Podcast
Financial Services Focus
Hosted by Mayer Brown · EN
Mayer Brown's Financial Services Focus podcast offers insight from our lawyers on the pivotal trends currently shaping the financial services industry. Topics include regulation leading up to the US election, impactful state laws, vendor risk, cybersecurity, structured finance, private credit investments, M&A activity, digital assets, fee lawsuits, AI discrimination claims, and commercial mortgage issues.
Financial Services Focus also provides a UK/European perspective, analyzing parallels and differences from US trends in areas like fintech, AI oversight and outsourcing rules. Our goal is to keep clients updated on the latest legal and market developments impacting financial services, wherever in the world you are.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Consolidation, AI, and the Future of Mortgage Servicing
May 600:31:01Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Services Focus, Mayer Brown partner Lauren Pryor is joined by John Guzzo, Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey; Dan Thompson, CEO of Preferred Mortgage Services; Romalene Tolentino, Founding Partner of Preferred Mortgage Services; and Rajesh Bhat, Board Member of Preferred Mortgage Services and former founder and CEO of Roostify, for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces reshaping the mortgage servicing market. The panel examines how post-crisis regulatory shifts and rising technology demands have driven significant consolidation among servicers and their vendors, why outsourcing is increasingly oriented toward access to specialized expertise rather than simple cost reduction, and how cloud-based platforms are beginning to modernize historically manual processes such as investor reporting and exception management. The discussion also addresses the promise and risks of generative and agentic AI in a highly regulated environment—from automating exception resolution and document processing to the critical importance of human-in-the-loop guardrails, robust audit trails, and evolving liability frameworks.
Transcribe →Implications of the CFPB's Proposed Rule under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act
Feb 200:42:51Tap to summarizeSummary: In this episode of Financial Services Focus, Kris Kully and EY Managing Director of Financial Services Brian Clark discuss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed rule under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and its implications for financial institutions. They explore the nuances of disparate impact, the role of special purpose credit programs, and the marketing practices that may discourage applicants. The conversation highlights the regulatory changes and the importance of understanding the underlying risks in lending practices.
Transcribe →End of the Penny: A Nickel for Your Thoughts?
Nov 1200:22:47Tap to summarizeThe United States has had a one cent coin since the founding of the nation and on Wednesday, November 12, the last American penny will be minted. Even though the relative value of one cent declined to the point that many would forego picking pennies up from the street, the concept of a cent remains a key part of commercial transactions. In the absence of legislation, the official, financial and commercial sectors have been left to their creativity to implement with the phase-out of the penny. This podcast discusses the legal issues associated with the end of the physical penny and what it means for financial institutions and commercial businesses.
Transcribe →CUM-EX and Dividend Arbitrage – Update on Developments
Oct 2300:17:04Tap to summarizeDividend arbitrage is a long-standing, historic issue in the financial services industry. It continues to impact businesses in numerous jurisdictions across Europe and has the potential to affect more- including in the United States- following recent successful lawsuits involving pension funds. This episode of our Financial Services Focus updates on developments following our June 2025 webinar.
Transcribe →Financial Crime Compliance Requirements for Stablecoins
Oct 1300:23:37Tap to summarizeThe podcast dives into the fast-evolving world of stablecoins, explaining how these dollar-pegged digital assets are transforming payments with speed, transparency, and fractional flexibility. We also delve into the GENIUS Act's bold framework, which would create bespoke AML and sanctions obligations for permitted payment stablecoin issuers—moving beyond the awkward "square peg, round hole" of legacy rules.
Transcribe →Regulatory Reset: New Risks and Shifting Enforcement in 2025
Sep 200:12:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode of the Financial Services Focus Podcast, we'll examine changes in federal enforcement actions, financial penalties, and what these signal for the future under the Trump Administration. Additionally, we discuss the emergence of new risks—such as the expanded use of the False Claims Act in areas like DEI lawsuits, tariff evasion, and healthcare fraud.
Transcribe →Current Mortgage & PropTech M&A Trends
Aug 600:19:03Tap to summarizeIn this episode, our host Lauren Pryor is joined by Chris Gough and Michael Linger from Houlihan Lokey to discuss recent trends in Mortgage M&A, including consolidation among originators and servicers and developments in PropTech.
Transcribe →FinCEN's First Strike: New Section 311 Powers Target Mexican Financial Institutions Under FEND Off Fentanyl Act
Jul 1800:16:20Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Lauren Pryor and her colleagues discuss the recent actions by FinCEN, which designated three Mexican financial institutions as primary money laundering concerns under the expanded Section 311 authority, strengthened by the Fend Off Fentanyl Act. This designation aims to disrupt fentanyl-related financial crime by prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from processing transactions involving these entities. The discussion highlights the broader U.S. government effort to combat cartels, drawing parallels to post-9/11 actions against terrorist financing.
Transcribe →Sandbagging in Delaware M&A: Court Rulings and Deal Implications
Jun 5, 202500:10:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Financial Services Focus, Lauren Pryor and her colleagues discuss a recent Delaware Chancery Court opinion that reinforces Delaware's pro-sandbagging stance in M&A transactions. This conversation covers the implications of this ruling, particularly regarding the interpretation of representations and warranties, the use of transaction multiples for calculating damages, and key takeaways for buyers and sellers in Delaware M&A transactions.
Transcribe →M&A Mortgage Tech
Mar 27, 202500:14:22Tap to summarizeJoin us for a new episode of Financial Services Focus, with partner Lauren Pryor, co-lead of the Financial Services Product Team, and Brad Peterson, a partner at the firm's Chicago office and member of the Technology & IP Transactions practice. They are joined by John Guzzo and Ted Conway, Managing Directors at KBW, to dive into the evolving world of mortgage servicing technology trends. Together, they discuss the latest trends in mortgage servicing M&A, the mortgage tech landscape, outsourcing trends, opportunities for consolidation among technology vendors, and the challenges and opportunities that come with technology adoption in this space. Additionally, Lauren and Brad explore the impact of generative AI on mortgage servicing contracts.
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