Featured Solutions
Feasibility Studies
Conducts customized feasibility studies to evaluate merits of forming and operating trust departments and trust companies, providing essential, comprehensive decision-critical information necessary to make informed decisions coupled with supporting documentation of findings and observations.
Charter Applications
Assists organizations in preparing charter applications, including preparation of business plans and coordinating the process with regulators.
Trust Accounting Systems Evaluations
Conducts unbiased, objective trust client needs assessments, systems evaluations, vendor searches, vendor recommendations, price and contract provision negotiations and conversion management consistent with an added focus on helping relieve time-commitment, expense and burdens often associated with the process. Service is provided as an annual vendor due diligence assessment as well as a comprehensive evaluation of alternative solutions.
Enterprise Business and Risk Assessments
Conducts assessments to evaluate conditions and success opportunities of trust organizations focusing on fiduciary and business risks along with compliance with laws and regulations and adherence to sound business principles. Evaluations can include an analysis of organizational and operational structure, compliance, risk management, markets, competition, industry trends, vision and corporate culture as well as systems, processes and controls.
Assessment provides essential, decision-critical information needed to render informed decisions coupled with supporting documentation to justify conclusions.
Analysis includes an evaluation of:
o Underlying fiduciary risks
o Operating costs
o Capitalization requirements
o Market demand
o Competitive threats
o Regulatory environment
o Alternative options
Additionally, assessment offers observations and perspectives on:
o Financial projections
o Profitability timelines
o Distribution channels
o Business lines
o Corporate and organizational structures
o Investment approach
o Systems, process and controls
o Staff requirements
o Vendor evaluations
Depth and breadth of project varies dependent on client needs. Project includes client debriefing followed by a comprehensive written report.
Crisis Management
Offers both interim and extended on-site and remote crisis management and support services, including trouble-shooting, fraud detection/resolution and defusing of highly-sensitive situations.
Turnaround Specialists
Offers extensive, hands-on services in re-engineering community trust departments experiencing weak organizational and operational infrastructures, fiduciary exposure, non-compliance matters, weak market demand, low fee structures and similar issues.
Expert Witness Defense
Provides expert witness services relative to breach of fiduciary duty in areas of Uniform Prudent Investor Act, Restatement (Third) of Trusts and ERISA. Services include breach of fiduciary duty, portfolio management; standards of conduct; Modern Portfolio Theory, fee structure and adherence to trust principles.
Acquisitions / Divestitures
Offers consulting services to financial organizations seeking to acquire or divest a book of trust business or trust company, including identifying leads and prospects along with offering general consulting, advising, researching and similar services but specifically absent of any responsibility, power or authority to negotiate sales price or terms of transaction with prospective buyers.
Valuations
Conduct valuations of books of trust business, trust companies, community banks and RIAs. Valuation tools, approaches and strategies include financial information analysis, discounting cash flow models and comparison of similar businesses and transactions, while factoring in business cycles, development stage, regulatory environment and valuation purposes.
Marketing & Sales Strategies
Offers customized marketing and strategies to help trust organizations focus on aligning products and services with customer needs and expectations, selecting appropriate delivery channels and executing marketing initiatives that deliver value-added customer benefits.