DD&F Consulting Group

editor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:43:39 +0000

DD&F RANKS #1 IN FDIC ASSISTED ACQUISTIONS FOR 2011

DD&F Consulting Group was recently ranked #1 in completed FDIC assisted acquisitions by SNL Financial for 2011. Ranked second was the international firm Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, LLC headquartered in New York City. SNL Financial collects, standardizes and reports on all relevant financial news pertaining to financial institutions, and is considered the primary information resource worldwide for the financial services industry.

DD&F Consulting, a full service financial consulting company founded in 1993, completed 12 transactions during 2011 totaling $5.47 billion in assumed deposits. Since 2009, DD&F Consulting Group has successfully assisted with the acquisition of 36 failed banks, ranking second over this time frame in number of deals completed.

In addition to assistance with bidding, DD&F is client focused and offers extensive training to help banks prepare their management team for the acquisition and provides “hands on” assistance with closing weekend takeovers by the client. After the acquisition, DD&F provides assistance with core systems, IT, and cultural and organizational consolidation and integration of the two banks. “We offer a complete acquisition service to our bank clients which we believe is a unique approach,” stated Randy Dennis, President of DD&F Consulting Group. “We’ve found that the banks we work with value our overall knowledge of the FDIC process and the additional services we can provide. They prepare their bids understanding the entire FIDC process and as a result, are highly competitive in their bid and ready for an overnight takeover on short notice. We act as part of their deployment team and our post acquisition services also help them to integrate all systems and people in an organized and intentional way.”

In the past, DD&F Consulting Group has worked mostly with regional buyers in the South and Southeast part of the United States, but has seen their market expand as bank participation in the government assisted transactions has increased. As a result DD&F has been involved in training of prospective bidders in failed-bank acquisitions from California to Florida.

“We’ve been fortunate to be on the cutting edge of this unique opportunity and we have learned a great deal along with our clients and the regulators. Our clients understand that you won’t win all of the time. If you win all of the time, you’re paying too much.” Dennis stated. “We think our one stop, client centered approach to the process makes us an attractive partner for banks interested in this type of transactions—especially community banks with limited resources. We have developed a good working relationship with the banking regulators across the country and the FDIC which also helps our clients.”

Congratulations!

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:41:30 +0000

Congratulations! to our clients for their recent and successful FDIC assisted acquisitions:

First NBC Bank Holding Company / First NBC Bank (New Orleans, LA) – Central Progressive Bank (Lacombe, LA- 11/18/11)
Cache Valley Banking Company / Cache Valley Bank (Logan, UT) – SunFirst Bank (Saint George, UT- 11/4/11)
Georgia Commerce Bancshares, Inc. / Georgia Commerce Bank (Atlanta, GA) – Patriot Bank of Georgia (Cumming, GA- 9/2/11) and Creekside Bank (Woodstock, GA- 9/2/11)
Old National Bancorp / Old National Bank (Evansville, IN) – Integra Bank, NA (Evansville, IN- 7/29/11)
Blue Ridge Holdings, Inc / CertusBank, NA (Easley, SC) – First Georgia Banking Company ( Franklin, GA- 5/20/11) and Atlantic Southern Bank (Macon, GA- 5/20/11)
Bank of the Ozarks – Park Avenue Bank (Valdosta, GA-4/29/11) and First Choice Community Bank (Dallas, GA-4/29/11)
AloStar Bank of Commerce (Birmingham, AL) – Nexity Bank (Birmingham, AL- 4/15/11)
Blue Ridge Holdings, Inc / CertusBank, NA (Easley, SC) – CommunitySouth Bank & Trust ( Easley, SC- 1/21/11)
Bank of the Ozarks – Oglethorpe Bank (Brunswick, GA-1/14/11)
Bank of the Ozarks – Chestatee State Bank (Dawsonville, GA-12/17/10)
Home BancShares, Inc / Centennial Bank – Gulf State Community Bank (Carrabelle, FL- 11/19/10)
Providence Bank (Columbia, MO)-Premier Bank (Jefferson City, MO- 10/15/10)
Bank of the Ozarks – Horizon Bank (Bradenton, FL 9/10/10)
Home BancShares, Inc / Centennial Bank – Coastal Community Bank (Panama City Beach, FL 7/30/10) and Bayside Savings Bank (Port Saint Joe, FL 7/30/10)
Bank of the Ozarks – Woodlands Bank (Blufton, SC 7/16/10)
Bay Bank, FSB/Hovde – Bay National Bank (Baltimore, MD 7/9/10)
The Jefferson Bank – First National Bank (Rosedale, MS 6/4/10)

Randy Dennis Quoted in “National Signs of Recovery Aside, Northwest Arkansas’ Future Flat”

editor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:59:52 +0000

Arkansas Business.com l December 26, 2011

By Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Staff

Throughout America’s recent recession, state economists, business
leaders and industry insiders repeated a refrain that’s offered only minimal
consolation during trying times.
Kathy Deck, the director of the University of Arkansas’ Center for
Business and Economic Research, touched on that same theme recently when asked
to talk about an economic forecast for the state – and more specifically,
Northwest Arkansas. Deck spoke first in terms of employment.

“Throughout the recession and the recovery, Arkansas has
outperformed the United States in terms of unemployment, in terms of
losses,” Deck said. “We lost less.”

Then came a thought that offered even less solace.

“But as the United States begins to recover, the gap between
us and the rest of the country is narrowing again,” Deck said. “When
I run my models and try to project what employment’s going to look like in 2012
and beyond, I see a flat trend from where we are now. I don’t see a whole lot
of recovery happening in the state.

“I don’t see further net losses, but it’s awfully flat. Flat
means tough times for people.”

Unfortunately, Deck isn’t the only one who envisions a
“flat” future. Those in the know in various other industries used the
same word, prompting a lukewarm overall forecast. Here’s a look at what they
said:

Banking

Randy Dennis , president of DD&F Consulting Group in Little Rock, sounded a hopeful note
when first asked to offer a 2012 forecast for Arkansas’ banking industry.

“We work all over the country, and it’s a delight to be in
Arkansas,” Dennis said. “Arkansas has done very well compared to a
lot of other states.”

Even so, he also acknowledged a challenging climate for financial
institutions. Many Arkansas banks, Dennis said, are “burdened with
liquidity.”

“They have tons of cash that’s earning nothing,” he
said. “It’s going to take economic growth to move the borrowing. Right
now, it’s a waiting game.”

Due to the conditions, Dennis said he believes banks should be
“cautiously opportunistic,” even as he recognized some have grown
irreparably weary.

“We’re seeing banks across the country raising their hands
and saying, ‘Take me out, Coach,’” Dennis said.

Deck agreed more mergers and acquisitions could be in the works in
Arkansas, especially for smaller banks hamstrung by burdensome legislation like
the Dodd-Frank Act.

Deck also said even relatively healthy banks will continue to feel
the adverse effects of the real estate crash and ensuing legislation.

“I think they have already taken huge hits and swallowed the
pain from the boom,” Deck said. “Now it’s a matter of surviving in a
climate where there just isn’t that much activity.”

2012 BSA Conference

editor — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:17:58 +0000

March 6-7, 2012 – DD&F is sponsoring the lunches at the 2012 BSA Conference at the Doubletree in Little Rock. Be sure to stop by and visit our Booth! Our Compliance Specialists will be on hand to talk with you about how DD&F can assist you with BSA regulatory compliance.

Randy Dennis to Facilitate at ABA National Conference for Community Bankers

editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:09:50 +0000

February 20 - Randy Dennis, President, will facilitate for the session CEO Peer Exchange by Asset Size: $250 – $500 Million – Issues facing Community Bank CEOs at the American Bankers Association National Conference for Community Bankers, to take place February 19-22, 2012 at JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, CA.

Randy Dennis to Speak at FFIEC Supervisory Updates and Emerging Issues Conference

editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:59:27 +0000

January 31 & April 11 - Randy Dennis, President, will speak at the FFIEC Supervisory Updates and Emerging Issues Conference, FDIC Seidman Center, in Arlington, VA on the topic “Raising Bank Capital”.

Randy Dennis Quoted in “Despite Lull, Still More Failures Loom in 2012″

editor — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:43:42 +0000

American Banker | December 13, 2011

By Robert Barba

With almost a month since the last bank failure, Friday evenings haven’t been this slow in years.

Don’t make plans to go out.

At least 200 banks remain on the brink. With few prospects for recovery, failures — and the Friday evening death-watch ritual — will be a reality for a while longer.

“We will see a slower pace again in 2012, it will perhaps be slower than 2011, but that means we’ll continue to see failures in 2013,” said Matthew Anderson, a managing director at Trepp LLC, a firm that tracks bank performance. “Even if there is a really strong economic rebound, we would likely still see 100 failures over the next two years.”

Trepp says 227 banks have a high likelihood of failure. The data shows banks are spending a longer time on the watch list. The 90 banks that have failed so far in 2011 had a median length of eight quarters on the list, versus five quarters in 2010. Once a bank goes on the watch list, it typically stays there, Anderson said.

“The heal rate has been between 5% and 10%,” Anderson said, referring to ailing banks that have either been recapitalized or acquired. “That could pick up a bit next year.”

Some smaller banks have staved off failure with promises of new equity or a possible sale.

Randy Dennis, president of DD&F Consulting Group in Little Rock, Ark., said such proposed deal partly explain why there have been fewer failures this year than expected. (Industry observers say this Friday will likely be the last chance for failures this year.)

“I think a number of banks were pulled off the bid list because of potential deals, but some of those might come back to the list,” said Dennis, who had expected 100 failures this year. “The FDIC would love to have solutions for some of these banks.”

Dennis’ data also shows 200 banks at risk of failure.

Florida, Georgia and Illinois retain their status as the failure hubs on industry observers’ lists. But several failure watchers said mini-hubs could be places such as Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Minnesota has 14 banks at risk of failure, according to Trepp data; 17 banks have failed in the state since 2008. North Carolina has had four failures since 2008 and has 13 banks at risk. Tennessee, failure free throughout the downturn, has 11 likely failures. In 2011, Colorado was one of the mini-hubs, with six banks crumbling after a 15-month break.

Nothing has fundamentally changed in the economy in those states; the banks have just “run out of gas,” Dennis said.

Lori Buerger, a lawyer at Schiff Hardin LP in Chicago, said there could be more one-off failures in 2012 in states that have been relatively immune to the downturn.

“There are areas that haven’t had a lot of activity, that may see a bank failure for the first time in this cycle,” Buerger said. “It won’t generate the volume of failures as in some other states, but it will be a great opportunity for bidders.”

David Jones, president and CEO of the $171 million-asset Grinnell State Bank in Iowa, got that opportunity last month when the bank increased its size 53% by buying the failed Polk County Bank in Johnston, a Des Moines suburb. Polk County was the first Iowa bank to fail since late 2009.

Jones said in late November that Grinnell State had long thought Johnston would be a good place for expansion, but his bank is not a fan of building branches in new markets and had never been able to find the right acquisition. He knows the former owners of Polk and even looked at acquiring the bank before the failure.

“We thought Johnston was a good place to be as long as 20 years ago,” Jones said. “They invited us in 2009 to come in and buy the bank, but there was no buying the bank. Nobody could find a way to make it work.”

Grinnell State Bank bought Polk’s assets outright from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Jones said he wasn’t interested in a loss-share arrangement.

“We would rather be independent of the government,” Jones said. “We didn’t want to be involved in a long, drawn-out process.”

Several observers say Jones could be the prototype for next year’s buyers: a highly capitalized small bank striking its first failed-bank deal for another small bank without a loss-share agreement.

“There is no bidder fatigue for this group of likely bidders,” Buerger said. “Unlike some, these bidders haven’t already filled their plates.”

Mark Kanaly, a partner at Alston & Bird LLP in Atlanta, said those buyers will likely eschew loss-share agreements because they are hard to execute on a small scale. “Accepting the FDIC as a full-blown business partner is difficult to do if you’re a onesie or twosie buyer,” he said. “We are not seeing a lot of first-time loss-share buyers.”

Jones said he is comfortable taking on Polk’s assets without a safety net, but he said he knows it is going to be a tougher path to workout.

“You don’t save someone from drowning without getting a little wet,” he said.

DD&F Receives the Challenge Award

editor — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:08:54 +0000

DD&F Consulting Group received the Challenge Award from Governor Mike Beebe at a recent Arkansas Quality Awards (AWA) Banquet. The AQA is program designed to help businesses achieve greater efficiencies and service quality as defined by the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards process. This was DD&F’s first year to participate.

Randy (center) receives award from Governor Mike Beebe and John Womack, President of ARVEST, Central Arkansas.

October 28: DD&F’s Rachel Rummel Holds Workshop at ABCDE’s 2011 Conference

editor — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:42:58 +0000

At the 2011 Conference & Worshop to be held by the Arkansas Bankers Coalition for Disaster’s and Emergencies at the Clarion Resort on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas, October 27-28, 2011, DD&F’s Rachel Rummel, Senior Consultant, will hold a half-day workshop on:

Developing Supporting Requirements for your Business Continuity Plan:
- Risk Assessment
- Business Impact Analysis
- Emergency Preparedness Plans
Conducting a Table Top Exercise of Your Business Continuity Plan

Friday, October 28

DD&F Presenting at ABA Annual Technology Conference October 4-5, 2011

editor — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:31:44 +0000

October 4 & 5 – Be sure to visit our Booth at the Arkansas Bankers Association Annual Technology Conference at the Embassy Suites in West Little Rock. DD&F Consultants will be on hand to talk with you about how DD&F can assist you with IT audits, business continuity planning, employee training, identity theft prevention, network vulnerability assessments, IT security related risk assessments and policies, vendor management, and more. Register your name at the booth for a chance to win a 6th generation iPod nano!

In addition, DD&F’s Tom Layman, Managing Director, will be presenting during the first half of the day on October 5 on “What is the Role of a New Information Security Officer? A Roadmap for a New ISO”. DD&F’s Ronnie Peters, Executive Director, will be moderating for the “Changing Vendors Group Discussion” to be held October 5 from 2:15-3:30 pm.

See the full schedule of events here.