Spencer Fane was proud to support the Online Lenders Alliance (OLA)’s 2026 Compliance University on July 22-23 in Washington, D.C. Attorneys Lauren Friend McKelvey, Mike G. Silver, Mark Rooney, and Bill Powers presented at this premier educational forum on compliance management.
For her session, Fortify Data and Compliance in an AI-Driven World, Lauren and her fellow panelists discussed how to navigate the adoption of artificial intelligence – a rapidly evolving field – while managing risk. They provided insights on improving cybersecurity threat response, streamlining compliance, and maintaining trust amidst the influence of AI-driven perceptions, transparency, and control.
Mike co-presented 50 Ways to Comply – How States Are Changing Fintech Compliance, which examined the state enforcement and policy trends surrounding the fintech compliance landscape during this time of significant federal deregulatory efforts. Covering topics from the states filling the void of the CFPB’s ramp-down to specific enforcement focal points to states’ treatment of alternative product structures, the session equipped attendees with strategies for navigating regulatory fragmentation without slowing innovation.
Next, Mark co-led How to Prepare for Disparate Impact Variabilities. This presentation focused on identifying, assessing, and mitigating disparate impact variability across lending, underwriting, pricing, fraud detection, and customer decisioning in an increasingly data-driven environment.
Bill’s panel, The Brave New TCPA World – How to Avoid the Pitfalls, addressed the exponential increase of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuits. The panelists highlighted proactive documentation, coupled with technology-enabled compliance programs, as an essential path to avoiding costly fines, lawsuits, and reputational risk damage from TCPA.
At Spencer Fane, Lauren, Mike, Mark, and Bill are essential members of the firm’s Washington D.C. office, for which Bill serves as Office Managing Partner. They help clients navigate complex compliance and regulatory matters across the financial services, technology, and government sectors. The team’s collective work includes advising on consumer finance regulations, privacy and AI compliance, government investigations and supervisory and enforcement actions, and broader regulatory compliance strategies for businesses operating in highly regulated industries.
Spencer Fane will continue to engage with the OLA by sponsoring the Legal Issues Luncheon at the organization’s flagship annual conference, LEND360, in Austin, Texas on October 12-14.