Maryland Licensing Workgroup - Financial Regulation
Last reviewed/updated: November 4, 2025
The Maryland Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) leads the Maryland Licensing Workgroup, which was established by the General Assembly under House Bill 1516 and took effect on April 22, 2025. The Workgroup is charged with evaluating the State’s existing financial services licensing and registration framework and making recommendations to enhance efficiency, regulatory oversight, and consumer protections.
The Workgroup is required to:
- Review Maryland’s current licensing statutes and regulations across financial services sectors;
- Assess the efficacy of current licensing systems and structures;
- Evaluate whether additional financial service providers should be subject to licensing or registration;
- Analyze potential impacts on access to credit, market competitiveness, and consumer protection; and
- Submit a report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 31, 2025.
| WORKGROUP MEMBERS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
| Tony Salazar | Office of Financial Regulation, Maryland Department of Labor | Commissioner of Financial Regulation (Chair) |
| Ben Carney | Gordon, Wolf & Carney | Consumer Advocate |
| Emanwel Turnbull | The Holland Law Firm | Consumer Advocate |
| Marceline White | Economic Action Maryland | Consumer Advocate |
| Chris Rahl | Gordon Feinblatt | Banking Institution Representative |
| Kevin Kesecker | SECU of Maryland | Credit Union Representative |
| Nanci Weissgold | Alston & Bird | State Laws and Regulations, Lending and Consumer Finance Expertise |
| Matthew Calhoun | M&T Bank | Lending, Capital Markets, and Structured Finance Expertise |
| Appointment Pending | - | Nonbank Mortgage Representative |
| Appointment Pending | - | Member of the Public |
Workgroup Staff:
Kat Hyland, Deputy Commissioner, Financial Services & Consumer Protection (Chair Designee)
Clifford Charland, Assistant Commissioner, Financial Services Licensing & Supervision
Amy Hennen, Assistant Commissioner, Policy & Engagement
Arlene Williams, Licensing Director
Ayanna Daugherty, Senior Analyst
Emily Hanson, Counsel
Ken Krach, Counsel
Coordinator and Point of Contact:
Meredith Merchant, Financial Services Operations Director & Strategic Advisor
Email: meredith.merchant@maryland.gov | Phone: 410-230-6099
MEETING NOTICE
The first meeting of the Maryland Licensing Workgroup is scheduled for Friday, November 7th, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. The meeting may be accessed via Google Meet and will be available by telephone at 1-262-885-7022 (PIN 550 367 512#).
Posted on OFR website: November 3, 2025
MEETING DOCUMENTS
Meeting agendas, open session minutes, and any supplemental materials are linked below as pdfs. Documents are uploaded when they become publicly available.
November 7, 2025 — Agenda | Minutes | Supplemental Materials (pending)