OUR CLIENTS
Our clients include many of the top performing banks in South Florida. including the following:
CLIENT STORY // 01
One of our longest client relationships goes back over 7 years of continuous engagements. The Bank emerged from the Real Estate Meltdown severely injured by many non performing loans and investments with NPA's over 30% of assets. Capital also took a big hit as it did with almost all local banks due to staggering write-downs and provisions for losses.
The Bank needed to get a handle on its workout efforts for loans and also work on recapitalization plans. They engaged us to review their loan workout reporting processes and make changes to automate and improve efficiency. They had a separate excel spreadsheet for each loan being worked out with several sheets related to cash flows, taxes, collateralization, workout plans, etc. They also had to report these loans under FAS 114 as part of their ALLL calculation. Inputs from the spreadsheets were manually entered into the report for the weekly loan committee meetings. This required days of preparation. We created macros to automatically pick up key fields in each of the files and update the report automatically at the click of a button. We also added information on when the file was last updated so they could see which properties needed updating prior to a meeting.
This project saved the bank several days per week of input and provided real time updates on file status saving thousands of hours per year. In addition, the summary report contained drill down capability so they could investigate any unusual entries or get more information in the detailed files during the meetings.
After recapitalizing the Bank, they were interested in potential acquisitions. They wanted to prescreen potential targets on their own before engaging an investment bank to look into it. We used a commonly available reporting service to run peer comparisons, detailed reports on targets and proforma financials on the impact of an acquisition on the strategic plans. The Bank chose to forgo any acquisitions but saved huge sums in investment banking fees while investigating the market.
Finally, the Bank needed help with its Asset Liability Management process. It did not have the internal expertise to do this so they engaged us to fill in gaps in the ALM reporting such as deposit studies, prepayment analysis, margin analysis, etc. We also validated the quartlery reports from an external vendor and created summary reports for their ALCO committee along with talking points for the CFO. We have done this since 2010. The Bank saves money by outsourcing this process to us and and gets high marks with the regulators on their program.
CLIENT STORY // 02
Another of our better clients had issues with their ALLL process and brought us in to update their methodology including quantitive and qualitative factors, and automate reporting. We first addressed the ALLL methodology to one used by several other local banks and had been accepted by regulators.
Next, we took all the separate excel files they used and consolidated these in an Access Database that updated on request directly from a file from the loan system. We created professional looking standard reports in Access that could be run automatically and required minimal intervention.
After this, they wanted to address issues in reporting from various areas. We developed a file that all areas could utilize and would represent a standard version of the truth in reporting. The result was no more reports with inconsistent results. We created a process where each area was responsible for validating certain fields and also exception reports showing what needed to be updated or investigated.
Our work was done in Access and then we worked with IT developers to transfer the sequel queries (SQL) and data sources into a data mart that ran monthly. The results were impressive. Monthly reporting was automated and validated as part of a new process.
Next, as is usually the case, they asked us to look at their ALM process. We found huge data issues from missing information, incorrectly formatted rates, etc. We expanded the data mart to include these fields with reports the Treasurer could review each month. We then re-implemented their Sendero model to properly capture and model their products. The results were finally accurate and presented a very different and expected picture of their rate sensitivity.
This was all followed by training of staff to properly load, validate and create reports. The Bank was thrilled with the results.