The Compliance 911 Show

In this episode, Dean Stockford and Len Suzio discuss what compliance risk management should look like in 2026 as financial institutions face rising fraud, cyber threats, AI-related risks, third-party exposure, and an uncertain regulatory environment. Dean argues that compliance functions can no longer remain purely advisory and instead must evolve into active risk management and oversight roles, with stronger risk assessments, enhanced monitoring, root-cause analysis, more targeted training, better frontline tools, and closer alignment between risks, controls, and institutional risk appetite. He emphasizes that a strong compliance culture begins with understanding the organization’s structure, risk tolerance, and operational realities, then building a more robust compliance management system around those insights. The episode closes with Dean’s view of the biggest compliance risk areas in 2026, including data privacy and cybersecurity, AML/CTF, digital banking, AI compliance, third-party risk, regulatory fragmentation, and the growing cost of top-tier compliance talent.Brought to you by GeoDataVision and M&M Consulting

Len explains that the OCC issued a December 18, 2025 proposal to create a “Simplified Plan Process for Community Banks” to make the CRA strategic plan option easier, but he believes its real value extends beyond banks using strategic plans because it reveals how regulators think about “Satisfactory” and “Outstanding” performance under normal CRA standards. The proposal distinguishes between “custom” bank-specific goals (which Len says offers little practical guidance) and “elective” goals, which are quantifiable targets drawn from approved plans and OCC supervisory experience. Len highlights that the most useful—and historically murky— CRA test is Community Development. The OCC's proposal provides explicit benchmarks for CD lending, investing, combined lending/investing, and CD services, using ratios tied to Tier 1 capital or total assets (including notably lower investment thresholds when a bank relies heavily on donations, acknowledging their significance). He notes the proposal also introduces measurable expectations for CD service hours per employee, while offering little new insight on traditional lending tests. Although the OCC states elective goals are not “safe harbors” and not formal benchmarks outside the simplified process, Len argues they align with what regulators historically expect and can help CRA officers set internal performance targets;  this is where you would provide a link to the 67 tests, performance standards and ratings. https://geodatavision.com/content/occ-proposed-elective-goals-for-cra-strategic-planning/Brought to you by GeoDataVision and M&M Consulting

This podcast episode discusses the alarming rise of cyber fraud in financial institutions, highlighting that global losses exceeded $1 trillion in 2025 and AI-powered attacks increased by 93%, including deepfake videos, voice cloning, and sophisticated phishing campaigns. The hosts explain that financial institutions are investing heavily in fraud prevention technologies such as AI fraud detection, predictive analytics, Open APIs with Agentic AI, and solutions like Glassbox that analyze user sessions for anomalies. They emphasize that combating this crisis requires a collaborative approach between financial institutions, tech companies, law enforcement, regulators, and third-party providers—noting that no single entity can win this fight alone and that information sharing, best practices, and enhanced training are essential for protecting customers while maintaining a positive user experience.Brought to you by GeoDataVision and M&M Consulting

Len Suzio explains that although President Trump’s Executive Order 14281 aims to limit disparate impact liability, the legal status of disparate impact remains unsettled. The Supreme Court upheld disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act in Inclusive Communities but imposed strict limits requiring a clear causal link between a specific practice and disparities—limits often downplayed by regulators in recent enforcement actions. Despite legal uncertainty and shifting enforcement priorities between administrations, Len advises compliance professionals to continue using disparate impact statistical analysis as a risk-management tool. Regardless of its legal future, it remains a practical way to identify potential discrimination, prompt further review, and demonstrate good-faith compliance.Brought to you by GeoDataVision and M&M Consulting

This episode provides a high-level recap of the major regulatory compliance themes covered in 2025. Dean highlights intense regulatory volatility, especially around CRA and Section 1071, including rule freezes, proposed repeals, litigation, delayed compliance dates, and the CFPB’s move toward an interim final rule for small-business lending data collection. The discussion also revisits key fair lending, redlining, and data-analysis topics, along with rising operational risks such as BSA/AML/KYC modernization, third-party risk management, and expanding concerns around AI, data governance, cybersecurity, and privacy. Consumer protection issues featured prominently, particularly Regulation E error-resolution failures, elder financial exploitation, and recurring flood compliance violations. The takeaway for compliance and risk officers: conduct a CMS health check, document lessons learned from 2025, and proactively brief senior management and the board with a clear 2026 risk and compliance plan focused on these evolving priorities.Brought to you by GeoDataVision and M&M Consulting