Welcome back to our Compliance Superhero Series! Every month, we highlight a compliance professional who we feel is doing excellent work and ask them about their background, their thoughts on the industry, and any hidden superpowers they have. I’ve reached out to Marvel about adding them to the next phase of the MCU, but in the meantime, you can get to know them here. This month, we’re highlighting Julie Tucker, a Compliance Manager at Sutton Bank. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Welcome! Tell me a little bit about yourself and your role at Sutton Bank.
I’ve been with with Sutton Bank three years this month, and it’s funny how the role has evolved over time. I was one of the first people to really be focused on compliance as we were building the team out, so I’ve really done a little bit of everything. I’ve been responsible for proactively reviewing any type of customer-facing collateral before it goes out, as well as reacting to anything that’s out there without our permission.
What was your path to the compliance space?
I have a weird background—my undergrad was athletic training. I worked in a clinic, and I thought I was going to go fully into physical therapy. But I realized that what I actually liked was the business side of things, so I went and got my MBA. That led me to want to learn even more, so I went back and got my JD, and I found that I really enjoyed tax law, which ultimately led me to the financial sector.
I got connected with Sutton Bank, and when they mentioned that they needed somebody to help with compliance, it all clicked into place. Having both a legal and a business background helped me have the right mindset going into compliance.
What compels you about the work you do?
Coming from the legal side, I like that there are clear rules about what you can and can’t do. I like rules! They create really clear boundaries and guidelines for what we are and aren’t allowed to say, and it’s a compelling challenge to reach our goals while still navigating within those boundaries. And it’s always something new every day—my day today won’t look like my day tomorrow, and that won’t look like the next day. Different fires are always popping up, especially because we aren’t your traditional bank. It keeps things entertaining!
What’s your biggest piece of advice for a successful compliance program?
Surround yourself with knowledge. Knowledge is power, and obtaining more can only help you be better at your job. That’s why I sign up for so much content from PerformLine, as well as newsletters, and articles, and any research I can get my hands on. I can go through it all every morning, and see what people are saying about UDAAP, and other regulations, and really feel like I understand the landscape so much better. Never stop learning.
How does PerformLine fit into the work you do?
You know, it’s funny, I think we use PerformLine a little differently than most companies. I want my rules to be as broad as possible, so we can catch as much as possible before it goes out into the world. And so PerformLine is able to catch all those things I wouldn’t be able to find otherwise, because it’s important to me to know what’s out there that I might not have seen otherwise. It’s so valuable to me. We don’t have the capacity to scour every single social media post, so having a single place that actually surfaces them to us is a big help.
What do you see happening within the compliance space in the next 1-2 years?
I think it’s going to look a lot different than it does now. The CFPB has come out and said that they’re going to be scrutinizing non-bank companies, and because we work with so many of that type of entity, we’re going to have to be ready. Everything they do is customer-driven, and we’re going to have to work within those boundaries to ensure that customers are never harmed or misled by the material we put out there.
What’s your secret superpower?
My memory is constantly surprising people. I have the ability to recall all of these random things on a wide range of topics and internal programs, and I don’t know how or why my brain thought to catalogue them, but it often comes in handy.
Rhonda McGill