Like most fields, banking has its acronyms and shorthand. So it’s no surprise Caeri Chiaro speaks of TRID and HMDA and CRCM. Because Caeri provides a unique service at the bank, it’s also no surprise that many of us don’t know what she’s talking about! In her new role as vice president of lending compliance, she’ll have the continued responsibility of helping us make sense of rules and regulations and making sure we apply them appropriately.
While Caeri has held many jobs in her 16-year career at INB, this recent promotion is a testament to her tenacity. She takes great pride in being able to take the complex and break it down into understandable nuggets. She says, “My job is to make sure that we are clear in what we say to customers. Compliance helps us to make sure that we can keep doing what we do to help customers meet their financial goals.”
Caeri spends much of her time reading, reviewing and interpreting regulations for other bank employees. As she puts it, “I need to make sure that our systems and employees understand what needs to be done and why. There are A LOT of details to be sorted out, and that’s what I do.”
Understanding, Explanation Key Job Components
Caeri has recently been spending much of her time on Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (or HMDA, pronounced HUM-duh) a federal law that requires certain financial institutions to provide mortgage data to the public. “HMDA has been my life for the last year,” she says. “INB also recently hit the loan threshold to be considered a large mortgage loan servicer, so we had to make sure that all of those rules were implemented.”
Before these guidelines hit her plate, Caeri took on TRID, a mortgage disclosure rule whose initials are yet another acronym -- TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure. Caeri says, “At least we can always count on regulations to keep us busy!” To keep current, Caeri spends a lot of time reading, sitting in on webinars and taking part in training sessions. In other words, she spends a lot of her time learning. Formal education includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) designation. This accreditation is earned by compliance professionals who work in financial services and is a benchmark of excellence.
Loves the Challenge
Caeri earned her designation and degree – and has stuck with her most recent INB assignment as lending compliance officer -- because she loves the challenges. Her background working in our Mortgage Department as a loan servicer and underwriter were big plusses when she joined compliance in 2011. She’s also spent time in our branches, in the Commercial Department disbursing construction loans and accounting. Her diverse experiences make her exceptionally qualified for the job she does today.
Caeri’s office is in our Chatham branch, assuring she’s close to her home and kids. “I spend most of my time with my family,” she says. “I do a lot with my kids’ schools and their teams . . . Even though my son has graduated and moved on to college, I still volunteer as an official for the swim team at the Y.”
At the end of the day, whether volunteering or at the office, Caeri says it’s all about the people. And Caeri finds pride in having teamed up with good people both on and off the job.