Author: Oksana Mayik

On July 22, Rebecca Escario will participate on a panel at the Mortgage Bankers Association CRA Residential Lending Workshop, held at MBA Headquarters in Washington, DC. The session will explore how data and technology can strengthen CRA compliance—highlighting best practices for collecting and analyzing data, interpreting public CRA metrics and trends, and leveraging analytics tools to uncover opportunities and monitor progress.

Liza Warner took part in a fireside chat on the state of banking and regulatory compliance at the Godfrey & Kahn 2025 Credit & Liquidity Conference, held in Milwaukee on June 5th. Joined by fellow presenter Edward Hida, the session titled “Regulatory Environment – Are We There Yet?” offered insights into current regulatory challenges and trends. The conference brought together leaders in banking, law, investment banking, and private equity to discuss credit risks, strategic responses to today’s financial landscape, and emerging market developments.

Tracey will be speaking at the upcoming Chicagoland Compliance Association Breakfast Meeting on July 10th at the Northern Trust Building in Chicago, IL. Her session, “FCRA Fundamentals: Permissible Purpose, Information Sharing, and Risk-Based Pricing,” will explore key Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements—from obtaining and using consumer reports, to navigating disclosure obligations and aligning with Regulation P. Tracey will provide practical tips for strengthening FCRA compliance management systems and avoiding common audit pitfalls.

Heidi Wier, CMCP, presented a webinar with the Bank Administration Institute (BAI) on May 29th, 2025. The session, Board Communication Strategies That Improve Risk Management and Compliance, focused on how strong communication between compliance professionals and the board can enhance decision-making and risk oversight. Heidi explored best practices such as preparing board members with pre-read materials, delivering concise and unbiased executive summaries, using secure board portals for streamlined information sharing, and developing targeted board training.

Rebecca Escario presented on Community Credit Needs Assessments and Special Purpose Credit Programs: Evolving Solutions to Address and Mitigate Redlining Risk. Her session explored how lenders can identify credit gaps and strengthen equitable lending efforts while managing regulatory and fair lending risk.

Monika McCarthy moderated the Insurance Coverage 101 for In House Counsel panel at the American Bar Association Business Law Section Spring Meeting on April 25, 2025 in New Orleans. The event brought together legal and compliance professionals from across the country for a series of insightful sessions on consumer financial services, banking law, and more.

Sara McGinnis presented a webinar on March 13, 2025, from 1-2 PM CT on the topic of addressing regulatory change management and its impact on policies and procedures. This free webinar was hosted by the Bank Administration Institute (BAI). Participants learned how to navigate the complex landscape of federal and state regulatory changes, assess their impact on their organizations, and implement effective strategies for compliance. Sara shared valuable insights on identifying changes, conducting risk assessments, overcoming obstacles, and updating policies and procedures.

Rebecca Escario presented at the American Bar Association’s Consumer Financial Services Committee meeting in Denver on January 26th, 2025. Rebecca joined a panel with Tim Lambert, moderated by Ken Scott, to discuss the latest on Section 1071 – how institutions can assess potential fair lending risks through their small business data and implement compliance enhancements. 

Rebecca Escario presented at the Central Florida Compliance Association (CFCA) 2025 Annual Conference on in January 2025 on the topics of fair lending and redlining. Drawing from her 30+ years of experience in compliance and fair lending, Rebecca delivered insights that helped strengthen organizational practices in these areas. Her session addressed discriminatory lending practices, offering actionable strategies for compliance professionals.

Monika McCarthy moderated a panel at the California MBA Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference in December 2024, in Irvine, CA. The panel focused on Enforcement, Litigation, and Fair Lending Trends, providing valuable insights into critical issues shaping the mortgage industry.

In December 2024, Heidi Wier and Rebecca Escario presented a webinar in collaboration with the CCA: Let’s See Now, an Update on Reg C and Reg CC – a Primer on HMDA and Expedited Funds Availability. This double-feature session explored key updates on HMDA compliance and the Expedited Funds Availability Act (Regulation CC), providing practical tips and best practices to enhance compliance efforts.

November 12, 2024 Rebecca Escario presented a webinar for the American Bankers Association (ABA) Fair Lending and UDAAP Working Group on the topic of Small Banks and Section 1071: Preparing for Small Business Data Collection and Reporting. Rebecca shared insights and strategies to help small banks navigate the small business data collection and reporting requirements under Section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Rebecca Escario shared her insights on Fair Lending at the Tri-State League of Financial Institutions Annual Training Meeting on October 30th, 2024 at Union Savings Bank in Cincinnati, OH.

Monika McCarthy and John Pace spoke at the Utah Bankers Association Fall Compliance Conference at Zermatt Utah Resort, October 28-30, 2024. Monika covered “Hot Topics in Fair Lending” and “Doing More with Less: Selecting and Working with Outside Counsel,” while John discussed “Dodd-Frank Section 1071: Objects in Mirror are Closer than They Appear,” focusing on the CFPB’s Small Business Lending Rule and its impact on small business lenders. CrossCheck Compliance was proud to sponsor the event.

At the CCA’s Annual Conference on October 3rd, 2024 Sara McGinnis, CRCM, CAMS, CAFP and Tracey Levandoski, CRCM spoke on the topic of Compliance Risk Management for the Future, offering insights into compliance management system tips and reminders for addressing evolving risks and increased regulatory expectations.

Monika McCarthy’s session on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024 at the Mortgage Bankers Association Compliance and Risk Management Conference in Washington, DC, titled “Compliance Conversations: Fair Lending, LEP, and SPCPs,” featured a facilitated discussion where attendees asked questions and exchanged information on how peers were addressing compliance challenges related to Fair Lending, Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCP). Monika facilitated this session alongside Daniella Casseres and Joshua Weinberg.

Heidi Wier spoke at the America’s Credit Unions’ Compliance & Risk Council Conference in Chicago on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Heidi presented “Fair Lending for Credit Unions Approaching $10 Billion,” focusing on the DOJ’s Combatting Redlining Initiative and strategies for effective fair lending programs. Attendees learned what to include in their fair lending programs, what types of data analytics to perform, and how to assess risk related to underwriting, pricing, levels of service, and redlining.

Ryan Addabbo conducted a CFCA webinar on Fair Lending Analysis: How to Use Data Analysis as Part of a Strong Fair Lending Compliance Program on July 17th, 2024. Ryan covered essential topics such as building a robust fair lending compliance program, strategies for data monitoring to assess fair lending risk, understanding HMDA data, identifying disparities and outliers, and reviewing for redlining risk.

On April 24th, 2024 Monika was featured on the Compliance and Coffee Webinar hosted by Melissa Grindel for ActiveComply. The theme of the discussion was “Spring Compliance Cleaning,” offering insights and actionable tips on ensuring marketing and website compliance.

On Monday, May 6th, 2024, Monika joined a panel at the Mortgage Bankers Association Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference to discuss how to select and work with outside counsel. Other participants included Michael Briggs, John Grissom, and Carlos Pelayo.

Todd Krell spoke on trends in mortgage fraud at the Mortgage Bankers Association Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference in San Diego on May 5th, 2024. Todd, Katherine Hollister, and Bridget A. Berg discussed the latest fraud schemes and trends impacting the industry and how companies can be safeguarded.

Sara McGinnis spoke at the Chicagoland Compliance Association’s Breakfast Meeting on April 12, 2024. Sara discussed Marketing Compliance, covering deposit and lending compliance, digital marketing, social media, regulatory ad requirements, diversity representation, AI use, and fair banking risks.

Monika McCarthy moderated a panel at the American Bar Association Business Law Spring Meeting in Orlando on April 5, 2024 about how to Do More With Less: Exploring Alternative Outside Counsel Engagement and Fee Arrangements.

Heidi Wier taught at the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA) Residential Mortgage Lending School on March 25-28, 2024 at the Wisconsin Bankers Association Office in Madison. The program equipped attendees with essential knowledge and skills for success in the competitive field of residential mortgage lending, covering topics such as finance basics, compliance regulations, product knowledge, sales skills, and networking opportunities through collaborative case study work.

Heidi Wier and Jim Treacy taught at the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA) Loan Compliance School on March 11-15. The 2024 WBA Loan Compliance School, which incorporated the Real Estate Compliance School, was held in person at the Wisconsin Bankers Association office in Madison. This school offered a comprehensive overview of lending regulations, including federal and Wisconsin state laws, covering topics such as ECOA, Fair Housing, UDAAP, and more, and was recommended for compliance officers, loan officers, legal counsel, and other banking professionals.

On January 30th, 2024 Monika McCarthy participated in a webcast hosted by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute (PBI) on the topic of Debt Collection & Loan Servicing – Fundamental and Emerging Issues. Topics included key regulations such as the FCRA, FDCPA, TCPA, Arbitration issues, RESPA, and fair servicing; with Monika speaking about fair servicing risks and best practices. The program was geared to both newcomers and seasoned professionals with practices in debt collection, loan servicing, compliance, and related fields.

On December 14th, 2023 Ryan Addabbo presented a webinar hosted by the Tri State League of Financial Institutions on the topic of Emerging Issues in Fair Lending.

On December 15th, 2023 Heidi Wier participated in a webinar hosted by the Chicagoland Compliance Association (CCA). Common HMDA reporting errors and challenges were discussed, as well as HMDA data integrity tips, transaction testing standards and tolerances, recent enforcement actions, and best practices to consider.

On November 1st, 2023 Monika McCarthy spoke at the Utah Bankers Association’s Fall Compliance Conference on Fair Lending and Redlining Developments impacting banks.

On October 27th, 2023, Sara McGinnis, CRCM, CAMS, CAFP conducted a training on flood insurance compliance for the Tri-State League of Financial Institutions. Other resources on flood insurance include an article authored by Sara on this topic, published in ABA Bank Compliance, and the ABA’s Reference Guide to Flood Compliance, First Edition.

On October 5th, Liza Warner, Partner at CrossCheck Compliance LLC, and Karen Cullen, Senior VPs at Landmark Credit Union, lead a session at the 2023 Chicagoland Compliance Association Annual Conference. They covered key considerations for conducting compliance related investigations, analyzing complaints for further investigation, and monitoring social media for compliance issues.

Ryan Addabbo presented at the Central Florida Compliance Association’s 2023 Annual Conference on October 19, 2024 on the topic of Social Learning and the Department of Justice – lessons learned from recent fair lending enforcement actions. The presentation explored trends in recent DOJ fair lending actions, helping attendees compare their institution to the identified risk factors in these recent actions, and explain how consent orders help to identify fair lending risk.

On October 24th, 2023 Heidi Wier and Ryan Addabbo participated in an MBA Education webinar titled Using Data Analysis as Part of a Strong Fair Lending Compliance Program. Other panelists were industry experts Tony Villarreal from Nations Lending, and Fedor Kamensky and Brian Serafin from Weiner Brodsky Kider PC. Accurate and consistent risk reporting helps board and senior management make informed decisions and mitigate risk. View the webinar recording to learn how data analysis helps to assess fair lending risk in various areas including underwriting, pricing, service levels, steering, redlining, and marketing.

Wendy McMillan spoke at the Central Florida Compliance Association Annual Conference on October 20th, 2023 on the topic of High-Risk Customer Reviews. Customer risk-rating models are one of the primary tools available to financial institutions to detect money laundering. Wendy discussed regulatory expectations and best practices to consider when conducting high-risk customer reviews.

On September 10, 2023 Monika McCarthy co-moderated a panel on the topic of Fair Lending. Monika and Feder Kamensky, Partner at Weiner Brodsky Kider PC, discussed serving Limited English Proficiency (LEP) consumers and the when, what, and hows of disclosures, translation requirements, charging LEP borrowers for translation, and much more.

On September 8, 2023 Monika McCarthy moderated a panel – See Her, Hear Her: Historical Evolution, Advocacy, and the Path Ahead. This panel discussed the history of women in the legal profession, highlighted the importance of advocacy and activism for advancing the rights and opportunities of women in the field, and explored the future of the legal profession and the role women would play in shaping it. The other panelists included Danielle Hall, Litigation Associate at Bilzin Sumberg, Valerie L. Hletko, Partner at Covington, Lynette Hotchkiss, Partner at McGlinchey Stafford, and Jonice Gray Tucker, Partner at Paul Hastings.

On Monday, September 11th, Mike Forester spoke on a panel on the topic of mortgage fraud – Fraud Prevention Track: Strategies for Detecting and Preventing Fraud Panel. Through case studies and examples from real fraud reviews, industry practitioners recommended strategies to better detect, prevent, and manage suspicious activities. Attendees received tips on how to use QC and LOS reports to monitor fraud. They learned about emerging fraud risks and gained insight into meeting the expectations of federal and state regulators on fraud prevention practices, including SARs and self-reporting.

On July 27th, 2023, Ryan Addabbo presented during the CCA Fair Lending and CRA Symposium on the topic of Fair Lending Analysis. This session covered fair lending analysis institutions should consider conducting to identify and mitigate risks.