Fractional Chief Compliance Officer
A senior compliance leader who designs and runs your program, reports to leadership and the board, and manages regulator and bank-partner relationships.
Fractional Compliance · Licensing · Exam Readiness
Senior regulatory leadership for the companies building financial services.
Bank-level compliance expertise for fintech, payments and consumer finance companies, on a flexible, fractional basis. Launch, license and scale with confidence, without the cost of a full-time hire.
- 15+ years in regulated finance
- Former SVP & Deputy General Counsel
- Bilingual: English & Spanish
Recent experience includes work with
- LH Patient Capital
- Yapa
- Resect
Services
The compliance function you need, without the full-time hire.
Growing financial companies face the same regulators as the largest banks, often without a full compliance team. We bring senior judgment exactly where you need it, from your first license to your next exam.
Money Transmitter & State Licensing
Multi-state licensing strategy, NMLS applications, business plans and policies, regulator questions, renewals and change-of-control filings.
Consumer Finance Compliance
Product, disclosure and marketing reviews under CFPB rules, TILA, ECOA, FCRA and UDAAP, plus fair lending risk assessments.
Privacy & SOC 2 Readiness
GLBA, Regulation S-P and state privacy programs, plus SOC 2 readiness: policies, controls and evidence organized before the auditor arrives.
Exam & Audit Readiness
Mock exams, document request management, regulator meetings, written responses and remediation plans for federal and state examinations.
Vendor & Third-Party Risk
Third-party risk frameworks, due diligence, contract standards and ongoing oversight that satisfy bank partners and regulators.
Corporate Governance & Board AdvisoryBoard and committee governance, corporate secretary support and multi-entity structuring for regulated companies.
Investment Adviser, FINRA & Securities SupportMarketing review, offering document compliance and policy support for advisers, broker-dealers and fund platforms.
Our Approach
Clear priorities. Practical controls. A steady hand when regulators call.
Every engagement follows the same disciplined path, scaled to your stage and your risk.
01
Assess
We review your products, licenses, policies and controls against the rules that apply to you, then deliver a clear, prioritized gap list.
02
Build
We write or update the policies, procedures, controls and filings you need, designed for how your business actually runs.
03
Operate
We stay on as your fractional compliance lead: monitoring, testing, board reporting and managing regulator and partner relationships.
Ways to Work Together
Flexible engagements built around your stage.
Start with a defined project or bring us on as an ongoing part of your team. Every engagement begins with a no-cost consultation and a clear written scope.
Project
Licensing & Program Builds
A defined scope with clear deliverables and timelines.
- Money transmitter and lending license applications
- Compliance management system build
- Policy and procedure suites
- SOC 2 and privacy readiness
Recommended
Monthly Retainer
Fractional CCO
Ongoing compliance leadership for a predictable monthly fee.
- Named compliance officer for regulators and partners
- Monitoring, testing and board reporting
- Regulatory change management
- License renewals and reporting calendar
On Demand
Exam & Partner Support
Senior help when the stakes are highest.
- Regulatory exam preparation and response
- Bank-partner due diligence requests
- Remediation and corrective action plans
- Investor and M&A compliance diligence
Who We Work With
Built for companies moving fast in regulated markets.
From pre-launch startups to established lenders and sponsor-backed platforms, we help teams meet the expectations of regulators, examiners and bank partners.
Se habla español.Full service in English and Spanish, including work with teams and regulators in Puerto Rico.
Fintech & payments
Money transmitters
Stored-value providers
Consumer lenders
Healthcare & patient finance
Sales finance companies
Investment advisers
Broker-dealers
Sponsor-backed platforms
Banks & fintech partners
About the Founder
Bank-level experience, now on your side of the table.
Wendy González founded DePalma Regulatory Advisors to give growing financial companies the senior compliance and regulatory judgment usually found only inside large banks. She brings more than 15 years of legal and compliance leadership in regulated financial services, including serving as SVP and Deputy General Counsel at Santander Consumer USA.
She has led risk management and business control offices, directed an enterprise third-party risk program, advised on fair lending, CRA, BSA/AML and privacy, and served as corporate secretary to regulated boards and their audit and compliance committees. More recently she has brought that experience to fintech, payments and specialty finance companies building their compliance programs from the ground up.
She knows what regulators, examiners and bank partners expect to see, and how to get you there without slowing the business down.
Education
- LL.M., Business & Corporate Governance, Loyola University Chicago
- J.D., cum laude, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
- Directors Certification, University of Miami
- B.B.A., magna cum laude, University of Puerto Rico
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
FAQ
Common questions.
Don’t see your question here? Call or email and we’ll talk it through.
What is a fractional Chief Compliance Officer?
A fractional CCO is an experienced compliance leader who works with your company part-time or on retainer. You get senior judgment, a named point of contact for regulators and bank partners, and a working compliance program, at a fraction of the cost of a full-time executive.
Is DRA a law firm?
No. DePalma Regulatory Advisors is a compliance consulting firm. Wendy is a licensed attorney, and that background shapes how we work, but DRA does not provide legal services or legal advice. When a matter calls for a legal opinion, we work alongside your counsel.
Do I need a money transmitter license?
It depends on how funds move through your product, where your customers are and how your bank partnership is structured. We start by mapping your flow of funds and the states you serve, then assess your licensing needs and build a clear licensing strategy, coordinating with your counsel on any formal legal opinions.
How are engagements priced?
Projects such as license applications and program builds are scoped and priced up front. Ongoing fractional CCO support is offered on a monthly retainer. Your first consultation is free, and you’ll receive a written scope before any work begins.
Do you work with companies outside Texas?
Yes. We are based in Grapevine, Texas, and work with clients nationwide. Most engagements run remotely, with in-person meetings when they matter.
Can you support us in Spanish?
Sí. Wendy is fully bilingual and regularly works in both English and Spanish, including with teams and regulators in Puerto Rico.
Get Started
Get compliant before you need to be.
Tell us where you are and what is next. Your first consultation is a no-cost conversation about your licensing and compliance needs.
DRA provides regulatory compliance consulting, not legal services.