LEVEL⁵ Announces New Market Analysis System for Financial Institutions

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LEVEL⁵, a consulting and facilities development firm specializing in financial institutions, announced at the BAI Retail Delivery Conference & Expo the availability of Financial Institution Tool (FIT), an innovative diagnostic tool for financial institutions. FIT compiles and analyzes market data, including trend analysis and forecasting, to help financial institutions make strategic decisions about geographic expansion and which business lines will be most advantageous in new markets.

“FIT is the first analysis tool that equips financial institutions with an unbiased, comprehensive comparison of real estate opportunities,” said Brian Abner, director of market strategies for LEVEL⁵. “It is a timely response to today’s challenging business environment, where financial institutions need to best manage their loan portfolios and business development initiatives, withstand regulatory examination and divest in any weakening areas, if needed.”

FIT analyzes hundreds of data points gathered from dozens of national sources that are updated semi-annually. The strength of FIT is the analysis that goes into interpreting this data. Unlike other products that provide masses of data with no analysis, FIT focuses on deriving recommendations that will help managers make optimal strategic decisions. One of the aspects of this is the trend analysis. By examining trends as well as static data, FIT creates a predictive assessment of market opportunities, giving managers a “heads up” perspective of the market.

The data and analysis that FIT provides includes:

• Market comparison at the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) level to identify areas where business opportunities are rising, plateaued, or declining.
• Identification of key sectors of opportunity within each MSA, classifying market sectors and business lines that offer expanding opportunity, have stagnant or flattening performance, or are in decline.
• Risk mitigation to help maintain a focus on strong opportunities and divest in weakening sectors.
• Support for regulatory exams. The very nature of the FIT product establishes the fact that the institution is keenly aware of market trends and is responding to those trends in an appropriate manner.

“Our five step, end-to-end approach has always minimized risk and allowed financial institutions to respond to changing conditions with the most efficient and effective approach,” said J.F. Kassler, CEO and president of LEVEL⁵. “FIT boosts the level of awareness that our clients have about their current and potential markets and business lines. This new service simplifies the expansion process for financial institutions while producing solutions with the greatest competitive advantage and highest possible return on investment. Institutions that create and implement successful growth strategies using such an integrated process can experience increased market share, growth and profitability.”

About LEVEL⁵

Headquartered in Atlanta, LEVEL⁵ is a consulting and facilities development firm that works exclusively with financial institutions across the United States. The company assists institutions develop and implement growth strategies through unique services that include strategic consulting, real estate, integrated design, construction management and branding. The company ranked 51^st on the 2008 Inc. 500 and 2^nd in both the Top 100 Construction Companies and Top 100 Businesses in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga. Lists. Atlanta Business Chronicle also selected LEVEL⁵ as a winner of its 13^th Annual Pacesetters Award and ranked it as the 28^th fastest-growing private company in Atlanta. For more information about LEVEL⁵, call 404.761.0008 or visit http://www.level5.com/.