DBA Digest for January 24, 2025

2025 DBA Washington Visit - March 5-7!

Sponsorships Still Available!

Sponsorship opportunities are available through February 7th for the DBA Senior Executive Washington Visit, March 5 to 7. Sponsorship opportunities are open to all associate members who would like to participate in the event. Join these prestigious sponsors: Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, Richards Layton & Finger, and Discover!

Sponsorship includes opportunities for representatives from your ­firm to select to attend any of the following:

• Wednesday March 5th reception and dinner. 
• Thursday March 6th luncheon.
• Thursday March 6th evening reception. 

Take advantage of this unique networking opportunity to meet with top leaders in both the financial services and legislative realms. See the form below for full details and to reserve your organization’s place.

2025 Teach Children to Save Day!

Time Running Out to Sponsor!

Time is running out to sponsor the new 2025 Delaware Teach Children to Save Day comic book! Join Sponsors: Barclays, Wells Fargo, WSFS, Bank of America, TD Bank, Artisans' Bank, M&T Bank, Visa, Comenity Bank, County Bank, First Citizens Community Bank, and Shore United Bank!

Joining The Great Investo and Penny on their adventure into saving will be The Mystical Saveroo, the Savings Genie. The book will teach the importance of saving for a financially independent future. Each student will receive a copy of the book to keep. Sponsorships of the comic book are available. Please contract Sarah Long or Greg Koseluk for more information on sponsoring.

The 2025 event will be throughout the week of April 7th. Banker registration will begin in February, so stay tuned!

Don't Miss These Upcoming OnCourse Learning Webinars!

State of HMDA in 2025: Rules and Tips for Successful Submission - January 29th

In this webinar, we’ll review all the pain points of HMDA, including the always-challenging action taken and a variety of other data points. We’ll review the differences between prequalification and preapproval, as well as conditional approval. We’ll also address a number of other questions. What will examiners be looking for? What are the fair lending issues and risks you need to be aware of after submission? We’ll discuss the current state of HMDA so close to submission in this session, and get your questions answered, as well as provide many useful resources.

Audience: This session is ideal for loan officers, managers, processors, compliance and fair lending officers, auditors, counsel, and anyone else with HMDA-related responsibilities, including data collection, reporting, analysis, and disclosure.

Flood Insurance: Compliance and Enforcement Challenges - January 29th

Flood insurance is always one of the regulators’ principal areas of concern. We’ve also had many changes in the law over the years due to several statutory changes and other regulatory clarifications. And we now have updated and detailed interagency questions and answers that clarify many points regarding the changes, which is certainly welcome. Nevertheless, there are many significant issues out there. In this webinar, we'll concentrate on them, including determinations, mapping (including Risk Rating 2.0), monitoring, contents coverage, private policies, amount of coverage, force-placement, and escrow requirements, among many others. We’ll devote special attention to those issues that typically cause lenders problems, as well as those that are the focus of many a regulatory violation and fine.

Audience: This interactive session will give an in-depth understanding of these rules and is imperative for anyone performing duties in real estate lending areas of the financial institution, including loan officers, supervisors, auditors, closing agents, compliance officers, trainers, and others working in these types of positions.

Learn more and browse all the webinars via the link below.

Richards, Layton & Finger Leads Delaware Firms in The Deal’s M&A and Bankruptcy League Tables

Richards, Layton & Finger again tops the chart in The Deal’s annual Delaware rankings of high-value M&A transactions, serving as counsel on the most deals valued at $100 million or more in 2024—in fact, Richards Layton has held the #1 spot on the Delaware deal charts for 32 years running. The firm also climbed The Deal’s national bankruptcy chart, claiming the highest ranking of any Delaware-based firm at #15, alongside some of the largest law firms in the country.



“We’re incredibly proud to lead the state in both corporate and bankruptcy high-value transactions,” said Lisa Schmidt, president of Richards Layton. “Our lawyers stand ready to assist clients throughout the country and around the world, and our clients count on us to handle their most challenging, high-stakes matters. We work hard every day to uphold their trust in our skill, our outstanding service, and our commitment to excellence.”

Delaware Community Foundation Awards $269,365 in Capital Grants to 21 Delaware Nonprofits

The Delaware Community Foundation (DCF) has awarded $269,365.19 in capital grants to 21 nonprofits across Delaware. These grants will support a variety of critical projects, including facility improvements, accessibility enhancements, and expansions that strengthen the ability of nonprofits to serve their communities efficiently and effectively. DCF capital grants assist organizations in acquiring, constructing, renovating, or improving facilities to ensure long-term operational effectiveness. Supported projects are designed to have a lasting and positive impact on the populations served, enhancing the strong work of these nonprofits.

“An ideal capital grant does more than just renovate or repair—it enables organizations to elevate their services and make a greater impact,” said Stuart Comstock-Gay, DCF President and CEO. “These projects are a testament to the resilience and dedication of Delaware nonprofits in meeting community needs.”

 Podcast Episode: The Impact of the Election on the CFPB: What to Expect on Key Regulatory Issues During Trump 2.0

Today’s podcast episode is part two of our December 16th webinar, where we discussed the impact of the election on CFPB rulemaking. In part two, Ballard Spahr partners John Culhane and Joseph Schuster address the following questions:

1. What will happen to CFPB regulations issued before January 20, such as the CFPB’s credit card late fee rule, which is currently being challenged in a Texas federal court?
2. What will happen to proposed regulations that may still be finalized before January 20, such as the interpretive rule on earned wage access plans and the proposed contract clause registry?
3. What will happen to other written guidance from the CFPB, such as the circular on unenforceable contract terms and the advisory opinion on requests for information under Section 1034(c) of Dodd-Frank?