We help financial services companies understand evolving regulatory expectations, shape policy outcomes, and build practical compliance strategies that support responsible growth.
We help financial services companies understand evolving regulatory expectations, shape policy outcomes, and build practical compliance strategies that support responsible growth.
Rules change fast. So does enforcement and business partner requirements. Baker Donelson's Financial Services Regulatory and Public Policy Group helps banks, credit unions, nonbanks, fintechs, equipment finance companies, and housing finance companies understand what regulators expect today and where expectations may be headed. With a focus on consumer credit, small business lending, and mortgage finance, we help clients develop compliant products that work, secure required licenses, navigate evolving regulatory and enforcement risk, structure their organizations proactively, and stay ahead of agency scrutiny.
Most of our work sits at the intersection of law, policy, and business. Clients rely on us to interpret complex regulatory requirements and provide practical guidance on how to innovate responsibly. They also turn to us for insight into where the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other federal financial regulators may be headed, how a state examiner or attorney general may evaluate a new product, and whether a trade group letter may move the needle. We help clients engage with regulators and policymakers before positions harden.
We do not stop at strategy. We carry regulatory and policy insight through to execution, helping clients structure products, licensing, compliance buildouts, and vendor contracts. When regulators come knocking, we handle examinations, civil investigative demand (CID) responses, enforcement defense, and litigation support.
When opportunities arise to partner with others, buy or sell assets, raise capital, or merge with another party, we can help assess existing compliance issues, craft options to reduce downstream regulatory risk, and strengthen compliance frameworks. The goal is practical and strategic advice that helps clients understand the rules and shape their products and operations accordingly, run their businesses with fewer surprises, and compete in markets where regulators, private litigants, and other enforcement authorities are watching.
What We Do
Public Policy and Strategy
- Legislative and agency strategy: We advise on how to engage Congress, the CFPB, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC), National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), Department of the Treasury, including the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund), and other financial regulators and state agencies.
- Comment letters, RFIs, and advocacy positioning: We draft submissions that tie directly to what the client needs from a rule or policy.
- Stakeholder engagement: We build coalitions, coordinate with trade groups, and help clients shape their story to regulators and markets.
- Political and supervisory intelligence: We track where examiners are focusing, how enforcement priorities are shifting, and what policy changes are coming.
Regulatory Counseling and Compliance
- Federal and state consumer finance and small business lending: We advise on fair lending, fair housing, consumer lending, mortgage origination and servicing, advertising and marketing programs, collections, payments, secondary and capital markets, and data privacy.
- Licensing and supervisory readiness: We handle state-by-state licensing, exam preparation, risk assessments, and third-party oversight.
- Operational implementation: We turn regulatory requirements into policies, procedures, controls, training, and monitoring that position clients to withstand scrutiny.
- Representative laws, rules, and regulatory issues: We frequently advise clients on federal and state laws, regulations, and supervisory priorities, including:
- Consumer protection and unfair practices: UDAAP, state UDAP laws, and Dodd-Frank Act requirements
- Fair lending, fair housing, and data reporting: ECOA, Regulation B, Fair Housing Act, HMDA, Regulation C, and Section 1071
- Mortgage lending and servicing: TILA, RESPA, TRID, ATR-QM, HOEPA, the Loan Originator Compensation Rule, Regulation N, and HELOC compliance
- Credit reporting, payments, privacy, and data access: FCRA, FACTA, GLBA, Regulation V, Regulation E, Regulation P, Section 1033, and ESIGN
- Collections and servicing: FDCPA and related federal and state servicing requirements
- Banking, supervision, and institutional regulation: BSA, CRA, BHCA, Regulations W and Y, federal preemption, and state licensing and supervisory requirements
Examinations, Investigations, and Enforcement Defense
- Exams, investigations, and enforcement defense: We represent clients in federal and state regulatory matters, focusing on managing risk and responding strategically.
- Remediation: We design corrective action plans built on root-cause analysis and governance fixes that hold up under follow-up scrutiny.
- Litigation support: We work closely with Baker Donelson's dedicated financial services litigators to support clients facing disputes, enforcement actions, class actions, and other matters moving toward litigation.
Transactions and Product Enablement
- Product structuring and launch: We advise on the development, structuring, and launch of consumer credit, mortgage loan, and related housing finance products from initial concept to market implementation.
- Bank-fintech partnerships and vendor contracts: We help structure relationships, allocate compliance responsibilities, negotiate vendor agreements, and manage third-party risk.
- Transaction and regulatory due diligence: We support portfolio deals and platform acquisitions involving consumer and housing finance assets as well as entity M&A.