SVP, Chief Compliance Officer

Description

The SVP, Chief Compliance Officer, serves as the senior executive responsible for leading the organization’s compliance team and for developing, implementing, and overseeing the organization’s enterprise-wide compliance program across all banking and mortgage operations. This role ensures the company maintains full compliance with federal and state banking laws, mortgage regulations, consumer protection requirements, and internal policies. The CCO acts as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and the Board of Directors, providing strategic direction, regulatory insight, and risk mitigation recommendations to safeguard the company’s reputation and ensure operational integrity. 

This role delivers proactive oversight, timely identification and remediation of issues, and consistent adherence to federal and state requirements, resulting in clean audit and examination outcomes, reducing the potential for consumer harm, and well-controlled products and processes. The CCO fosters a culture of compliance, equips business leaders with clear guidance, and provides transparent, insightful reporting to executive management and the Board—ultimately safeguarding the company’s reputation, financial stability, and long-term regulatory standing. 

After one year as our SVP, Chief Compliance Officer, you will know you were successful if you are able to handle the following confidently and independently. 

Enterprise Compliance Leadership

• Lead the design, execution, and continuous improvement of the enterprise compliance management system (CMS) for both banking and mortgage business lines.
• Serve as the primary liaison to federal and state regulators (e.g., FDIC, Indiana Department of Financial Institutions, and CFPB).
• Provide regular reporting to the Board of Directors and executive leadership on compliance risk, examination results, emerging issues, and key metrics.

Regulatory Compliance Oversight

Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, including but not limited to: 

• Banking: BSA/AML, UDAP/UDAAP, EFTA, FCRA, FDCPA, GLBA, Reg B, Reg E, Reg CC, Reg DD
• Mortgage: RESPA, TILA/Reg Z, HMDA, ECOA, SAFE Act, TCPA, Fair Lending, and disclosure laws
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes; assess impact and lead implementation plans across the organization.

Compliance Program Development

• Oversee policies, procedures, training programs, testing and monitoring activities, complaint management, and issue remediation.
• Develop and maintain risk assessment methodologies for banking and mortgage processes.
• Partner with business leaders to embed compliance controls into products, operations, and customer interactions.

CRA, Fair Lending & Consumer Compliance Strategy

• Provide executive oversight of CRA performance, fair lending risk, HMDA and CRA data integrity, and consumer protection compliance.
• Draft and update as needed the organization’s CRA Strategic Plan.
• Work with business line leaders to establish goals under the organization’s CRA Strategic Plan and community development initiatives.
• Ensure robust fair lending analytics, data reviews, and targeted monitoring activities
• Schedule and track Community Development service and investment activities through the company’s MPACT program.

Regulatory Examinations & Audits

• Prepare the organization for regulatory exams, internal audits, and independent reviews.
• Coordinate exam activities, responses, documentation, and remediation efforts.
• Ensure timely resolution of findings and sustainable corrective action plans.

Risk Management & Governance

• Identify compliance risks and work proactively with senior leaders to implement mitigation strategies.
• Chair the organization’s Compliance Committee, whose membership includes key executive leaders.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop all Compliance team members.
• Establish performance goals, succession plans, and a culture of collaboration and accountability.

Requirements

What we are looking for...

Experience

• 12+ years of progressive compliance, risk, regulatory, or legal experience within the banking and/or mortgage industry.
• Deep knowledge of federal and state banking and mortgage regulations.
• Experience interfacing with regulators and managing examinations.
• Prior leadership of a compliance function or large compliance team.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership presence with ability to influence at all levels.
• Exceptional knowledge of regulatory frameworks and consumer protection requirements.
• Strategic thinker with a practical, solutions-oriented mindset.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• High integrity, judgment, and organizational awareness.

Core Competencies

• Executive Leadership
• Strategic Risk Management
• Regulatory Expertise
• Operational Excellence
• Ethical Decision Making
• Change Management
• Collaboration and Business Partnership

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree in Law, Business, Finance, or related field preferred.
• JD or CRCM certification strongly preferred.

About Merchants

Ranked as a top performing U.S. public bank by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Merchants Bancorp is a diversified bank holding company headquartered in Carmel, Indiana operating multiple segments, including Multi-family Mortgage Banking that offers multi-family housing and healthcare facility financing and servicing; Mortgage Warehousing that offers mortgage warehouse financing; and Banking that offers retail and correspondent residential mortgage banking, agricultural lending, and traditional community banking. Merchants Bancorp, with $18.8 billion in assets and $11.9 billion in deposits as of December 31, 2024, conducts its business primarily through its direct and indirect subsidiaries, Merchants Bank of Indiana, Merchants Capital Corp., Merchants Capital Investments, LLC, Merchants Capital Servicing, LLC, Merchants Asset Management, LLC, and Merchants Mortgage, a division of Merchants Bank of Indiana.
 

Merchants Bank and Merchants Capital have recently been honored with the 2025 USA Today Top Workplaces recognition, ranking 22nd nationally within the 500-999 employee category. This is the second year that Merchants has been recognized with this award. These accolades build on our strong history of workplace recognition, including being named a Best Place to Work in Indiana for seven consecutive years (2016–2022). For more information read the entire article here.