investigations. Ms. Gray also counsels clients on compliance with consumer protection laws, including in particular, those governing fair and responsible lending and servicing. Ms. Gray focuses a substantial portion of her practice on representations involving escalated government examination matters, investigations, and enforcement. In this capacity, she routinely provides strategic advice to senior corporate leaders, including Boards of Directors, as they navigate complex, and often unexpected, business and legal challenges. Ms. Gray has been representing financial institutions in matters involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) since it was first established and also represents institutions in matters initiated by other federal agencies such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Prudential Banking Regulators, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In addition, she routinely represents institutions in matters involving State Attorneys General and state banking departments. Ms. Gray has been recognized in Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in the area of Consumer Finance (Enforcement and Investigations) as well in Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. She is a Past Chair of the American Bar Association’s Banking Law Committee and presently sit on the ABA’s Business Law Section Council. Ms. Gray holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, CMG Financial

Tara Pettersen is the Chief Risk and Compliance Officer and serves on the Executive Management Team for CMG Mortgage, Inc. She has 29 years of experience in the mortgage industry and has been with CMG since 2014. Tara ensures regulatory standards are adhered to and risk is mitigated while working collaboratively with all departments to develop and implement safeguards for the entire mortgage operation. Outside of her efforts at CMG, Tara serves on the Fannie Mae, Risk Advisory Board. She was honored by Housing Wire as one of its 2022 Women of Influence based on her inspiring leadership, caring mentorship, and ability to transform her department to better protect the company and its consumers from risks or losses and 2023 Most Powerful Women in the Mortgage Banking Industry.