Maria Earley is a financial services regulatory and enforcement partner in the Washington, D.C. office. Maria is a former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforcement attorney with particular expertise on issues related to consumer protection laws and emerging technology. She advises and represents financial services and FinTech companies with respect to product development, regulatory compliance, state and federal enforcement and examination, state licensing and transactional matters.
Maria’s regulatory compliance work spans a range of loan products, bank products, payments, mortgage technology, alternative financing arrangements and digital currencies. She focuses on service providers that touch these products, including marketplace lenders, payment processors, lead aggregators, money transmitters, credit reporting agencies and numerous platform service providers.
As a former CFPB attorney, Maria leverages her experience to help companies navigate the complex and unique issues that arise when interfacing with the CFPB and other financial regulators. She has handled numerous matters involving federal and state regulators, including the CFPB, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), several state attorneys general and other state regulatory agencies.
Maria is committed to creating and sustaining collaborative, innovative and inclusive environments in the legal community. She serves as the U.S. Deputy for Diversity and Inclusion at Reed Smith and on the boards of the Legal Aid Society of D.C., the Anacostia Watershed Society and the Filipino American Lawyers Association of D.C. She is Co-Vice Chair of the Litigation and Arbitration subcommittee of the ABA’s Consumer Financial Services Committee.
