Photo of Lisa M. Lanham

Lisa M. Lanham

Lisa M. Lanham focuses her practice on fintech and payments solutions within the financial services sector. Her role encompasses work with a diverse range of clients, including residential and commercial mortgage brokers, lenders, servicers, loan fulfilment providers, student, consumer, and solar loan lenders and servicers, marketplace lenders, and entities offering retail installment contracts for consumer goods. Moreover, she advises investors engaged in secondary market activities. Lisa also extends her support to emerging fintech firms, helping them to comply with necessary state licensing requirements and develop products in these realms while keeping regulatory demands in check.

A large part of Lisa’s role involves working closely with regulators such as the New York State Department of Financial Services to facilitate her clients’ pursuit of necessary business licenses and approvals. This not only includes completing audits and examinations but also covering intricate disclosure issues and reporting changes of ownership, executive management, and qualifying individuals. In addition to these tasks, Lisa was involved in the development of the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry (NMLS) 2.0 system. She handles virtually all aspects of the NMLS, including submissions and amendments of company application forms and electronic surety bonds.

Her contributions extend to representation and regulatory counsel in areas such as structured finance, securitization, secondary market transactions, licensing matters in mergers and acquisitions transactions, regulatory agency coordination for large-scale multistate transactions, and various financial service operations. In addressing state licensing matters, Lisa has contributed to notable projects such as assisting international crypto exchanges enter into the U.S. market by setting up compliant subsidiaries.

Lisa’s work also includes the reporting of material licensing changes, providing technical reviews, analyzing proposed business models in the context of regulatory compliance issues, assisting with the development of policies and procedures for regulatory compliance concerns, negotiating findings before examination report finalization, and managing international licensing issues amidst dynamic regulatory environment.

The last remaining provisions of the amendments to the New York Department of Financial Services’ (DFS) cybersecurity regulation called Part 500 came into effect Nov. 1, 2025.

Continue Reading NYDFS Final Cybersecurity Rules – MFA, Asset Inventory, and Third-Party Risk

Earlier this year, the CFPB announced a significant shift in its supervisory and enforcement priorities, returning its focus to depository institutions, targeting clear consumer fraud, and prioritizing mortgages, data furnishing, and debt collection. As a result, the agency has reduced the number of exams it conducts and has launched comprehensive rulemakings to reassess its larger participant rules.
Continue Reading CFPB Proposes to Narrow Risk-Based Supervision

Open banking frameworks are transforming how consumer financial data is shared and utilized, thanks to collaboration among financial institutions, technology companies, and regulators. With the CFPB revisiting the 2024 Final Rule under the Dodd-Frank Act, stakeholders are weighing in on the future of consumer data access and financial innovation.
Continue Reading CFPB Reopens Its Open Banking Rule for Comment

Since taking office, President Trump reduced the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s influence by appointing Russell Vought as acting director, who paused rulemaking, enforcement, and other CFPB activities. This shift impacts bank-fintech partnerships, requiring industry adjustments.
Continue Reading The Current And Future State Of Bank-Fintech Partnerships

In October 2024, the California DFPI finalized regulations for providers of income-based advances (Earned Wage Access or EWA), clarifying registration requirements under the California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL). These

Continue Reading California DFPI Finalizes New Earned Wage Access Regulations

On Nov. 21, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule (Rule), pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 5514(a)(1)(B), to establish supervisory authority over nonbank entities identified as

Continue Reading CFPB’s Final Rule Enhancing Oversight of Large Digital Payment App Providers Goes into Effect Jan. 9 – Are You Ready?

Connecticut and Kansas recently joined CaliforniaNew YorkFloridaUtahVirginia, and Georgia in enacting laws requiring lenders to provide consumer-like financing disclosures for certain

Continue Reading New Commercial Financing Laws Take Effect in Connecticut, Kansas

On July 18, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a Proposed Interpretive Rule and Request for Comment (Proposed Rule) addressing credit products in the paycheck advance marketplace, such

Continue Reading CFPB Proposes Interpretive Rule for Earned Wage Access Products