Stephen Hladik, Legal League Advisory Council Chair and Partner with Hladik, Onorato & Federman LLP, is the former Deputy Attorney General in charge of the Harrisburg office of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection. Hladik brings a broad range of experience to his mortgage foreclosure, bankruptcy, tax sale, and UDAP legal practice.
A graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, Hladik obtained his law degree from Widener University, with honors, where he served as Internal Managing Editor of the Law Review. Hladik gained significant expertise in lending law enforcement while serving in the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, managing Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices (UDAP), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and Truth in Lending Act (TILA) cases.
Hladik attended the recent Legal League Spring 2025 Servicer Summit at the Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas, a gathering of the nation’s elite financial services law firms, discussing default policies, procedures, and emerging issues with leading mortgage servicing executives.
Hladik kicked off the day’s events, along with Five Star’s Director of Legal League David J. Mulkay, providing attendees with a preview of the day’s agenda during his Welcome Remarks.
In addition to delivering the Welcome Remarks, Hladik hosted a Fireside Chat featuring John Abel, Chief Deputy Attorney General of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. With more than 25 years of experience, Abel discussed his path to becoming a prominent advocate for consumer rights, offering his insight into the pivotal role that State Attorneys General play in enforcing consumer protection laws, and how they collaborate across state lines to hold businesses accountable. Abel also discussed the hot button topic of the CFPB’s role in today’s marketplace, as the Bureau evolves under the Trump administration.
Finally, Hladik joined a panel of experts during the “Litigation Issues Affecting Foreclosures and Bankruptcies 2025” session, which explored the latest litigation challenges in foreclosures and bankruptcies, including emerging “standing” issues and the use of federal servicing regulations as defenses. Hladik, and his fellow panelists David Demers, Partner with Cooke Demers; LeAllen Frost, VP and Associate General Counsel-Head of Legal Operations with Mr. Cooper; and Matthew Podmenik, General Counsel and Managing Partner-Southwest with McCarthy Holthus LLP also examined FCRA and FDCPA claims, with a focus on Pay-to-Play Fee Litigation, allegations of redlining or “kickback schemes,” and inflated or uncollectible fees.
“It’s been a hectic and busy Conference which is a good thing,” said Hladik. “We are pleased at the turnout and it’s great to have the lending community here, we really appreciate that. Topics on everyone’s mind include the future of the CFPB and the future of regulatory actions which has been discussed at multiple panels, and it’s the same consensus that we just ‘don’t know!’”
MortgagePoint had a chance to catch up with Hladik during the Spring Servicer Summit to get his thoughts on the latest regulatory headwinds, the CFPB, the accomplishments of Legal League over his term as Chair of the group, and his personal takeaways from the Legal League Spring 2025 Servicer Summit. You can view the full interview with Hladik below.
For more from Five Star and Legal League, be sure to mark your calendars for the Five Star Government Forum on April 16 in Washington, D.C., and the 2025 Five Star Conference & Expo, set for September 29-October 1 in Dallas.
