Laura Waters
Laura Waters joined SMBC MANUBANK in January 2022 and currently serves as Managing Director, Chief Compliance Officer. As the bank’s Chief Compliance Officer, she is responsible for the Corporate, Consumer and Financial Crimes Compliance programs. As a respected Compliance Executive, Laura brings extensive senior-level banking experience at Fortune 100 financial institutions. She is a proven, results-oriented leader, adept at developing and delivering large-scale regulatory and compliance programs, as well as identifying compliant solutions that meet business needs.
In her first role with SMBC MANUBANK as Head of Compliance – Digital Bank, Laura built and implemented a robust consumer compliance program to support the launch of the Jenius Bank division. Previous positions she held before joining SMBC MANUBANK include Chief Compliance Officer at USAA Federal Savings Bank; Vice President, Enterprise Compliance at USAA, where she established a Bank Holding Company Compliance Program; and Vice President Compliance at Marcus.
In an especially notable role as Head of U.S. Consumer Compliance and Regulatory Practices at American Express, Laura oversaw the U.S. Credit Card, global Prepaid, global Travel, global Insurance, Enterprise Digital, enterprise Fair Lending and UDAAP Compliance programs.
Laura earned her Bachelor of Arts in economics from Bucknell University, and is a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager.