Not Your Typical
Corporate Attorney
Colin Darke built Rocket Loans' compliance function from the ground up, co-founded what became the American Fintech Council, and paints with both hands simultaneously — featured on Good Morning America and Ripley's Believe It or Not.
"Drawing from my experience as Chief Compliance Officer at Rocket Loans, I was continually disappointed with the limited practicality of costly consultants. Often, they'd hand over slide decks, spreadsheets, and lengthy memos — all missing the mark on real, tangible solutions to pressing problems. We've set out to redefine that approach."
Built It From the Inside
This isn't a lawyer who's only billed hours advising fintechs from the outside. He built the compliance function himself, from inside the building, at scale.
Co-Founder, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
Rocket Loans
- Joined at genesis of Rocket's fintech lending arm
- Built entire compliance management system from scratch
- Sat on Executive Team and Board
- Negotiated $1B+ in forward flow commitments
- Part of team that took Rocket Companies public (NYSE: RKT, 2020)
- Secured federal government contract
Co-Founder & Inaugural Chairman
Online Lending Policy Institute (OLPI)
- Built nonprofit policy organization from zero
- Hosted annual DC summit with senators, congressmen, regulators
- Merged with MLA to form American Fintech Council (2021)
- Now Senior Advisor to AFC for Training & Educational Programming
Associate General Counsel / VP
Flagstar Bank
- In-house counsel on bank side of fintech partnerships
- Dodd-Frank, TILA, ECOA, FCRA, FDCPA, SCRA compliance
- Consumer lending and mortgage regulatory matters
Associate Attorney
Bodman PLC
- Bank regulatory and debtor-creditor/bankruptcy practice
- Worked on GM and Chrysler bankruptcies
- Chambers USA-ranked Michigan top firm for Banking & Finance
Academic Foundation
LL.M., Banking & Financial Law
Boston University School of Law
LL.M. Scholar (full scholarship), A. John Serino Outstanding Graduate Banking Law Student Prize
Research assistant to Professor Tamar Frankel on securitization treatise
J.D.
Michigan State University College of Law
Cum Laude, Dean's List every semester
B.F.A., Fine Arts
Royal Scottish Academy of Art, Glasgow
The foundation for "The Ambidextrous Artist"
Bar Admissions: Michigan, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts
Not Just a Lawyer —
A Working Artist
Colin holds a B.F.A. in Fine Arts from the Royal Scottish Academy of Art in Glasgow. As "The Ambidextrous Artist," he paints with both hands simultaneously — a talent that caught the attention of Good Morning America and Ripley's Believe It or Not.
Ripley's Believe It or Not
Recognized for the extraordinary ability to paint detailed works using both hands simultaneously — a rare ambidextrous talent.
Featured in print and onlineWatch Colin in Action
Compliance expertise meets creative thinking
Compliance Interview
Insights on fintech regulatory landscape
Good Morning America Feature
The Ambidextrous Artist spotlight
Ready to Work with Colin?
Get fractional general counsel services from someone who's actually built compliance programs from the inside — not just advised on them.