Client Service

JLA has adopted a consulting model that provides more effective and efficient client service. First, we truly listen to our clients to fully understand their needs. Second, we staff projects with small and focused teams of highly experienced senior consultants who can make immediate contributions. Finally, we consistently deliver more value at less cost in terms of client time and resource requirements.

The following represents a partial list of our clients:

Allied Capital is a private equity investor with a portfolio composed of mezzanine and equity investments in middle market companies, non-investment grade tranches of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ALD, Allied Capital is one of the largest business development companies in the U.S., and has consistently paid dividends to shareholders since 1963.

The Chicago Federal Home Loan Bank is a $89 billion wholesale bank, serving the needs of member housing finance institutions located in Illinois and Wisconsin. The Chicago FHLB's mission is to work in tandem with member financial institutions in promoting housing finance. The Chicago FHLB offers the means for its members to enjoy the profits generated by an innovative third alternative to holding fixed rate loans in portfolio or selling them into the secondary market known as Mortgage Partnership Finance® Program (MPF®).

First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the global economy. As a leader in electronic commerce and payment services, First Data serves approximately 3.5 million merchant locations, 1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment.

GMAC Financial Services includes automotive financing, commercial finance, insurance and mortgage products, and real estate services. With a presence in 41 nations, GMAC is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Corporation.

Founded in 1914, The Risk Management Association (RMA) is a nonprofit, member-driven professional association whose sole purpose is to advance the use of sound risk principles in the financial services industry. RMA promotes an enterprise-wide approach to risk management that focuses on credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, RMA has 3,000 institutional members that include banks of all sizes as well as nonbank financial institutions. They are represented in the Association by 16,000 risk management professionals around the world.

Citigroup Smith Barney is a global, full-service financial firm, which provides brokerage, investment banking and asset management services to corporations, governments and individuals around the world. As a leader in the U.S. securities industry, the company’s core services include sales, research and trading for individuals and institutions, underwriting, advisory and specialty financing for corporations and government entities, mutual fund services, futures and asset management.

Client Projects

We have successfully completed client projects in nearly every aspect of risk management. Actual examples of client projects include:

• Enterprise Risk Management. Worked with a new CRO to establish an ERM program that integrated credit, market, and operational risks. Facilitated the development of a vision and multi-year ERM plan with specific milestones. Final deliverables also included an ERM framework, governance structure, risk policy, and dashboard reporting.
  
  
• Operational Risk Management. Developed an operational risk framework and methodology, including loss-event tracking, control self-assessment, key risk indicators, operational risk reporting, and insurance strategies. The operational risk methodology was fully piloted and successfully tested at two business units.
  
  
• Market Risk Management. Conducted an independent risk assessment and benchmark analysis of a market risk function, including recommendations on risk policies, risk-adjusted return measurement methodology, and back-testing procedures.
  
  
• Credit Risk Management. Redesigned the credit risk management process for a commercial bank, including credit policy and approval, origination and pricing, portfolio management, risk transfer, and problem asset management.
  
  
• Strategic Risk Management. Integrated risk analyses, early warning indicators, and risk responses within an existing strategic planning process. Also prototyped an ERM dashboard application.
  
  
• Economic Capital. Established an economic capital and RAROC system, including methodologies for matched-maturity transfer pricing, cost allocation, economic capital attribution, product and relationship pricing, and line-of-business value management.

In addition to the above consulting projects, JLA has also supported clients on special situations:

• CRO Support. Served as “acting CRO” in reviewing specific risk management strategies and transactions. Also served as “coach” in advising CROs in their program development.
  
  
• Expert Analysis. Worked with a major Wall Street law firm as an expert witness, and successfully defended a "bulge bucket" investment bank against a nine-figure claim from a mortgage hedge fund.
  
  
• Board Investigation. Conducted a special investigation for the audit committee of the board with respect to an internal control issue. Presented the report to the full board, and discussed root cause analysis and recommended mitigation strategies.
  
  
• Recruiting Support. Worked with the client’s executive recruiter in assessing candidates for senior level risk positions.