The 2020 Annual Meeting & Independents Conference & Expo was the association’s first entirely virtual experience. The conference recordings below are presented “as aired” between October 6-8, 2020.
Tuesday, October 6
Conference Opening: Chairman & Presidents Welcome
AFSA Chairman Dan Chait and AFSA President & CEO Bill Himpler welcome attendees to the first-ever Virtual Annual Meeting & Independents Conference & Expo.
Keynote Address | Kristen Soltis Anderson, Author and Co-founder, Echelon Strategies
Sponsored by 
In this keynote address, Kristen Soltis Anderson will share her observations and insights on the political landscape in 2020 and what we might expect in the months to come, followed by a live Q&A.
RECORDING AVAILABLE SOON
Plenary Session | Advocacy Update
AFSA Senior Vice Presidents Danielle Arlowe and Celia Winslow discuss advocacy efforts on behalf of the industry and answer attendee questions.
Plenary Session | Remote Work and the Future of Supervision
Sponsored by 
“Work from Home” is shifting from a short-term necessity to a long-term strategy for employers. Hear from a stellar panel about best practices for state licenses, industry success, and the lessons learned over the past seven months by employers and their teams as they navigated meeting the needs of customers.
Speakers:
Julie Ausland President and COO, CashCo Financial Services, Inc.
Rajive Chadha, COO, OneMain Financial
Mike Kaplan, CRO, PayNearMe
Kim Ray Attorney, Ford Credit North America
Breakout Session | Debt Collection: Predictions, Regulations, Communication, and Litigation
Sponsored by 
A panel discussion on how collecting is evolving as a result of the pandemic. Industry experts will answer questions about restrictions in collections, meeting borrowers’ needs, and what laws and regulations are likely to change.
Speakers:
Caren Enloe, Partner, Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP
Leah Dempsey, Vice President and Senior Counsel, Federal Advocacy, ACA International
Eileen Bitterman, Compliance Officer, Weltman
Wednesday, October 7
AFSA CEO Update, Outstanding Independent Award & Distinguished Service Awards
AFSA President & CEO Bill Himpler welcomed members back to day two of the conference. AFSA Chairman Dan Chait presided over the Distinguished Service Awards. Independents Section Chairman R.E. Everette presided over the Outstanding Independent Award.
Keynote Address | Richard Cordray, former Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Sponsored by 
Richard Cordray served for six years as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He will share his expertise with attendees and talk about his new book, Watchdog.
Policymaker Spotlight | Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) will discuss the importance of the consumer credit industry and the role AFSA members have in the American economy.
Breakout Session | Accessing Capital and Opportunities in Unprecedented Times
The U.S. Government’s response to the pandemic of cutting the Fed Funds rate to near zero has fueled investment and M & A opportunities as well as equity interest from a variety of institutional and private investors. Come learn how you can “tap into” these capital alternatives and what’s best suited for your balance sheet. From 144A offerings, private placements to public transactions; we’ll cover them all.
Moderator: Sharon Mancero, Director, Asset-Backed Securitization & Lending, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking
Speakers:
Kevin Gibbons, Managing Director, Head of ABS Banking, Amherst Pierpoint
Jim Chester, Managing Director, KBW
Blair Farinholt, Managing Director, Stephens
Breakout Session | Voluntary Protection Products- Opportunities for 2020 and Beyond
Sponsored by 
Voluntary Protection Products offer consumers a convenient means of adding security to important finance transactions. Our panel will discuss innovations relating to these products, best practices for offering and servicing voluntary protection products, and insights into navigating legislative and regulatory issues.
Moderator: Matt Kownacki, Director of State Policy & Research, AFSA
Speakers:
Paul Metrey, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, NADA
John Short, Executive Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and Governmental Affairs, Fortegra
Roundtable Discussions
- Fair Lending & Modeling, sponsored by Zest Ai
- Featuring Sean Kamkar
- Featuring Ben Klubes
- AI & Tech in Consumer Finance, sponsored by GoldPoint
- Featuring Kelly Lipinski
- Communicating with your Customers Compliantly, sponsored by Solutions by Text
- Featuring Danny Cantrell
- Current Topics in Bankruptcy, sponsored by National Bankruptcy Services, LLC
- Featuring Jim O’Reilly and Jennifer Brown
- Privacy & Data Security, sponsored by TransUnion
- Featuring Patty Covington
- Compliance and Licensing Issues, sponsored by Bradley
- Featuring Haydn Richards and Bob Niemi
- Credit Reporting, sponsored by Zest Ai
- Featuring Stefanie Jackman
- Debt Collection, sponsored by Experian
- Featuring John Rossman
- Enforcement Trends & Outlook, sponsored by BMO Harris Bank
- Featuring Lucy Morris
- Monetization of Your Unsecured Bankruptcy Portfolio, Presented by BuckNole and LCI
- Featuring Frank Veneziano and Rory Liebhart
RECORDINGS AVAILABLE SOON
Thursday, October 8
AFSA Education Foundation Update with Chair Rex Ellison
AFSA Education Foundation Chairman Rex Ellison delivers an update on the foundation’s efforts to promote financial education nationwide.
Keynote Address #1 | AFSA President & CEO Bill Himpler in Conversation with Rohit Chopra, FTC Commissioner
Federal Trade Commissioner Rohit Chopra will appear in a “fireside chat” with AFSA President & CEO Bill Himpler. The two will discuss financial industry regulations, perspectives and more.
Keynote Address #2 | Cal Ripken, Jr., Hall of Famer & Legendary “Iron Man” of Baseball
Sponsored by 
Drawn from his Hall of Fame career, the Iron Man will share his keys to success that apply to both the business world as well as the baseball field.
RECORDING AVAILABLE SOON
Discussion with CFPB’s Bryan Schneider
Celia Winslow of AFSA will moderate a discussion with the Associate Director in the Supervision, Enforcement and Fair Lending Division of the CFPB in this session.
RECORDING AVAILABLE SOON
Breakout Session | Credit Reporting 2021: How Suppression Affects Predictability
Sponsored by 
After months of suppressing negative credit information during the pandemic, how will credit scoring and reporting look in 2021? This panel of experts will address the practical and long term effects on the reliability of credit models, and explore how post-pandemic consumer payment behavior may change. (add to calendar)
Speakers:
Ethan Dornhelm, VP of Analytic Science, FICO
Kendall Keeling, Core Exchanges Leader, Equifax Inc.
Angela Granger, Vice President Analytics, Experian
Michael Lim, Vice President Data Science and Analytics, TransUnion
Breakout Session | Fast Forward to Digital: How Borrowers are Adopting New Billing, Payment and Communication Behaviors in 2020
Sponsored by 
Rapidly changing times are disrupting how consumers interact with their lender, driving the adoption of digital channels more than ever before. Find out how lenders of all sizes can meet these changing needs: offering mobile wallet payments and communication options to digital funds disbursements.
Speakers
Darcy Locke, Principal New Business Development, ACI
Ian Rehmert, Chief Risk Officer, Republic Finance