We help design and launch financial products and entire new financial service businesses:

  • Banks and credit unions that want to create or modify a product for a particular market, including community-focused banking-as-a-service (BaaS) partnerships.

  • Founders who want to optimize their business and regulatory strategy and gain confidence that they understand and have addressed risks in advance

Questions we help clients answer:

  • Do I need a license, registration or charter?

  • What is the right type of license for our business considering all aspects of the business?

  • What will it take to obtain the necessary licenses / charters?

  • If we don’t need a license, what will it take to offer the product or run the business consistent with our strategy to stay exempt from licensure?

  • What will it take to get a bank partnership?

  • What will it take to offer (as a bank) partnerships in a compliant way?

Design, Strategy and Innovation

Problem Solving

  • Our clients face a range of challenges, including investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, disputes with customers or partners, bank discontinuance, bank “de-risking” and other problems.

  • We have a good track record of success in assisting banks with implementing improvements required by various enforcement actions.

  • We are successful in our interactions with regulators due to our rigorous, credible and creative approach, and our readiness to fiercely advocate for clients.

Chartering

If we determine that a charter is, all things considered, the best way to implement your team’s goals, we can help you secure a de novo bank charter or trust company charter.  Our team has successfully helped clients obtain de novo charters, including over 100 de novo bank charters and trust company charters.  We can advise on obtaining credit union charters as well.

If we’ve determined that the licensing strategy is the right choice for your team (after considering exemption or partnership strategies), we will help you secure the necessary licenses. Our LicenSURE team helps clients obtain all categories of licensure and registration:

  • Money transmission

  • Consumer and commercial lending

  • Blockchain / digital asset / crypto licenses

  • Debt collection

  • Registered investment adviser

  • Broker-dealer

We leverage our industry leading library of client policies, procedures, business plans, and other detailed templates to efficiently create the documentary infrastructure to successfully apply for any license or registration our client needs, commonly on a 50-state basis.  We have extensive contacts with state and Federal regulators and understand their expectations.  We engage in credible and effective communications with regulators on behalf of our clients.

Partnerships and Bank Relationships

We help banks equip themselves to be fintech partners in compliance with regulators’ extensive guidance.  We also negotiate their core processor agreements in collaboration with our partner Paladin fs.

Our team includes former bankers with expertise in banking fintech companies, MSBs and other businesses involved in higher-risk activity.  We can help with your banking and credit needs through our contacts at MSB-friendly banks around the country.  We help fintechs and MSBs successfully navigate the process of becoming “bankable.”  And we help prepare fintechs and MSBs for the lengthy bank vetting process to land an important bank relationship.  Our team succeeds in helping clients secure long-term deposit and operating relationships with banks that understand the client’s business and industry.

It is critical to select the right partner and it is important to carefully choose the right mix of your partner’s products and services in order to effectively implement your regulatory and business strategy.

Program management

Once you’ve finalized your regulatory strategy and obtained any necessary licenses, your team may have gaps in the compliance, information security and operations areas.  We fill those gaps with seasoned professionals who understand your business and who empower your team to operate effectively, securely and compliantly from day one.

Our team partners closely with the professionals at iLEX, a consulting firm that is legally independent from The Fintech Lawyer Inc.  iLEX provides responsive fintech solutions that enhance compliance, minimize risk, and cultivate strategic partnerships for your growth and success. iLEX takes a hands-on approach to help you select each partner and vendor you will need to work with and assist you through contract reviews and the necessary due diligence. iLEX’s extensive experience in launching fintech programs provides critical support for the creation of policies and procedures, risk models, compliance oversight, operational requirements, and customer service approach. Whatever your long-term goal, our team provides processes and structures to get you ready to fly.