Licensing & Compliance Solutions

Licensing & Compliance Solutions

Licensing & compliance solutions.

APPROVED provides business leaders with peace of mind and confidence that compliance obligations are being met while they focus on what they do best — serving customers and delivering value to stakeholders. We translate legal advice into licensing support servicesstate examination support and management and technology solutions designed to directly address the unique challenges faced by fintechs and other financial services companies.

Licensing & compliance solutions.

APPROVED provides business leaders with peace of mind and confidence that compliance obligations are being met while they focus on what they do best — serving customers and delivering value to stakeholders.

We translate legal advice into licensing support servicesstate examination support and management and technology solutions designed to directly address the unique challenges faced by fintechs and other financial services companies.

Guidance throughout the business lifecycle.

Our licensing and compliance professionals — along with attorneys from Orrick — draw upon years of combined industry and regulatory experience to develop, implement and optimize compliance programs that are legally sound and operationally effective. Whether working with a fintech startup to implement a licensing compliance program or helping a well-established mortgage servicer streamline its multistate reporting, APPROVED and Orrick provide clients with seamless advice throughout the business lifecycle.

Start-up

1. Startup

Licensing strategy and implementation.

No two financial services companies are identical. Orrick attorneys work with clients to understand their unique organizational structures and business goals and create licensing roadmaps that account for existing budgetary and legal requirements while planning for scalability.

Once a strategy is established, APPROVED’s licensing professionals can fully manage the preparation and submission of all required license applications, employing regulatory insights and best practices to avoid the many common roadblocks that threaten approval.

Business Optimization

2. Business optimization

Maintaining licensure.

Getting licensed is an essential part of starting a financial services company, but the work does not end there. APPROVED developed a licensing technology solution that provides users with an enterprise-wide view of their licensing obligations and collaborative  task management tools to make sure those obligations are being met.

APPROVED also provides a number of support services on a fixed-cost, annual basis for companies seeking to augment their compliance functions or fully outsource recurring tasks such as license renewals and periodic reporting.

Regulatory Compliance

3. Regulatory compliance

Examination preparation and management.

State regulatory examinations are a fact of life for licensed financial services companies, but they can distract from normal business operations and tax in-house resources. APPROVED offers consulting services that minimize disruption by helping clients prepare for examinations and managing the process when they happen.

These services supplement the extensive knowledge and experience of Orrick attorneys who advise clients through every stage of the examination process, from initial strategic planning to legal analysis of preliminary findings and assistance with post-examination matters.

Growth and Right-sizing

4. Growth and right‑sizing

Evaluation and impact assessment.

Geographic expansion or adding new products and services can significantly increase a company’s licensing obligations and regulatory risk profile. Alternatively, company repositioning and market factors may afford a smaller licensing footprint.

Orrick attorneys conduct regulatory surveys to help clients understand licensing implications when planning for growth or realignment and APPROVED can manage new license applications, surrenders or amendments following a business change.

Mergers and Acquisitions

5. Mergers and acquisitions

Due diligence and change management.

Regulatory compliance risk is a significant consideration for companies and investors contemplating transactions in the financial services industry. Orrick attorneys work with organizations to conduct licensing compliance audits when evaluating potential partnerships or acquisitions.

Post-close, APPROVED has the expertise and personnel to manage required license changes and augment compliance resources to minimize disruptions to business operations during the integration.