Press Release

APPROVED expands team with two key additions

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 28, 2019) APPROVED, Buckley's licensing service for financial services companies, announces the addition of two key players as it expands its state examination management and California licensing capabilities — Kristie Battershell and Debbie Stopeck.

“We continue to build APPROVED by attracting talented people with deep knowledge of the licensing process who know how to make licensing as painless as possible for our clients,” said Tim Lange, Founder & COO of APPROVED. “Kristie and Debbie bring unique skillsets, strengthening a team that provides an outstanding level of service in the marketplace.”

Kristie, who joins APPROVED’s leadership team as a Director, spent more than 13 years at Quicken Loans, where she was responsible for oversight of all banker and company licensing, regulatory reporting, and all state, federal, and investor examinations for the company. Leveraging Mogy, APPROVED’s proprietary licensing regtech platform, Kristie will develop and oversee a process to assist clients in coordinating and managing state examinations  that will combine advisory services and technology solutions for Buckley and APPROVED clients.

Debbie, who joins APPROVED as a Senior Program Manager, spent over 30 years at the California Department of Business Oversight, managing the licensing regime for businesses operating under the California Financing Law (CFL) and the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. At APPROVED, she will develop a comprehensive licensing consulting practice to assist clients who are currently CFL-eligible as well as those planning to expand into one of the largest consumer finance markets in the country.

“Companies can benefit from on-the-ground experience to manage licensing compliance and state examinations quickly and efficiently,” said Katy Ryan, a partner at Buckley and Founder of APPROVED. “Talented additions like Kristie and Debbie provide operational and technical depth to support clients, and make APPROVED a seamless complement to Buckley’s leading financial services regulatory and enforcement practices.”

APPROVED — a licensing service for financial services companies — is part of Buckley, a law firm with extensive experience in financial services. APPROVED’s technology-enabled approach is designed to make the licensing approval, compliance, and examination process smarter, more predictable, and more streamlined than ever before.

With offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and London, Buckley LLP offers premier enforcement, litigation, compliance, regulatory, and transactional services to financial services institutions and early stage and leading fintech and technology companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds, investment companies, and corporate and individual clients throughout the world. "The best at what they do in the country." (Chambers USA)

© 2019 Buckley LLP. Buckley®, APPROVED®, the APPROVED box logo, and the APPROVED checkbox icon are registered service marks of Buckley LLP. Mogy and the Buckley logo are also service marks of Buckley LLP.