Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Phone
Timeline
Generic

BRIAN H. SCHMIDT

Encinitas,USA

Summary

Senior executive as CEO of division of public company and prior experience as General Counsel of multiple financial service companies. A proven track record of out-performing general industry growth and and gaining market share and increasing margins. Primary strength and experience in product innovation and M&A. (risk management, product development, regulatory issues, acquisitions and divestitures, contract management, privacy, government relations, public relations, corporate governance, securities/SEC reporting and litigation. (A hands-on, trusted business partner with the ability to lead teams to provide proactive, creative solutions while effectively mitigating risk.)

Overview

36
36
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Chief Executive Officer

SANTA BARBARA TAX PRODUCTS GROUP
01.2016 - Current
  • Company Overview: Green Dot is a fintech and a bank holding company committed to delivering best-in-class payment solutions
  • Santa Barbara Tax Products Group, the leading tax financial services provider, was owned by private equity and was sold to Green Dot in 2014
  • Lead highest performing division within Green Dot with significant growth driving EBITDA from $43M to >$75M (a CAGR of +8%) in an industry with low growth of usually no more 2% in tax returns and declining total industry Refund Transfers
  • Focused on diversification by reducing reliance on lower-growth Refund Transfers which five years ago represented 95% of revenue and now represents 65%
  • Drove margin expansion by employee efficiencies (combination of departments, reduction of number of managers, and elimination of positions), re-negotiating vendor agreements, in-sourcing certain third-party services, and process improvements
  • Significant time managing technology, including buildout and launch of new platform and enhancing processes by launching detailed roadmap process for all technology projects
  • Managed all technology projects to stay within capex and opex budget, despite
  • Built and developed high-performing team, organizing regular 1:1 calls with SBTPG senior team and each employee and skip-level calls to help with personal development
  • Initiated most of the innovation in the Refund Transfer industry over past five years, including tax preparation collection products, variations in taxpayer loan products to lower bad debt, check fees, SBTPG fee on each Document Preparation Fee, Real Time Payments ($25 to receive your refund up to five days early), Prep Paid (A/R tool for non-Refund Transfer EROs/CPAs to collect tax preparation fees through charge to ERO rather than to employee), marketing subscription fees, assistance with IRS business credits, and an ERO 'marketplace' to be able to launch other products
  • Effective rollout of Refund Transfer price increase – rest of industry did not follow; however, we grew Refund Transfers by 9% in same season as price increase
  • In 2024, reversed trend of declining average number of Refund Transfers per office, to have positive growth in average Refund Transfers
  • Serve as one of most tenured members of Green Dot Executive leadership team through significant Green Dot personnel changes (seven supervisors over nine years)
  • Green Dot is a fintech and a bank holding company committed to delivering best-in-class payment solutions
  • Santa Barbara Tax Products Group, the leading tax financial services provider, was owned by private equity and was sold to Green Dot in 2014

Chief Legal Officer

TMX FINANCE, LLC
01.2012 - 01.2014
  • Company Overview: An SEC-reporting finance company with 1000 retail locations and, over 4000 employees and revenue in excess of $800 million
  • Acquired by CCF Holdings in 2023
  • Responsible for legal, product development, government relations, compliance and human resources
  • Led development of multiple new loan products in over 20 states
  • Developed legal, government relations and regulatory strategies regarding expansion of stores and products in light of applicable laws and regulations
  • Built company’s first compliance department
  • Part of strategic team that developed online loan business
  • Primary negotiator for all of company’s agreements
  • Led development of government relations strategies including successfully obtaining legislative exceptions to mitigate risk
  • An SEC-reporting finance company with 1000 retail locations and, over 4000 employees and revenue in excess of $800 million
  • Acquired by CCF Holdings in 2023

Various Positions up to General Counsel, Retail Operations

H&R BLOCK, INC.
01.1994 - 01.2012
  • Company Overview: One of the world’s largest tax preparation firms with over 11,000 retail company-owned and franchise offices, H&R Block, Inc., is a NYSE and Fortune 500 company
  • Responsible for general counsel duties related to U.S
  • And international tax retail and digital, and H&R Block Bank
  • Responsible for Legal, Compliance, and Risk leading team of >30 professionals
  • Served on International Advisory Board helping to establish financial and business operations in other countries, including the U.K
  • And Brazil
  • Served on boards of new lines of businesses, including payroll services and non-H&R Block branded tax franchises
  • Focused much of time on issues related to tax financial products, including the development of Emerald Advance (a November/December loan), Emerald Card and account, a guaranteed approval loan product, free Refund Transfers, and Peace of Mind (payment of tax if error made on return)
  • Led strategy teams on financial products
  • Handled federal and state regulatory issues and investigations regarding products, services and practices, including Attorney General and Congressional inquiries
  • Led all phases of M&A, including the acquisition of over 1,000 tax firms, 30 regional accounting firms integrated into RSM McGladrey, mortgage company and other businesses, including negotiations, leading due diligence teams, developing the modeling to evaluate the purchase, assisting in the integration of the businesses and tracking performance of the acquisition vs
  • The modeling
  • Responsible for legal related to RSM McGladrey, a top five accounting firm
  • Led numerous business initiatives to increase efficiency, including e-signature process for taxpayers, automating various manual processes, simplifying consumer documents, and implementing new quality control processes
  • Managed group’s budget including implementing RFPs for first time at company to reduce costs of vendors
  • Assisted in various antitrust issues, including pricing strategies and Hart-Scott-Rodino filings
  • Primary legal negotiator for most of the company’s major contracts
  • Increased efficiency of legal department by implementing standardized processes within legal such as standardized agreements and electronic approval processes
  • One of the world’s largest tax preparation firms with over 11,000 retail company-owned and franchise offices, H&R Block, Inc., is a NYSE and Fortune 500 company

Associate

DYSART TAYLOR LAY COTTER & MCMONIGLE, P.C.
01.1989 - 01.1994
  • Focus on M&A and other corporate transactions

Education

Juris Doctorate -

University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law
01.1989

Bachelor of Science - Business Administration (Finance)

University of Missouri - Columbia
01.1986

Skills

  • Organizational leadership
  • Executive leadership
  • Risk management
  • Staff management

Certification

  • Missouri
  • Kansas

Phone

mobile, 843-505-3200

Timeline

Chief Executive Officer

SANTA BARBARA TAX PRODUCTS GROUP
01.2016 - Current

Chief Legal Officer

TMX FINANCE, LLC
01.2012 - 01.2014

Various Positions up to General Counsel, Retail Operations

H&R BLOCK, INC.
01.1994 - 01.2012

Associate

DYSART TAYLOR LAY COTTER & MCMONIGLE, P.C.
01.1989 - 01.1994

Bachelor of Science - Business Administration (Finance)

University of Missouri - Columbia

Juris Doctorate -

University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law

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