Alvarez & Marsal Launches Dedicated Financial Institutions Advisory Services Group

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As regulated financial institutions face mounting pressures, Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), the leading independent global professional services firm, has formed a dedicated Financial Institutions Advisory Services group, extending the full power and expertise of the firm to financial institutions in the midst of weathering this "perfect storm" and coping with increasing concerns about the health of the economy. Samuel P. Golden, a former senior official with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), joins the firm as a managing director and head of A&M’s new Financial Institutions Advisory Services (FIAS) group.

“Economic pressures, relaxed lending standards and loan defaults have resulted in a wave of foreclosures and troubled balance sheets and prompted regulators to place heightened scrutiny on financial institutions”

“The current landscape is exceedingly complex, presenting challenges never before encountered by lenders, policy makers, investors and consumers,” said Mr. Golden, who was actively involved in the banking crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s. “This is an exciting time to be joining A&M, which, capitalizing on its deep operational heritage and multidisciplinary approach, is well positioned to offer sophisticated advice and counsel to major banks and other financial services firms.”

“Economic pressures, relaxed lending standards and loan defaults have resulted in a wave of foreclosures and troubled balance sheets and prompted regulators to place heightened scrutiny on financial institutions,” said Tony Alvarez II, co-CEO of A&M. “Sam has more than three decades of experience serving as a regulator for the financial services industry and understands firsthand the hurdles these institutions are facing. As we increase our focus on assisting underperforming institutions in this space, his knowledge and leadership, harnessed by A&M’s various performance improvement service offerings, including real estate advisory and litigation support, will be invaluable.”

A&M expects to expand the FIAS group over the next few months with the addition of several seasoned financial services industry professionals. Led by Mr. Golden who is based in Houston, the FIAS group is supported by senior members across the firm, including professionals in its practices including Real Estate Advisory, Dispute Analysis & Forensic Services, and Restructuring and Transaction Advisory, among others. Specific offerings of FIAS are:

• Troubled Bank Remediation
• Crisis and Interim Management
• Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
• Risk Management and Governance
• Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence
• Disposition Strategies
• Commercial and Collateralized Real Estate Portfolio Management
• Strategic Planning
• Customer Relations
• Litigation Support and Expert Testimony
• IT and Operational Performance Improvement

While with the OCC, the regulator and administrator of the national banking industry, Mr. Golden served in a variety of leadership roles, including the ombudsman and senior deputy comptroller, member of the executive committee and chairman of the audit subcommittee. As OCC's first ombudsman, he led the OCC's national bank appeals process, essentially serving as a binding arbitrator for examination conclusions that were appealed or challenged. He also established the OCC's customer assistance group, which provides assistance to thousands of bank customers on questions and complaints against national banks. Additionally, Mr. Golden was designated to serve as acting comptroller of the currency, and to execute the continuity of operations plan (COOP) and business resumption processes and procedures in the event of a national emergency disruption to the nation's banking industry. In this role, he employed his advanced technical and analytical knowledge of financial institution operations, including credit, risk management and governance.

Previously, Mr. Golden served as a manager of field operations for the OCC in Houston, Texas, where his duties included serving as the primary expert witness for the U.S. government in the protracted bank fraud trial of the energy lending principals from Continental Illinois Bank and Penn Square Banks. He began his career as a national bank examiner, and, during the financial downturn of the late 1980s and early 1990s, provided leadership over examinations of some of the most complex troubled banking institutions in the country.

Mr. Golden earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, with concentrations in banking and finance, from the University of North Texas. He earned a certificate from the Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University (LSU). Mr. Golden has been a frequent speaker on banking, bank supervision and regulatory issues at industry conferences, trade associations meetings and outreach sessions.

For further information on A&M’s Financial Institutions Advisory Services group, visit www.alvarezandmarsal.com/financialinstitutions.

About Alvarez & Marsal

For 25 years, Alvarez & Marsal has set the standard for working with organizations to tackle complex issues, boost performance and maximize value for stakeholders. As the leading, independent global professional services firm, Alvarez & Marsal excels at leadership, problem solving and value creation. Whether serving in interim management or advisory roles, the firm draws on a deep operational heritage and hands-on approach to deliver comprehensive performance improvement, turnaround management and corporate advisory services to clients ranging from international enterprises and middle-market companies to public sector and healthcare entities.

Serving businesses, investors and stakeholders around the world, Alvarez & Marsal is privately-held and entrepreneurial to the core, and delivers performance improvement with an edge^TM. With 1,200 professionals based on four continents, A&M brings a bias toward action and results. A&M's global services include Turnaround and Restructuring Advisory, as well as Interim and Crisis Management; Performance and Process Improvement; Transaction and M&A Advisory from pre-acquisition due diligence to asset sales; Alvarez & Marsal Taxand (founding member of Taxand global network of independent tax advisory firms in more than 40 countries); Dispute Analysis & Forensics; Real Estate Advisory; and Technology Asset Management. A&M’s newly formed Financial Institutions Advisory Group brings the full inter-disciplinary power of the firm to bear in helping the financial services sector to weather challenging market conditions and be better positioned to create value in the cycles ahead.

Alvarez & Marsal has been consistently recognized for helping clients drive positive change with international awards from prestigious organizations and publications, including the Turnaround Management Association and Private Equity News.

To learn more, visit www.alvarezandmarsal.com.