Ms. Allen has practiced law in the financial services industry for more than 30 years, representing banks, financial institutions, non-bank creditors, business owners, insurance companies and bankruptcy trustees. Her current practice is focused on commercial loan recovery in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland from her remote location in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Education

• Cornell University, B.S.
• University of Wisconsin, M.S.
• South Texas College of Law, J.D., summa cum laude

Experience

• Counsel and represent clients seeking to collect debt or recover collateral from a defaulted commercial transaction, which can include commercial foreclosure, UCC sale of equipment and other property, receivership, resolution of real estate disputes or quiet title action, lien priority litigation, unraveling sale of tax lien, prosecuting fraudulent conveyance claims, defending and prosecuting actions in bankruptcy, and debt collection
• Counsel clients and prepare documentation for loan workouts and settlements
• Defend lender liability claims asserted against financial institutions in state and federal courts, in both commercial and consumer transactions
• Counsel financial institutions regarding compliance with federal and state consumer protection laws
• Experience as in-house counsel for Transamerica, Citigroup, SunTrust Mortgage, Inc., and Capital One Services, LLC involving a broad spectrum of activities in the financial services sector. For example, served as legal advisor to lending business lines, including operations, default servicing, capital markets, credit, audit and compliance; managed large litigation dockets and implementation of large settlements; managed documentation for mortgage servicing team procedures; and counseled business in legal issues related to mortgage insurance rescission and repurchase.

Distinctions

• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Named the Best Lawyers® 2017 "Lawyer of the Year" for Financial Services Regulation Law in Morgantown, W.Va.
• Nominated by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Financial Services Regulation Law

Admissions

• West Virginia State Bar
• Maryland State Bar
• Pennsylvania State Bar
• Texas State Bar
• United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia
• United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Pennsylvania
• United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Publications & Presentations

• Author, “A Refresher on the Sale of Tax Liens in West Virginia,” Parts One, Two and Three, West Virginia Banker, Winter 2018, Spring 2019 and Summer 2019
• Co-Author and Presenter, “Mortgage Servicing Overview,” DRI Commercial Litigation Seminar, May 2016
• Author, “2015 Legislative Changes to the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act,” West Virginia Banker, Summer 2015
• Author, “Sostaric v. Marshall: Putting the Foreclosure Sale Price in Question,” West Virginia Banker, Spring 2015
• Author, “Curing the QM: The CFPB’s Recent Amendments to the ATR/QM Rule,” West Virginia Banker, Winter 2014
• Author, “The Small Servicer Exemption to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Mortgage Servicing Rules,” West Virginia Banker, Summer 2014
• Author, “Preemption Analysis Under the National Bank Act: Then and Now,” 66 Consumer Fin. L. Q. Rep. 1-2, 2012, presented at the FDCC 2012 Annual Meeting, July-August 2012
• Author, Bankruptcy Fundamentals for the Financial Services Industry, A Handbook for Non-Lawyers, American Bankruptcy Institute, 2007
• Author, “Sommersdorf’s Progeny: Can Wrong Credit Report Trigger a Debtor Claim under the Code?,” XXVI ABI Journal 5, 14, June 2007
• Author, “Qualified Plan Loans in Bankruptcy,” XVIII ABI Journal 1, 16, February 1999
• Author, “Bankruptcy Court Ruling Good News for Agents,” 31 Business Insurance 1, 161-16K, January 6, 1997
• Author, “Beyond the Tortured Meanderings: Understanding Federal and State Tax Liens,” VII Corporate Counsel Review 2, 79, November, 1988
• Speaker at mortgage and consumer finance conferences

Community Involvement

• Member, Jefferson County Development Authority Board, Jefferson County, WV, 2011 - 2016