Credit Eco To Go

It may have taken a pandemic for banks and financial institutions to finally understand and embrace the value of technology and social media. Shondell Varcianna knows this first hand. As the owner and founder of Varci Media, Shondell has successfully guided financial institutions communicate with their customers. Having worked as lender and underwriter for several banks, Shondell quickly realized that consumers do not seek financial advise from the banks where they have a relationship, and banks do not do a good job communicating with their customers outside the four walls of the branch. Meeting consumers where they are has been the key Shondell’s success. As Shondell tells us, banks and financial institutions should spend less time pitching specific mortgage or financial products and more time providing useful information about buying or decorating a home through social media and blogs. This is meeting consumers where they are and results in consumers getting their financial questions answered. 

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has always been curious of Big Tech and its penetration into the financial services sector. That curiosity took center stage last month when the CFPB ordered six (6) of the most well-known technology companies (Google, Apply, Facebook, Amazon, Square and PayPal) to turn over information about their “products, plans and practices” when it comes to their payment platforms. Dan Smith,  Executive Vice President, Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Consumer Bankers Association stops by #Creditecotogo to discuss and forecast how the CFPB will use this data collection to shape policy about consumer-authorized use of financial data. As a former Assistant Director at the CFPB, Dan reminds us that back in 2017 the CFPB issued a set of Consumer Protection Principles around data sharing and aggregation. Like the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, 2022 will reveal how the CFPB will navigate this sea of data.  

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

ARM industry start-up, Spring Oaks Capital, set out to do things differently, but it had no idea that it would launch a new company on the cusp of a worldwide pandemic. Jay Collins, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Spring Oaks Capital, stops by #Creditecotogo to highlight the successes his company has had despite the challenges of COVID. Jay’s story is a lesson to all in the financial services industry, as well as any industry, that establishing a team approach to your workforce and assuring that all players (employers and employees) must commit to the mission is a recipe for success and to lead with compliance.    

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

In celebration of the one year anniversary of Clark Hill’s #CreditEcoToGo, and its 50th episode, we discuss the digital transformation of the collections industry with Dave Hanrahan, CEO and Co-Founder of Kredit, a next generation software platform that lets consumers interact with all their creditors, and those collecting for them, in one place. Kredit creates options for consumers while empowering them to make decisions about their own financial well-being in a global and holistic way. At the same time, creditors and debt collectors who connect with the platform must vie for the attention of the consumer; those who are responsive and provide the best customer service will likely be the ones who will see recovery first. Kredit is looking to not only build tools for those who need it the most but to also empower consumers to be in control over their own information.    

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Michael O’Neill, VP and Bank Secrecy Act Officer at Safe Harbor Private Banking stops by #CreditEcoToGo to talk about his experience building the right compliance program to bank the cannabis industry. Michael tells us cannabis bankers do not grow on trees and building the program goes beyond well beyond ordinary due diligence. Rather it is an ongoing commitment to ensure that the law is followed at every step and banking staff is educated and trained to bank the way regulators want. Safe Harbor is actively banking over 500 cannabis-related accounts and accepting more every day. Since 2015, they have been examined 15 times by state and federal banking regulators and in their latest examination, there were zero findings. Safe Harbor’s success has been from the inside-out.  

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Congress, the states, and regulators have been scratching their heads for years when it comes to fintechs. Balancing consumer protection around innovation has been the source of contentious debate. Garry Reeder is the CEO of the newly launched American Fintech Council (AFC), an association that is looking to foster responsible innovation in financial technology. Navigating the “in-between spaces” of the traditional banking system and fintechs is one of the priorities of AFC and its members. as well as establishing a more outcomes-based regulatory scheme that takes into consideration a consumer’s experience. Garry also tells us that defining fintechs will be important because there really is no true definition rather a broad focus on the speed and delivery of financial services. Ultimately, if fintechs are going to be regulated, then AFC will be advocating to ensure that the benefits and protections offered to traditional financial institutions be made available to its members as well.   

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Since the start of the pandemic, the financial services industry, including the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry, has predicted that the use of technology to contact consumers will grow exponentially. That prediction came true, but Firstsource Solutions,  a leading provider of business process solutions to more than 100 global businesses, has been using email and text to contact consumers since 2017. Arjun Mitra, President of Global Collections, stops by #CreditEcoToGo to discuss the success of his company’s platform. The results show that consumers are far better off in resolving their financial issues on their own terms.  Arjun reports that RPC or open engagement rates from consumers in a response to an email or text are far superior than any response to a traditional telephone call. Additionally, the platform can fully adapt to a consumer’s response allowing users to constantly adjust and tailor the messaging in order to continue the successful consumer engagement. 

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Todd Kleperis has spent his life taking risks. From military veteran to Harvard University, Todd never shied away from a challenge. It's no surprise that Todd now makes his living serving high-risk industries in the financial services eco-system. The founder of PayZel, Todd assists financial institutions with the implementation of their bank secrecy and anti-money laundering compliance policies while taking on high-risk depositors. Todd will tell you that banks with innovative boards utilizing sound governance policies can effectively manage this risk and slay the dragon.  

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

Francis Creighton, President and CEO of the Consumer Data Industry Association (#CDIA) stops by #CreditEcoToGo to talk about the core fundamentals of the credit reporting system and the challenges ahead for 2021.  While state and federal regulators have been laser-focused on credit reporting accuracy, Francis tells us there are two bigger challenges. First is ensuring that more people can be included in the credit reporting system in order to gain better access to credit, Second is the policing of fraudsters who are preying on consumers with poor credit and promising them the removal of accurate information from their credit reports. Accuracy ensures that lenders make informed decisions about creditworthiness. The desire to remove negative information or not report negative information, even if accurate, is not a benefit to either the consumer or the lender. If we want the credit ecosystem to work, the truth must be told. #creditreporting #financialservices

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

On this episode of CreditEcoToGo, former CFPB Deputy Director, Tom Pahl, stops by to talk Regulation F. Tom has been the point person on #debtcollection policy while serving at both the FTC and the CFPB. The final debt collection was a decade in the making and Tom talks about the challenges faced by the Bureau and the evolution of the process which resulted in the final rule. Tom does not believe the rule will be rescinded or repealed but certainly changes could be made once a new director is installed at the CFPB. The final rule is not the end of the process. Tom encourages industry to continually engage with the Bureau to ensure that the regulations fulfill its promise of protecting consumers while at the same time ensuring that industry can comply.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.

DISCLAIMER – No information contained in this Podcast or on this Website shall constitute financial, investment, legal and/or other professional advice and that no professional relationship of any kind is created between you and podcast host, the guests or Clark Hill PLC. You are urged to speak with your financial, investment, or legal advisors before making any investment or legal decisions.