What We Learned at MBA’s Legal Issues & Regulatory Compliance Conference: Navigating Uncertainty with Resilience

The 2025 MBA Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference brought together some of the sharpest minds in mortgage lending and compliance, and the message was clear: uncertainty is the only certainty, but there are smart ways to prepare. Here are our top takeaways from this year’s event and what they mean for your business:

Compliance: Shifting Ground, Rising State Risk

The rescission of key CFPB guidance has left Independent Mortgage Bankers (IMBs) navigating without a clear federal compass. Many lenders are feeling not just cautious but genuinely uncertain. As a result, the focus is shifting:

• State licensing equals state risk – Lenders are realigning their compliance strategies to account for the states they operate in, where enforcement trends are on the rise.

• State Attorneys General are back on the radar – Don’t underestimate their ability to enforce beyond consumer complaints. Their influence is growing, and their priorities may not always align with federal regulators.

• Fair lending remains important but mostly at the state level – Federal enforcement in this area appears to be cooling, but state scrutiny hasn’t let up.

Conforma Insight: Now more than ever, your compliance strategy needs to be agile and state-aware. A federal first mindset may not be the right approach for the current environment.

Operations: Pressure, Priorities, and a Push Toward Efficiency

The market hasn’t bounced back the way many hoped. Lenders are operating lean, and the mantra remains: do more with less.

• Money is still tight – With production volumes lagging, lenders continue to scrutinize every dollar spent.

• Efficiency is everything – AI is the buzzword, but it’s more than hype. Lenders are exploring ways to automate, streamline, and reduce manual work to survive (and eventually thrive).

• Resilience is high – The silver lining? After years of downturns, most lenders are tougher, savvier, and more adaptable than ever before.

Conforma Insight: Strategic compliance should support -- not stifle -- efficiency. Your partners, processes, and tech stack must align with both regulatory requirements and operational realities.

Where Do We Go from Here?

This year’s conference made one thing clear: staying the course requires a flexible, risk-based approach to compliance. That includes:

• Reassessing your CMS with a state-first lens

• Planning for dual enforcement threats from both state regulators and AGs

• Investing in tools and partners that help you balance compliance with cost-efficiency

At Conforma Compliance Group, we help lenders navigate complexity without compromising confidence. Whether you're revisiting your CMS, preparing for a state exam, or trying to balance compliance with operational constraints, we’re here to help. Want to strengthen your CMS for what’s ahead? Download our free e-guide here.