What I most love to do is help companies grow. Whether it is a small startup coming out of stealth mode with its first product or a major multinational company launching its 15th product – the joy is in the build. My clients turn to me to walk them through the federal and state compliance issues associated with the financial services world and advise them as they steadily build their business. To me, the payoff is celebrating with my clients about a successful product launch or major geographic expansion, or privately sharing in the joy of their success when I drive past a billboard or hear a radio advertisement from a client on my way to work. In these and many other ways I feel a strong sense of gratitude towards my clients that they trust me to partner with them on these successful business expansions. Clients of all sizes say they appreciate my enthusiasm for the work they do and the creative approach I take to help them reach their goals.
Robert Savoie helps financial institutions attain and maintain regulatory compliance with the ever-changing laws and rules governing consumer financial services so they can avoid pitfalls and expand operations. Robert does this through a unique approach combining sophisticated business structuring, cutting-edge policies and procedures, and agile business rules animated by a sense of fairness that help his clients align with both the spirit and the letter of the financial services laws that apply. Robert’s end goal is to have any regulatory authorities, or heaven forbid, a court of law, who examine his clients’ operations walk away with a firm belief that his clients are good companies doing their best to do right by their customers.
Robert’s clients operate across the country and include large mortgage lenders and servicers, marketplace lenders, financial technology (FinTech) companies and other start-ups, existing and emerging cryptocurrency exchanges, insurance technology (InsurTech) companies, automotive and personal property finance companies, small loan companies, national and state banks, and businesses engaged in merchant cash advance and factoring.
Robert has deep experience in helping companies expand and grow their business across the United States. When discussing business plans with his clients – who frequently become friends, as well – Robert always gives them perspective in looking not just one year down the road, but also three and five years out. He advises them of the obstacles they’ll likely encounter and the measures they can take now to ease their burdens in the future.
Whether the discussion is corporate structuring, financial considerations, licensing issues, consultations with regulatory agencies regarding innovative products like the deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning in ongoing operations, the regulatory outlook generally, or instituting a strategic multi-year plan to execute a painless Initial Public Offering (IPO) – Robert has done it many times and brings that knowledge to bear for each client. In this respect, he holds a unique perspective that goes far beyond black letter compliance with financial services laws and acts as a fellow stakeholder in his client’s operations.
In advising these organizations on the particulars of state and federal lending, licensing and debt collection laws, Robert helps them navigate the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Service members Civil Relief Act (SCRA), Military Lending Act (MLA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and equivalent state laws. He represents them in federal and state examinations, investigations, and enforcement actions on these issues.
Robert frequently speaks on consumer financial services compliance topics, including FinTech issues, licensing, legislation, and trends, and he regularly publishes updates pertaining to lenders of all types.