Joann Needleman

Joann Needleman serves as a navigator to her clients seeking advice and guidance in the complex regulatory environment facing the financial services industry. She provides counsel, consultation, and litigation services to a wide array of financial institutions, law firms, credit reporting agencies, as well as venture capital firms looking to invest in the fin-tech space. A former member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board, Joann has been able to provide her clients with useful strategies in order to prepare for new areas of regulatory scrutiny. Often asked by clients to quickly assess a new policy statements or guidance issued by federal and state regulators, Joann is able to break down the issues and provide common sense solutions that ensure her clients’ policies, procedures and business operations are fully compliant with current regulatory expectations. 

Joann is a member of Clark Hill’s Cannabis Industry Financial Services Task Force working with owners, investors, lenders and financial-services providers in the cannabis industry to inform them of the enforcement priorities of federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).The Task Force is currently working on solutions to provide financial services and banking options to legitimate and licensed cannabis and related businesses.

Joann also has far reaching litigation experience in state and federal courts, successfully defending creditors against a variety of federal consumer protection claims including but not limited to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act, as well as state statutes.

Joann is frequently quoted in American Banker and the Wall Street Journal for her insight of the CFPB.

Joann is the immediate past President of the Board of Directors of the National Creditors Bar Association (NARCA).

Presentations

• Presenter, “The New Regulatory Challenges Facing Small Business Lending: Navigating the New Frontier”, The Alternative Finance Bar Association, August 2017
• Presenter, “2017 Regulatory and Legal Update – Recent Cases (including ACA International v FCC), Impact of Change in Administration to Makeup and Policies of the FCC, CFPB Debt Collection Rulemaking, FTC,” First Party Summit, Frisco, Texas, June 2017
• Presenter, “Don’t Pull That Credit Report So Fast – The New Pitfalls of Employee Background Checks,” Delaware Valley Labor and Employment Law Conference, April 2017
• Speaker, “Consumer Regulation Regime for 2017,” Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Governmental Affairs Conference, Washington, DC, February 2017
• Presenter, “The Impact of the CFPB on Small and Regional Banks from Lending to Recovery,” Michigan Bankers Association 2016 Annual Convention, Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, June 2016
• Presenter, “Evolving Issues in Fair Debt Collection: FDCPA, TCPA and Beyond,” Pennsylvania Bar Institute CLE, June 2016
• Presenter, “Breakout: SBREFA, Its Impact on Rulemaking, and How You Should Be Involved,” 4th Annual insideARM Larger Market Participant Summit, Washington, D.C., April 2016

Webinars

• “Employee Background Checks,” Clark Hill In-House Counsel Webinar, January 2017
• "Alternative Lending: Regulatory Challenges Front and Center," Clark Hill Webinar, June 2016
• "New Year - New CFPB Targets," Clark Hill Webinar, January 2016
• “What You Need to Know About the CFPB and Why You Should Care,” Clark Hill Webinar, July 2015 “Understanding the Guidance from the CFPB’s Supervisory Highlights Report,” Maurice & Needleman Webinar Series, 2014

News

• Law360, "Why CFPB Should Not Regulate the Practice Of Law", July 2018
• Law360, "NY Ruling Could Fuel Push To Turn CFPB Into Commission" June 2018
• DRI, For The Defense, “If the CFPB Is Remiss, the Court Must Dismiss” by Joann Needleman, Jane Luxton, and Thomas Brooks, February 2018.
• Philadelphia Business Journal, “CFPB leadership squabble has finserv companies asking: Now what?”
• American Banker, “Radical Changes ahead for the CFPB after Cordray Departure”, November 17, 2017
• American Banker, “OCC-CFPB spat takes interagency discord to new level”, October 19, 2017
• Law360, “If The CFPB Is Remiss, The Court Must Dismiss”, September 5, 2017
• National Mortgage News, “Cheat sheet: What happens if CFPB’s Cordray leaves early”, August 7, 2017
• Wall Street Journal, “Debt Collection next on CFPB’s Agenda”, July 26, 2017
• SubPrime Financial News, “How debt collection industry scored rare ‘victory’”, June 14, 2017
• Wall Street Journal, “Court Slams CFPB’s Enforcement Strategy”, March 28, 2017
• Bloomberg BNA, “House GOP Report Says CFPB May Have Violated Law”, January 19, 2017