Steve Van Beek has left NAFCU to join the law practice of Howard & Howard at the firm's office in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak, Mich.

After serving as a director, Van Beek had been named the trade group's vice president of regulatory compliance this summer.

He has extensive knowledge about CFPB and NCUA regulations and underlying laws and has been a frequent speaker at industry events, as well as the author of the NAFCU Compliance Blog, his new law firm said in its announcement.

At Howard & Howard, Van Beek will join Michael Bell, a business law attorney who has counseled credit unions in their groundbreaking acquisition of banks.

“Over the past couple years I have taken my practice national, focusing on M & A transactions and strategic issues.  The addition of Steve will complement our menu of services by bringing specific expertise in the area of compliance,” Bell said.

“This is timely due to the well-known 'compliance crisis' that is causing so much trouble for credit unions,” Bell said Wednesday.

Van Beek is a 2004 graduate of Hope College in Holland, Mich., and a 2007 graduate of George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Va.