William Purce

Director of Mortgage Regulation at Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending

Speaker

William Purce serves as the Director of Mortgage Regulation for the Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (SML), bringing 36 years of experience regulating and supervising non-depository financial institutions. His expertise spans mortgage companies, mortgage bankers, mortgage servicers, loan and acceptance companies, property tax lenders, payday lenders, and pawnbrokers - making him one of the most experienced regulatory leaders in Texas’s consumer finance sector.

Since joining SML in April 2021, William has overseen the agency’s non-depository licensing and examination sections, which regulate more than 4,800 mortgage entities and approximately 44,000 residential mortgage loan originators. His leadership focuses on consistent regulatory oversight, industry accountability, and the protection of Texas consumers.

Prior to his work at SML, William spent the majority of his career at the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC), the state agency responsible for regulating, licensing, and supervising the non-depository consumer finance industry. Over his tenure, he held numerous roles culminating in his position as Senior Supervising Examiner, where he directed the Exam Review and Industry Submissions sections. William has also served as a subject matter expert in numerous trials, providing authoritative guidance on complex regulatory issues.

William played a pivotal role in developing the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System & Registry’s National Test with Uniform State Content, an accomplishment that continues to shape the professional standards of mortgage regulation nationwide.

He currently serves on the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators (AARMR) Board of Directors as the Vice President, the SRR Board of Managers and is a contributing committee member on the State Coordinating Committee. His prior service includes the CSBS NMLS Policy Committee and the Texas Mortgage Fraud Task Force.

An accomplished author, William has written extensively on regulatory topics, including Usury and the Truth-In-Lending Act: Fundamentals and Calculation Examples, published by the State Bar of Texas, as well as the 2024 and 2025 Report on Mortgage Lending in Texas.

William earned his BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.