Practice Summary

Mark has over 30 years of experience in various areas of the financial services industry.  His pre-legal experience in accounting, credit union member services, and commercial loan analysis provides Mark with “hands on” knowledge of client goals and needs.  Prior to joining Farleigh Wada Witt, Mark was with the Mountain West Credit Union Association, serving as its General Counsel before being named Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. 
           
As Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Mark oversaw a team of compliance experts providing regulatory compliance assistance to member credit unions.  He was responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with state and federal regulators to advocate for fair and balanced oversight of credit unions.  Mark was appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to serve on the Uniform Consumer Credit Code Council of Advisors in 2010.

Mark counsels credit unions on compliance with Federal and state laws and regulations including consumer protection regulations of the CFPB, the Federal Reserve, the National Credit Union Administration, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission.  Mark guides credit unions on effective operations in compliance with agency rules.  With the Mountain West Credit Union Association, Mark has been a staunch advocate for Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona credit union legal and regulatory issues.  He has prepared comment letters on pending regulations, seeking improvements in the regulatory climate affecting credit unions.  Mark is known for his work on compliance guides including summary and detailed analyses, along with compliance checklists and model policies.
           
Mark is licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado and Oregon.  He has written multiple compliance articles for Credit Union Magazine.

Representative Matters

  • Credit Union regulatory compliance
  • CFPB Regulations
  • Consumer lending compliance
  • Examination issues and regulatory enforcement actions

Education

University of Denver Law School (J.D., 2004)
Metropolitan State College of Denver (B.S., Accounting, 1989)

Admissions

Colorado State Bar
Oregon State Bar

Associations

American Bar Association
Denver Bar Association
Military and Veterans Affairs Section of the Colorado Bar Association

Awards

Appointed by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to the Uniform Consumer Credit Code Council of Advisors in 2010 – reappointed by Governor John Hickenlooper

Publications

Regular compliance article submissions for Credit Union Magazine