Right Sizing Your Compliance Management System (CMS) for Volume Today

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.

Managing Director, Conforma Compliance Group LLC

Alfred Pitzner is a co-founder of Conforma Compliance Group, a practice providing regulatory management services to mortgage lenders. He leads the risk assessment, compliance strategy, CMS/CMP creation and cross-functional implementation for our clients. Having begun his career as an MLO, before moving to lead the compliance and litigation management function at one of the most established mortgage lenders and servicers in the Midwest, Pitzner has a deep understanding of business units, their concerns, and their needs. He built a compliance management system and program from the ground up at a time when the term CMS was new. Pitzner managed over 200 examinations conducted by HUD, VA, FNMA, FHLMC, GNMA, OIG and various state banking departments from California to New York. He participated in over 100 mediations and settlement conferences, bringing the vast majority to successful resolutions. Pitzner also argued positions with the DOJ, HUD, GNMA, FNMA and FHMLC as well as in state and federal court. He brings a solid understanding of compliance related risk and a deep expertise in creating effective compliance solutions that create business value.

CEO, Ncontracts

Michael is CEO of the leading provider of proactive risk management solutions for the financial industry in the United States. Ncontracts offer a full suite of integrated risk management solutions including vendor management, enterprise risk management, findings management, contract management, cybersecurity, and compliance services. The combination of robust software and services enable clients to remain current with regulatory standards, manage third-party vendor relationships, improve internal efficiency, reduce risk, and lower the cost of regulatory compliance for increased ROI. Michael's extensive experience as an attorney in helping large and small companies manage agreements, vendors, compliance, and risks led me to establish Ncontracts as an efficient and affordable way for companies to manage risk. Specialties: contract negotiation, contract management, litigation management, employment law, corporate finance, commercial law, mergers, and acquisitions

Partner, Alston & Bird, LLP

Edward (Ted) Kang is the co-leader of Alston and Bird’s White Collar, Government and Internal Investigations Team, head of the D.C. office’s Litigation Group, and a member of the firm’s Partners Committee. His practice focuses on representing clients in government, regulatory, and internal investigations and compliance with the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions. Ted represents companies and individuals under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other federal state enforcement and regulatory agencies. He counsels and conducts internal investigations for clients in an array of industries. Ted has a robust complex commercial litigation practice, particularly in the health care and financial services industries. He is an accomplished courtroom lawyer and has tried a dozen cases to verdict and argued 13 cases before federal circuit courts. Ted served for eight years as a federal prosecutor in the DOJ Criminal Division and at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, where he prosecuted some of the department’s most high-profile fraud and public corruption cases.

Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Maura McKelvey defends mortgage servicers, lenders, and trustees of securitized mortgage trusts in matters alleging predatory lending, mortgage fraud, violation of consumer protection statutes, and challenges to mortgage holders' right to foreclose. When faced with claims asserting violations of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Maura's clients rely on her deep industry knowledge and experience to resolve their conflicts efficiently. Another facet of Maura's practice includes representing lenders, servicers, and their agents and vendors in claims arising out of contested foreclosures and evictions in Massachusetts and Rhode Island state courts. She also assists clients in title and lien disputes. In addition to advocating for clients in state and federal courts, Maura has defended broker-dealers and registered representatives in securities arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Over the course of her career, she has handled more than 25 sales practices arbitrations, defending a broad array of claims for these clients, including suitability, misrepresentation, unauthorized trading, failure to supervise, and violations of state and federal securities statutes. Maura is the co-partner-in-charge of the firm's Boston and Providence offices and has played an active role in the firm's management since joining Hinshaw in 2005. She has served terms on Hinshaw's Management Committee and Executive Committee and was also co-chair of the firm's Consumer Financial Services Practice Group.

Counsel, Debevois & Plimpton

Jehan Patterson is a counsel in Debevoise and Plimpton’s White Collar and Regulatory Defense Group. Her practice focuses on advising and representing banks, nonbank financial institutions, businesses, and individuals on matters related to consumer finance regulatory compliance and enforcement by multiple state and federal regulators, leveraging her extensive experience as a civil litigator, trial lawyer, and former enforcement attorney for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Partner, SeldenLindeke LLP

R. Colgate Selden is a co-founding partner at SeldenLindeke LLP. The firm counsels industry clients on regulatory legal, licensing, supervision, enforcement and litigation matters. Prior to SeldenLindeke LLP, Colgate was a partner at two international law firms and was the head of regulatory legal, compliance and risk for product, origination, data privacy and secondary market activities at a fintech and fulfillment provider. Colgate was also a senior counsel at the CFPB where he helped to write LO Comp, ATR, TRID, HELOC, Privacy, Debt Collection and AMTPA rules. Additionally, he was the lead for TILA mortgage, Privacy and FDCPA inquiries submitted to the CFPB and a member of the RESPA policy team. His CFPB, in-house, and law firm experiences provide a unique vantage point for clients.