At CCG Catalyst, we understand that navigating the complex landscape of risk and regulatory compliance is critical for financial institutions to thrive in today’s highly scrutinized environment. Our advisory services are designed to empower banks, credit unions, and other financial entities to proactively manage risks, ensure compliance with evolving regulations, and foster sustainable growth. With a team of seasoned experts, we deliver tailored solutions that address the unique challenges faced by our clients, helping them build resilient compliance frameworks and mitigate risks effectively.

Compliance & Risk Assessments

We conduct comprehensive compliance and risk assessments to identify gaps, vulnerabilities, and areas of non-compliance within your organization. By evaluating your current processes against regulatory requirements and industry best practices, we provide actionable insights to strengthen your compliance program. Our assessments cover a wide range of regulations, including federal and state banking laws, ensuring your institution is prepared for audits and examinations.

Compliance Review

Our compliance review services focus on evaluating your adherence to regulatory mandates, internal policies, and industry standards. We perform in-depth reviews of your compliance management systems (CMS), including documentation, training, monitoring, and reporting processes. This ensures your institution remains compliant with regulations such as those enforced by the FDIC, OCC, CFPB, and other governing bodies, while also identifying opportunities for improvement.

Risk Review

Our risk review services provide a detailed analysis of your institution’s risk exposure across various domains, including credit, operational, market, and compliance risks. We employ a risk-based approach to prioritize areas of concern, offering recommendations to mitigate identified risks and align with your strategic objectives. This holistic review helps safeguard your institution from potential financial, reputational, and regulatory consequences.

Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) Review

We specialize in BSA/AML reviews to ensure your institution complies with the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering regulations. Our team assesses your BSA/AML program, including customer due diligence (CDD), suspicious activity reporting (SAR), transaction monitoring, and training programs. We help identify weaknesses in your processes and provide recommendations to strengthen your defenses against financial crimes, ensuring alignment with FinCEN guidelines and other regulatory expectations.

Policies & Procedures

Effective policies and procedures are the backbone of a robust compliance framework. We assist in developing, reviewing, and updating your institution’s policies and procedures to reflect current regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Our services ensure that your documentation is clear, comprehensive, and tailored to your operational needs, reducing the risk of non-compliance and enhancing internal controls.

Vendor Management

Third-party relationships can introduce significant risks if not properly managed. Our vendor management services help you establish a risk-based approach to selecting, onboarding, and monitoring vendors. We review vendor contracts, assess due diligence processes, and ensure compliance with regulatory guidance, such as the OCC’s third-party risk management requirements. This helps mitigate operational, reputational, and compliance risks associated with vendor relationships.

Operational Risk Review

Operational risks can disrupt business continuity and lead to financial losses. Our operational risk review services evaluate your processes, systems, and controls to identify potential vulnerabilities. We focus on areas such as IT security, fraud prevention, business continuity planning, and internal controls, providing recommendations to enhance operational resilience and minimize disruptions.

Fair Lending

Fair lending compliance is a critical priority for financial institutions. We conduct thorough reviews of your lending practices to ensure compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Fair Housing Act (FHA), and other anti-discrimination laws. Our services include analyzing loan data, underwriting processes, pricing models, and marketing strategies to identify potential disparities and ensure equitable treatment of all customers.

Real-World Impact:

Below are Client Engagements of how CCG Catalyst has supported banks and credit unions in addressing their risk and regulatory compliance challenges (these examples are anonymized to protect client confidentiality):

• Community Bank (Midwest, USA): A regional community bank faced challenges in updating its BSA/AML program to meet heightened regulatory scrutiny. CCG Catalyst conducted a comprehensive BSA/AML review, identifying gaps in their transaction monitoring system and customer due diligence processes. We provided a detailed remediation plan, including updated policies and procedures, staff training, and technology recommendations, enabling the bank to pass its next regulatory examination with no findings.
• Credit Union (Southwest, USA): A mid-sized credit union struggled with fair lending compliance after noticing disparities in loan approval rates across demographic groups. CCG Catalyst performed a fair lending analysis, reviewing loan data and underwriting practices. We identified inconsistencies in documentation and recommended adjustments to their pricing model, along with enhanced staff training on fair lending principles. The credit union avoided potential penalties and improved its lending practices.
• Regional Bank (Southeast, USA): A regional bank needed assistance with vendor management following a regulatory warning about inadequate oversight of third-party providers. CCG Catalyst implemented a robust vendor management framework, including risk-based due diligence processes and ongoing monitoring protocols. This helped the bank achieve compliance with OCC guidelines and reduce operational risks tied to vendor relationships.
• Small Bank (Northeast, USA): A small bank faced operational risks due to outdated business continuity plans and weak IT controls. CCG Catalyst conducted an operational risk review, identifying critical gaps and recommending enhancements to their disaster recovery plan and cybersecurity measures. The bank improved its operational resilience and successfully navigated a subsequent regulatory audit.