I work for The Kafafian Group, a community financial institution consulting firm based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Many of my readers might not know what my firm does, so I want to dedicate this post to the problems we help community bankers solve.
Here is what The Kafafian Group does:
Performance Measurement- We measure a financial institution's line of business and product profitability on an outsourced basis. We feed customer profitability systems. We do this on an outsourced basis, meaning we custom build the model based on how the institution is managed. If line of business profitability, we follow the institution's org chart. If product profitability, we follow their
Contact Ben Crowley if you want this level of accountability at your institution: Benjamin T. Crowley - The Kafafian Group, Inc.
Strategic Planning- Unlike Performance Measurement where there are very few competitors to us, there are many competitors in strategic planning. We bring a team approach to the engagement using our knowledge from our industry experience and other lines of business to benefit clients. We tailor our service to the needs of the client without dogmatic and rigid processes, although we do suggest processes that work. We believe strategic plans should be made with the best possible data, using the best that your management team has to offer in terms of strategic direction. We suggest one-on-one interviews to avoid group think and uncover critical issues that are difficult to determine in groups. We make suggestions based on our experience, both in banking and with the hundreds of financial institutions we have had the honor to serve. We draft your plan based on data, interviews and a group retreat. We guide your institution into creating an operating plan, or the "how" to strategy execution. We develop projections based on what success would look like in plan execution. The plan should identify the institution you strive to become and chart your path to getting there. Without direction, any road is the right road. With a well thought out plan, course modifications can be made with confidence. Resources can be allocated efficiently. And personnel can be hired and developed with successful plan execution in mind. Some financial institutions consider strategic planning a regulatory exercise or look to do it themselves to save money. Is there a more important question than "what do we want to be?" and "how do we intend to differentiate?" An outside facilitator can ensure planning gets done in a disciplined process that gives your financial institution the best opportunity to succeed at serving its stakeholders.
We also perform ancillary services such as an institution's Risk Appetite statement, clarifying the risks the board and management are willing to take in plan execution. We also do Capital Planning, identifying how much capital will be needed for plan execution and capital impacts of various adverse events and how the institution would enhance capital should those events come to pass. We perform 360 strategic alternative reviews, identifying who a financial institution can reasonably purchase and how much they can pay, who would be strategic partner candidates, and who can buy the institution and how much they can pay. We do this unpassionately because knowing this information helps management teams create aspirational plans. We also do regulatory business plans for de novo banks, mutual to stock converting banks, and banks switching charters.
Contact me if you would like to discuss strategic planning or any of our ancillary services: Jeffrey P. Marsico - The Kafafian Group, Inc.
Process Improvement- In every institution we have served with process improvement services we have found onerous processes, inefficient technology utilization, and silos prohibiting a near frictionless employee or customer experience. Most of these engagements result in cost savings as resources are allocated to unneeded processes, or technology can do the job. Most seasoned bankers have been through these types of engagements and have a bad taste about them because overbearing consultants come in and make declarations and pronouncements. Not so with us. We take a partnership approach where we keep supervisors informed every step of the way so there are no surprises. We think the engagement goes smoother and our recommendations more informed if we ask, for example, the head of wire transfer why the system isn't used to its fullest or why the institution is applying belts and suspenders processes to sending a wire. Supervisors may not agree with one of our process improvement recommendations, but they'll know about them before they end up in our report. It is a solemn responsibility that the institution be better situated with scalable processes when we leave from a process improvement engagement than when we started.
Contact Jill Pursell if you are considering improving processes for scalability, near frictionless customer and/or employee experiences, and/or cost savings: Jill A. Pursell - The Kafafian Group, Inc.
Financial Advisory- Whole bank mergers and acquisitions, fee-based lines of business, branch transactions, fairness opinions, valuation services for private financial institutions, 360-degree strategic alternatives analysis, are all part and parcel to our Financial Advisory line of business. One client told us he felt he was getting JPMorgan service from a community financial institution consultancy, a duty we continuously sharpen in a changing environment and a badge we wear with honor. We consider this line of business complementary to our consultancy so we are responsive to client needs without the typical reticence to engage in talks about combining for fear of going down a slippery slope. Once a client determines to pursue a transaction based on the facts of it, we pursue it to achieve success based on the client's definition of success. We put our experience and transaction accomplishments against any in the business.
Contact Rich Trauger if you are considering a strategic combination or any of our ancillary services: Richard B. Trauger, Jr. - The Kafafian Group, Inc.
Management Advisory- We do a menu of different things based on our individual and collective skill sets that are difficult to categorize but fall under the Management Advisory umbrella. Examples of engagements we are or have executed on: interim executive officer, management assessments, board evaluations, executive coaching, technology implementation, organizational structure, general ledger mapping, data needs and governance, regulatory assistance based on formal orders or memorandums, etc. Our talented staff with over a century of banking and bank consulting experience are drawn upon to successfully complete the engagement to the client's satisfaction.
Contact Chris Jacobsen if you are considering an engagement that may fall under our expertise to see if we are a fit. Christopher Jacobsen - The Kafafian Group, Inc.
That's it! If you are a client, we sincerely thank you for your trust in us and leveraging our capabilities to improve your financial institution.
If you're thinking of becoming a client, please contact us. We are not pushy salespeople calling you weekly wondering "where are you at?" If we are a fit for your needs, let's roll!
Happy New Year!
~ Jeff
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