OPENING GENERAL SESSION: Navigating the Legal Landscape – Reflection on the First 100 Days of the Trump 47 Administration

Brian McGrath

Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP

Brian McGrath counsels companies on a wide range of complex commercial legal issues. As the co-chair of the Hinshaw and Culbertson’s Consumer Financial Services Practice Group, he has helped clients navigate litigation involving financial services, intellectual property, antitrust, and white-collar criminal investigations throughout his career. An outside-of-the-box thinker, McGrath partners with his clients to provide them with simple, tailored solutions for their legal problems. In recent years, Brian has leveraged his broad experience to focus on serving clients in the financial services industry. He works with a number of financial institutions—including mortgage loan servicers—regarding lender liability and consumer protection statutes. He also handles complaints concerning the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), as well as regulatory issues involving Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforcement actions.

Robert D. Broeksmit, CMB

President & Chief Executive Officer, Mortgage Bankers Association

Robert (Bob) Broeksmit is President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Bob is a senior finance executive and corporate officer with a 35-year career in the mortgage sector. He has directed all aspects of lending activities, including marketing, sales, operations, secondary marketing, loan servicing, and default management. He has also served as a mortgage underwriting expert testifying on many large, high-profile cases. Prior to joining MBA in 2018, Bob served as President and Chief Operating Officer with Treliant, heading the firm’s mortgage litigation support practice and serving diverse financial services clientele including large banks, independent mortgage lenders, community banks, credit unions, and service providers to the mortgage industry. As a Washington-based financial services consultancy, Treliant’s mortgage practice included strategic advisory for executive management and corporate boards; litigation defense, including file reviews, litigation strategy, expert reports, and expert testimony; CFPB examination preparation and implementation of mortgage regulations promulgated by the CFPB and other regulators; and operational aspects of mortgage banking, ranging from origination to servicing and loss mitigation. Before Treliant, Bob held senior leadership positions in the mortgage business, including fourteen years with Chevy Chase Bank (including after its purchase by Capital One), where he was Executive Vice President and President of its B.F. Saul Mortgage Company subsidiary. Bob also was a Vice President at Prudential Home Mortgage for seven years. He has overseen annual originations of $9 billion, a balance sheet of $10 billion in residential mortgages, and a servicing portfolio of $20 billion. He also held positions at Great Western Mortgage, Krupp Residential Mortgage, and The Money Store. Bob has served as the Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Residential Board of Governors and as a member of its Board of Directors. Firms under his leadership have garnered multiple awards for servicing operations excellence, including Freddie Mac’s Tier One and Hall of Fame designations. He is a Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) and a graduate of Yale University.

Isaac Boltansky

Head of Public Policy, Pennymac Financial Services, Inc.

Boltansky is the Head of Public Policy at Pennymac. In this role, he is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive public policy strategies, strengthening the company’s relationships with key government and industry stakeholders, and providing thought leadership. Prior to this position, Boltansky served in various policy analysis roles at BTIG, Compass Point, the TARP Congressional Oversight Panel, and EJF Capital.

Jeb Mason

Partner, Mindset

Jeb is a highly adept policy strategist, sought after for his expertise on housing finance policy, financial regulatory reform, and complex financial market problems with a nexus to Washington. Jeb has spent the last ten years building the firm’s diverse and successful advisory practice. He advises mortgage market participants on the policy landscape with an eye toward the technology and regulatory transformation taking place in housing finance markets. He also specializes in helping institutional investors, global brands, and startups navigate risks and capitalize on opportunities in today’s dynamic public policy environment. A frequent commentator at leading industry events, Jeb appears as a subject-matter expert in The Wall Street Journal, American Banker, and on Bloomberg Television. Prior to entering consulting, Jeb served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Policy Advisor to Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., where he played a key role in developing Treasury’s domestic and international economic policy. In recognition of Jeb’s contributions, including creating effective strategies for communicating Administration policy to the business, advocacy, and financial communities through the height of the housing and financial crisis, Secretary Paulson presented Jeb with the Distinguished Service Award.

Ethan Saxon

Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Mortgage Bankers Association

Saxon is an Associate Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). He is responsible for MBA engagement and advocacy with the Senate Democratic Caucus. In 2019, Saxon was Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ). From 2011 to 2018, he advised Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) culminating in his position as Deputy Chief of Staff. He led the Senator's oversight and investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 federal election and ongoing conflicts of interest in the Trump administration and was previously appointed the Democratic Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Prior to working in the Senate, Saxon was Vice President of Federal Government Relations for R and R Partners. He also served on the 2008 Commission on the National Guard and Reserves and the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission. From 2002 to 2005, Saxon was a Legislative Assistant to Congressman Jim Maloney (D-CT) and then Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam).

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.