TRENDING COMPLIANCE ISSUES TRACK: Servicing Compliance Part 1 Loss Mitigation Updates (Closed to Media)

Partner, Paul Hastings LLP

Aaron Mahler is a partner in the Consumer Financial Services and Litigation group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. He has established himself as a valued counselor for financial services companies and individuals navigating government enforcement, litigation, and regulatory matters. He focuses much of his practice on representing bank and nonbank financial institutions in government examinations, investigations, and enforcement actions. Mahler regularly counsels clients on issues dealing with intersecting business and compliance considerations, where he develops practical solutions to defend clients against regulatory investigations and actions, including those involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), state attorneys general, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Reserve. He handles cases involving unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act (UDAP, Section 5) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (UDAAP, Section 1036), the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Fair Housing Act (FHA), the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA).

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.

Vice President, Managing Senior Counsel, Regulatory Relations and Exams, LoanCare

With over a decade of consumer finance experience with LoanCare, Febronia Christ N’Dri currently provides legal support in regulatory examinations and defends LoanCare in class actions. As a senior member of the legal team, Christ N’Dri supports LoanCare in variety of legal matters. Prior to joining LoanCare, she focused her advocacy skills in land use and zoning as well as commercial litigation. Christ N’Dri graduated from the University of Richmond School of Law and William and Mary undergraduate.

Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

Krista Cooley is a partner in Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office and a member of the Consumer Financial Services group. She concentrates her practice on federal regulatory enforcement and compliance issues. She represents companies in the mortgage lending, mortgage servicing, title insurance and real estate industries in connection with administrative and regulatory compliance matters. Krista defends clients subject to government audits, investigations and enforcement proceedings before, among others, HUD, the VA, USDA, DOJ, CFPB and state banking departments in cases involving the False Claims Act, the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act, Mortgagee Review Board proceedings and RESPA enforcement matters.

Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP

Reid F. Herlihy provides regulatory and transactional advice for clients on a range of issues involving state and federal consumer finance laws. He counsels mortgage companies, servicers, consumer finance companies, financial institutions, investment banks, debt collectors, and secondary-market investors on state and federal regulatory compliance issues. Herlihy regularly counsels clients on issues regarding the CFPB's Mortgage Servicing Rules, advertising, fair debt collection, lending and servicing disclosures, loss mitigation, foreclosure procedures, and business practices. He also assists clients with state and federal examination issues and regulatory actions. Herlihy assists clients with meeting state and federal licensing and approval requirements, including those related to stock and asset acquisitions. He has extensive experience with the SAFE Act and has counseled numerous mortgage companies, servicers, and third-party service providers on implementing those requirements. He frequently prepares multistate regulatory surveys and analyses on a wide range of matters concerning residential mortgage lending, brokering, and servicing, and assists companies in implementing new laws and regulations.

Senior Counsel, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP

Melissa Klimkiewicz is dedicated to providing pragmatic, comprehensive and timely guidance to her consumer financial services industry clients, which primarily include mortgage lenders and servicers. She frequently assists Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgagees with their program approval efforts, annual recertifications, compliance with and understanding of program rules and self-reporting obligations, audits by the Quality Assurance Division (QAD), inquiries from the Office of Inspector General (OIG), and enforcement actions by the Mortgagee Review Board (MRB). Klimkiewicz performs similar work related to the Ginnie Mae, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 184, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA Department) and U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service loan programs. Her work also includes assisting clients with False Claims Act (FCA)-based risk assessments arising from participation in government lending programs. She represents both mortgage and reverse mortgage/Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) lenders and servicers.