Episode 12: Regulatory and compliance need-to-know

January 20, 2026

America’s Credit Unions Vice President of Policy Engagement and Credit Union Operations Ann Petros and Head of Compliance Marilyn Barker join the podcast to talk about the regulatory and compliance environment. Petros dives into key agencies, their priorities for 2026, and the impact on credit unions. Barker gives the need-to-know compliance updates.

 

 
 

 

In this episode

Anthony Demangone, Chief Membership and Engagement Officer, America's Credit Unions 

Ann Petros, Vice President of Policy Engagement and Credit Union Operations, America's Credit Unions

Marilyn Barker, Head of Compliance, America's Credit Unions

Resources

Guest bio

Ann Petros serves as Vice President of Policy Engagement & Credit Union Operations at America’s Credit Unions. In her role, she oversees the association’s grassroots and state policy and compliance teams. Petros also leads the association's legal advocacy, managing all litigation matters. Previously, Petros served as Head of Regulatory Advocacy, leading the association’s advocacy to federal agencies, including the National Credit Union Administration and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Petros has also worked at a law firm focused on complex commercial litigation. 

Petros is a George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School graduate and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Florida State University. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Binghamton University. Petros is active in the Young Lawyers Division of the Virginia Bar Association and the American Bar Association. 

Marilyn Barker is currently the Head of Compliance for America’s Credit Unions. With over 30 years of experience in the banking and payments sector, Barker has represented many financial service companies in their legal and regulatory compliance matters, including fintechs involved in banking, global money services businesses (including remittance, prepaid, as well as virtual and digital currency companies), as well as payments processing. 

Barker served as an enforcement attorney in the Division of Banking Supervision with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and a senior attorney with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission.  Most notably, Barker also served as a project officer with FinCEN’s Office of Regulatory Policy and Programs Division and as a team leader for money services businesses and prepaid card industry matters. Also in that capacity, Barker provided guidance and developed policy for the administration of the BSA and AML regulations for financial institutions. She frequently lectured to foreign delegations from Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America on the U.S. regulation of money services businesses and informal value transfer systems from an AML and counter-terrorism financing perspective. Barker also served as a U.S. delegate to the Financial Action Task Force, an international body that develops and promotes policies designed to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Counter-Terrorism Financing Workshop in Melbourne, Australia.