Marketers of retail products—and the lenders that finance their purchase—face a broad and evolving set of laws and regulations.  Venable's consumer financial services attorneys know that there can be many potential impediments to the success of your business, from compliance with federal or state consumer finance regulation, to organizational or operational concerns, to the resolution of legal disputes.  And we have firsthand experience with solving them.

We represent a broad array of clients across the consumer finance industry, including:

• banks, thrifts and financial holding companies;
• consumer lenders;
• credit unions;
• mortgage bankers;
• debt collection agencies;
• credit reporting agencies;
• government-sponsored enterprises;
• insurance companies;
• payments businesses; and
• money transmitters.

Our team includes attorneys who have held senior positions at state and federal agencies, and who have been selected as among the best in their field.  When you work with Venable, you work with a team who live in your world and understand the challenges that consumer product retailers and financial service companies deal with every day. 

ADVICE FOR EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR BUSINESS

Experienced business advice—from strategic planning to operations and beyond.

Our team has counseled numerous organizations in the consumer financial products industry in all phases of business operations, including planning, product design, licensing and more.

We work with clients to develop and implement business plans through an approach that considers the numerous factors critical to success, which includes entity formation and incorporation, federal and state regulation, tax planning, business operations, product development, disclosure and compliance, and intellectual property and trademark protection.

Corporate compliance and licensing.

In addition to providing focused legal advice that addresses the needs of retail marketers and consumer financial services companies, Venable's team includes attorneys who assist in the critical process of licensing consumer financial service entities and retail product providers.  We provide counsel on all manner of licensing requirements, reporting requirements and compliance with state and federal statutes, among others.

Advertising and marketing.

Whether you are a retail marketing entrepreneur or a consumer lender, all retail entities face a complex range of marketing laws and regulations that require specific legal advice. We advise our financial services clients on the full suite of marketing laws and regulations, ranging from FTC regulations and Postal Service requirements, to sales tax compliance, Internet marketing and telemarketing, and privacy and data security issues.

Regulatory advice—from attorneys who know the agencies.

Retail marketers are examined and supervised by multiple state and federal agencies – most of which are enforcement-focused when dealing with retailers.  Further, laws and regulations governing retail product sales and marketing are complex and are interspersed throughout numerous state and federal laws.  Venable attorneys understand how these laws and regulations interact, and advise their clients on how enforcement agencies prioritize and exercise their enforcement authorities.

Mortgage lending.

Venable is a recognized leader in providing legal advice to the residential mortgage lending industry, and advises clients in the broad range of federal and state laws that govern real estate transactions, including lending and disclosure statutes as well as all relevant federal and state laws and regulations.

Payment system and card operations.

A critical element to the success of a retail business plan is understanding the complexities involved in the retail payment system.  We regularly advise on issues related to this system, including bank payment systems, ACH and clearing house functions, Visa and MasterCard rules and regulations, debit and credit agreements, merchant accounts and compliance with federal regulations such as the Patriot Act and the Bank Secrecy Act.

Lobbying and legislation.

The Obama Administration may radically alter numerous paradigms of acceptable retail behavior Venable’s Government and Legislative Affairs Group actively monitors these developments and provides our financial services clients with up-to-the-minute information on all manner of legislative and administrative developments.

The scope of our work in this area includes Congressional and administrative policy monitoring and lobbying, federal agency regulatory review and APA commenting, drafting legislation, serving as a liaison for trade associations and PAC compliance and reporting.

Litigation and dispute resolution.

Disputes are a reality in the consumer finance and retail marketing arenas that must be dealt with effectively. Venable's deep and experienced litigation team represents clients in multiple jurisdictions and venues in all manner of disputes, ranging from government investigations, to bankruptcy, and arbitration and mediation. We advise on DOJ, AG and FTC investigations, state foreclosure and collection statutes, and employment, class action and appellate litigation matters.

In short, we bring together the two most important elements needed for consumer financial services and product retailers to succeed:  firsthand experience with the business issues and challenges that drive your industry and a thorough knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the regulatory environment.