Lisa M. Lanham

no photo

Biography

Lisa M. Lanham counsels clients across the financial services industry on a wide spectrum of federal and state regulatory, licensing, compliance, and transactional matters. She is nationally recognized by the Legal 500 for Financial Services Regulatory and Fintech for her ability to guide companies through highly complex regulatory regimes with practical, plain-language advice, enabling clients to scale efficiently, expand into new markets, and execute strategic transactions with confidence.

Lisa’s practice spans both the primary and secondary markets, where she is positioned to assist clients navigating licensing, compliance, and capital markets transactions across industries. She brings a client-centered, business-minded approach to matters ranging from regulatory structuring to mergers and acquisitions advisory of regulated institutions.

Her areas of focus include:

•Consumer Finance Regulation: Lisa has deep experience advising consumer finance companies-including mortgage lenders and servicers, auto finance companies, personal lenders, sales finance companies, and marketplace/fintech lenders-on licensing, compliance, and operational requirements. She counsels on federal consumer protection laws (TILA/Reg Z, RESPA/Reg X, ECOA/Reg B, FDCPA, UDAAP, and others) and their state law counterparts, as well as state retail installment sales acts, usury restrictions, fair lending obligations, disclosures, and servicing standards. Lisa regularly represents these companies in licensing applications, examinations, change of control approvals, enforcement matters, and ongoing compliance. She is also highly skilled in advising on innovative product structures such as point-of-sale financing, “buy now, pay later,” and co-branded card programs.
•Commercial Finance Regulation: Lisa advises hedge funds, private equity funds, family offices, and Wall Street institutions on state and federal licensing and compliance requirements applicable to commercial lending, loan brokering, and investment structures. This includes mortgage banker, commercial lender, and loan broker licenses, as well as real estate broker licensing requirements where applicable. She regularly counsels clients structuring real estate financing, equipment leasing, factoring, and supply chain finance products. Lisa’s deep understanding of both institutional lending and state-level licensing regimes allows her to help clients navigate risks efficiently and pursue new lines of business with clarity.
•Money Transmission Regulation: Lisa is experienced in guiding fintechs, payment companies, digital wallet providers, virtual currency businesses, and international remittance operators through money transmitter licensing, compliance, and examination matters. She counsels on state licensing requirements, exemptions, and reporting obligations. She also assists in structuring partnerships with banks, payment processors, and marketplace platforms, pursuing compliance with both state and federal requirements while maintaining business agility.
•Structured Finance and Capital Markets: Lisa represents clients in structured finance transactions, including securitizations and other structured finance vehicles, as well as capital markets transactions, with a focus on regulatory licensing and compliance issues that impact the structure and execution of these deals. She helps clients address state law lending and servicing restrictions in connection with securitizations, warehouse lines, and secondary market transfers.
•Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory: Lisa handles mergers, acquisitions, and investments involving regulated institutions across all of the foregoing sectors-consumer finance, commercial finance, money transmission, and payments. She advises on licensing and regulatory approvals, change of control requirements, due diligence, and integration planning, with the goal of ensuring that transactions proceed smoothly and without regulatory surprises.
•Solar and Renewable Energy Companies: Lisa counsels solar energy companies on both their financing-related licensing obligations (consumer lending, retail installment contracts, and sales finance laws) and their operational licensing obligations, including general contractor, electrical contractor, solar contractor, and door-to-door sales licensing requirements. She provides comprehensive guidance to support the growth of solar and renewable businesses navigating multi-state regulatory frameworks.
•Licensing and NMLS Experience: Leveraging experience from earlier on in her career, where she assisted companies with submitting applications, responding to license items, and securing approvals of initial applications and renewal applications, Lisa has deep, practical knowledge of the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) and state licensing platforms. She has developed processes to streamline multi-state licensing efforts, reduce client burdens, and maintain compliance across diverse lines of business. Clients rely on her to simplify licensing obligations, integrate new products or services, and expand into new industries with confidence.

Lisa is consistently ranked as a leading lawyer in her field and is sought out by clients ranging from early-stage fintechs to Fortune 100 institutions. She is known for her client-friendly approach, ability to translate regulatory complexity into actionable strategies, and skill at balancing compliance with business growth.

Concentrations

•Core Regulatory & Licensing
•Consumer Financial Services Licensing & Compliance
•Banking & Bank-Fintech Partnerships
•Payments & Money Transmission
•Commercial & Consumer Finance Regulatory
•Commercial Lending & Loan Brokerage Licensing; Real Estate Broker Touchpoints for Commercial Products
•Mortgage Lending & Servicing (Consumer and Business-Purpose), Warehouse/Servicing Transfers
•Equipment Finance, Factoring, Supply-chain Finance & Receivables Platforms
•Fintech & Innovation Regulatory
•Digital Wallets, Processors, Remittances, and Crypto/Virtual Asset Platforms (US Regulatory Perimeter)
•Embedded Finance & Co-Branded/Affinity Programs; Underwriting to Bank Standards, Origination Frameworks
•UDAAP, Fair Lending, and AI Model Guidance
•Transactions & Capital Markets Regulatory
•Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory of Regulated Institutions; Licensing and Regulatory Approvals (i.e., Changes of Control)
•Structured Finance, Securitizations, and Other Capital Markets Transactions Advisory; Regulatory Diligence Overlays
•Private Funds and Investment Management Regulatory for Credit, Specialty Finance, and Fintech Investors
•Sector Overlays
•Solar/Renewables Financing Programs Regulatory; Contractor & Door-to-Door Sales Licensing
•Real Estate Capital Markets & Credit Tenant/CMBS Interfaces Regulatory

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Listed, Financier Worldwide, 'POWER PLAYERS - Distinguished Advisers,' Financial Services Regulation, 2026
•Listed, The Legal 500 United States, 2023-2025
•Financial Services Regulation, 2023 and 2025
•Fintech, 2023-2025
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 'Ones to Watch,' Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, 2021

See more ›

Areas of Practice (4)

  • Corporate
  • Financial Regulatory & Compliance
  • Blockchain & Digital Assets
  • Fintech

Education & Credentials

University Attended:
New York University, A.A.S.; New York University, B.A.
Law School Attended:
University of Miami, J.D., cum laude; Member, University of Miami Law Review
Year of First Admission:
2013
Admission:
Florida; New York
Memberships:

Professional & Community Involvement

•Exclusive Contributor, Legal 500, Fintech: Country Comparative Guides, 2024-2026
•Contributing Editor, Legal 500, Fintech: Country Comparative Guides, 2024-2026
•Member, American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators
•Industry Advisory Council, 2018-2022
•Member, CSBS State Examination System Working Group, 2018-2019
•Member, Money Services Business Association, Inc.
•Member, Education Finance Council
•Member, National Council of Higher Education Resources

Reported Cases:
Experience: Representative Matters: Represented consumer and commercial lenders, brokers, servicers, and other clients leveraging AI in their underwriting models in state licensing matters.; Provided regulatory counsel to an international crypto exchange seeking to enter into the U.S. market, which included a large state licensing project to set up a U.S. subsidiary and U.S.-compliance program prior to the client engaging in business.; Represented and provided counsel on structured finance, securitization, and other secondary market transactions on the applicability of related transaction parties' licenses.; Represented and provided counsel to parties on licensing concerns related to merger and acquisition transactions.; Coordinated with regulatory agencies, including the New York State Department of Financial Services, to gain time-sensitive approvals necessary to complete large-scale multistate transactions.; Provided technical review and support for mortgage call report, money services businesses call report, and state-specific report filing requirements.; Coordinated with key control persons to assist with the reporting of material licensing changes.; Responded to client inquiries regarding state, District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Island consumer finance laws and applicable federal regulations. Assisted clients with registration and compliance issues related to government services agencies (e.g., HUD/FHA, Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA, USDA).; Represented clients in both adversarial and non-adversarial proceedings before state and federal regulatory agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.; Analyzed proposed business models within the context of regulatory compliance matters and licensing requirements associated with the buildout and daily operations of national financial services operations, including those that wish to utilize financial technology projects, including blockchain and distributed ledger technology, digital asset trading platforms, sponsors of tokenized platforms, and operators of emerging payments systems.; Prepared multistate regulatory surveys of regulatory compliance issues for both financial service providers and consumer service providers.; Assisted with the development of policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives to proactively address regulatory compliance deficiencies.; Performed examination preparedness reviews of policies and procedures scrutinized in routine and special examinations by state regulators and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.; Reviewed examination requests, documents, and loan files gathered for response and acted as an intermediary during the examination process between the regulatory agent and the client. Negotiated findings with examiners before the examination report was finalized, as well as identified mutually agreeable remediation actions in lieu of issuance of a formal action.; Assisted companies with international licensing issues in a changing regulatory environment.; The above representations were handled by Ms. Lanham prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig, P.A; Pro Bono Experience: Guest Lecturer and Team Leader, University of Miami School of Law, LawWithoutWalls, 2015-Present; Preferred Outside Licensing and Regulatory Counsel, KikOff Lending, LLC,; Preferred Outside Licensing and Regulatory Counsel, The Center for NYC Neighborhoods and Sustainable Neighborhoods, LLC,; Internships: Legal Intern, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2012; Legal Intern, The Trump Organization & Trump Dezer Development, 2011-2012
ISLN:
922804459

Peer Reviews

This lawyer does not have peer reviews.

Client Reviews Write a Review

Location

Contact Lisa M. Lanham

Contact Information:

www.gtlaw.com/en/professionals/l/lanham-lisa-m

Required Fields

Required Fields

Clear All Fields

By clicking on the "Submit" button, you agree to the Terms of Use, Supplemental Terms and Privacy Policy. You also consent to be contacted at the phone number you provided, including by autodials, text messages and/or pre-recorded calls, from Martindale and its affiliates and from or on behalf of attorneys you request or contact through this site. Consent is not a condition of purchase.

You should not send any sensitive or confidential information through this site. Emails sent through this site do not create an attorney-client relationship and may not be treated as privileged or confidential. The lawyer or law firm you are contacting is not required to, and may choose not to, accept you as a client. The Internet is not necessarily secure and emails sent though this site could be intercepted or read by third parties.