Background

In less than two decades, a retail mortgage lender grew from founding to one of the top-three lenders in the nation, driven by a highly entrepreneurial culture and focus on speed and innovation.

Challenge

As the organization scaled, its decentralized structure—comprising a wide network of branches — began to strain under the weight of its own growth. Leadership recognized the need for a centralized function to align strategic initiatives, foster cross-functional collaboration, and maintain executional velocity without compromising quality or focus.

Solution

An Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) designed to:

• Organize Strategic Ambitions: A structured framework to prioritize and manage initiatives aligned with corporate goals, including custom

• Enable Collaboration and Visibility: Standardized processes and tools enhanced transparency and coordination across dispersed teams.

• Eliminate Low-Value Work: Portfolio management — including a customized project scoring system — to focus initiatives that aligned with strategic goals and delivered the most value. And to turn down those that didn’t with clarity and conviction.

Results

The enterprise PMO became a critical enabler of the company’s continued growth. It helped sustain the organization’s entrepreneurial spirit while introducing the visibility and consistency needed to operate at scale. The result was a more agile, aligned, and execution-focused enterprise—well-positioned to grow its leadership in the competitive mortgage lending market.

Background

In 2012, a commercial bank headquartered in Ohio announced a transformative merger that would nearly double its total assets—from $14 billion to $24 billion. However, the success of the merger hinged on two critical factor: the conversion and integration of the loan portfolio and a combined organization that was greater than the sum of its parts or the result of one bank swallowing the other.

Challenge

The merger’s viability depended on the seamless integration of disparate systems and the development of a unified post-merger operating model. The bank faced the complex task of aligning loan management systems and standardizing processes across the newly combined entity.

Approach

To address these challenges, the we launched a comprehensive integration initiative that included:

• System Conversion: Migrating and harmonizing loan data across platforms.

• Operational Model Development: Designing and implementing new workflows to support the expanded portfolio.

• Risk and Compliance Alignment: Ensuring that all loans met the bank’s risk management and regulatory standards.

Results

The integration effort proved highly successful. The bank’s loan portfolio grew by more than 55%, increasing from $9 billion to $14 billion. This expansion not only validated the merger strategy but also positioned the bank for competitiveness in the commercial banking sector.

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance of execution supported by strong project and change management. By prioritizing the people side of change along with system integration and operational alignment, the Ohio-based bank was able to unlock significant value and merge the new bank into one best in class operation.

Challenge

A leading consumer finance company had long relied on a multi-state law firm to manage its recovery collections. Over time, the company faced diminishing returns and rising legal expenses, prompting a reevaluation of its strategy.

Solution

The company partnered with us to overhaul its entire collections process. We conducted a comprehensive re-engineering initiative, focusing on streamlining workflows, integrating advanced analytics, and optimizing legal resource allocation.

Results

The transformation delivered remarkable outcomes within the first two years:

• Collections tripled, significantly boosting revenue recovery.

• Legal expenses were reduced by 66%, improving overall profitability.

The new process proved so effective that it was spun off as a standalone business, and offered to other clients seeking similar results.

Impact

This case exemplifies how strategic process redesign and operational innovation can dramatically improve financial performance. By shifting away from a traditional outsourced model and embracing a data-driven, in-house approach, the company not only resolved its immediate challenges but also created a scalable solution with long-term value.