About MSB Advisors
MSB Advisors is the institutional-side brand of MSB Solutions. We advise the banks, payment processors, and infrastructure providers that engage with the money services sector. The work is informed by experience on both sides of the bank–MSB relationship — and that combination is rare.
Bank-side credentials matter
Most consultants who advise institutions on MSB risk have either banking experience or MSB operating experience. The founder of our firm has both, in depth.
Philip D. Laufman, AMLCA
Phil spent four years as Regional Vice President of South Florida Operations and East Coast Compliance Officer at Peninsula Bank — handling consumer and commercial lending, deposit operations, staff training in regulatory and compliance frameworks, and internal branch audits. Before Peninsula, seven years in branch banking at Barclay's Bank of New York and Citibank.
He then crossed the table. A driving force behind the expansion of American Quick Cash from a single store to six locations across Broward and Dade counties as a licensed check casher and payday advance provider. Now dedicated full-time to advisory work for both sides of the relationship.
Credentials: Anti-Money Laundering Certified Associate (AMLCA) through the Florida International Bankers Association. Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
Luis M. Valle-Lisboa, AMLCA
Luis came up through Great Western Bank and Glendale Federal Savings and Loan — branch banking operations, branch reconciliation, processing of subpoenas. In the money services business since 1999 — previously owner-operator of American Quick-Cash Centers in North Lauderdale, Florida. Has led compliance training sessions for MSBs accepted by Western Union and MoneyGram.
Credentials: Anti-Money Laundering Certified Associate (AMLCA) through the Florida International Bankers Association. Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
Why institutions hire us
Serving the MSB sector well requires understanding the underlying business model, transaction flows, customer base, regulatory obligations, and supervisory expectations. Institutions that consistently perform in the space develop frameworks that reflect how the sector actually operates — not how a generic financial services framework imagines it operates.
We help banks, processors, and institutional providers build those frameworks. Underwriting models, monitoring programs, governance structures, examination readiness, and ongoing operational support. The objective: programs that support growth, withstand scrutiny, and allow institutions to engage the sector with confidence.