Leslie Parrish is a senior analyst with Aite Group’s Retail Banking practice, focusing on consumer lending.
Ms. Parrish was one of the initial employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal financial regulator. Her role entailed engaging with lenders and helping to develop the bureau’s strategy and policies related to small-dollar loans offered by banks, nonbanks, and fintech firms. Later, she authored research publications to inform rule-making efforts on small-dollar loans, overdraft programs, and debt collection. Before her work at the bureau, Ms. Parrish spent over 10 years working on public policy issues related to financial services, financial inclusion, and consumer protection. Through this work, she developed expertise in a number of financial products and services, including student loans, mortgages, and unsecured loans marketed to nonprime consumers, as well as in debt relief strategies. 
Ms. Parrish holds a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.