Advisory & Integration

CEO Advisory assists credit unions through all phases of the merger process from initial planning through integration and beyond.

We have assisted dozens of credit unions in developing their strategic plans and growth/branching plans through the years.  Mergers have been a common theme in many growth plans as they are an effective way for credit unions to increase market share within existing markets and expand into new markets without the added cost of building out a new branch network organically.

Planning for mergers is one part.  Because most credit unions do not routinely do mergers, it is difficult to develop a core expertise in this area.  Therefore, credit unions are increasingly finding it more effective to partner with consultants on the various phases of the merger process.  Finding merger partners, maintaining positive momentum in discussions, cultural issues, approvals and integration are all challenging aspects of a successful merger.

Following is a partial list of services provided by CEO Advisory.  Please contact us at 206.390.4518 or use our contact form to discuss how we can be of assistance in helping your credit union meet your goals.

Board Presentations

As part of board continuing education and strategic planning sessions we provide a presentation on the state of mergers in the credit union industry.  These sessions are useful for boards considering merging into another or for credit unions embarking on expansion through mergers.  We tailor our presentation to your particular needs but generally provide an overview of merger trends, the drivers of mergers, insight into how the industry might look in the future, and offer practical tips on how to execute the merger strategy.

Merger Project Plan

CEO Advisory has developed a comprehensive merger collaboration system.  With our portal both credit unions will be able to share documents, calendars and tasks before the two credit unions share the same network and data system.  This complete project management system provides examples of 100s of tasks related to the credit union integration.  Both credit unions are then able to monitor progress, assign tasks, and blog about issues within a secure permission based system.  This system helps facilitate document sharing during due diligence, provides a portal for sharing creative during the announcement and member vote phases, as well as all the steps during integration.    We assist the credit unions during implementation with weekly meetings.

Merger RFP Responses

When your credit union finds itself in a competitive bidding process you want to make sure your credit union present itself in the best possible light.  Our trusted advisors can assist your credit union uncover the unique selling points of your credit union and find ways to clearly communicate these ideas with impact.  We assist your credit union not only craft logical response, but also one the impacts the decision-makers on an emotional basis.  A merger can offer tremendous benefits for your credit union so set your credit union apart with a professional RFP response and a persuasive board/executive committee PowerPoint presentation.

Branch Purchases & Sales

Optimizing your branch structure is paramount in running a successful credit union.  Your credit union may be faced with a situation of realigning its branch structure and need to divest itself of existing branches.  Alternatively, your credit union may be seeking to enter a new market by acquiring a new branch or branch network.  We provide confidential advisory services to assist you in valuing and executing this transaction.

Regulatory Process

For some of our clients we manage the regulatory approval and member vote process.  We provide the project plan and timelines.  Working with the credit unions and attorneys we develop the legal documents including confidentiality agreements, letter of intent, definitive agreements, FTC filings, NCUA filings, etc.

Growth Planning

Over the years we have worked with a number of credit unions on strategic growth plans.  Analyzing demographic market data, competition, MCIF files and financial resources we provide a plan prioritizing markets for expansion. We assess organic growth through branch development as well as mergers.  Using our proprietary algorithms we are able to quantify the best market investment options.

Strategic Planning

Developing a strategic plan that will give your credit union a competitive edge is a continuous challenge faced by CEOs and boards.  Our trusted advisors have years of experience in assisting CEOs craft strategies with organization alignment that will help propel the credit union toward further success.  We provide board planning facilitation and executive management strategy workshops.  We also offer presentations at board planning sessions covering topics such as growth planning, succession planning and mergers.

Branch Profitability Analysis

Using our financial model we assist credit unions in developing pro-forma of their projected branch profitability.  Most of our clients engage us prior to a new branch or headquarters implementation in order to get an independent third party validation to bring to the board of directors.  We have also been engaged subsequent to a branch implementation in order to help reset board expectations for branch profitability.