Who is ALM First and what do you do?
We're a team of financial advisors that credit unions trust to help them manage balance sheet risk, optimize their investment portfolios, achieve regulatory compliance and develop strategies to maximize financial performance—basically, providing everything you need for balance sheet management, A to Z. ALM First is the nation’s leading financial advisory firm serving the credit union community.
Why should I choose to do business with you?
Our clients trust us to be their strategic partner in providing them total balance sheet management and serving as an extension of their staff, in fact, we manage more than $11 billion and over 130 clients. Our expertise is outstanding and our reputation in the credit union industry is such that even regulators utilize us for training and education.
What types of customers do you typically serve?
We are most known for our expertise in the credit union industry, but we also work with other financial institutions.
Why should I outsource the ALM function and the management of my investment portfolio to a financial advisory firm?
You can trust ALM First to provide you with outstanding in-house financial expertise without the in-house salary or the expense of the tools to provide an expert analysis. A partnership with ALM First gives you a team of experts with 166 years of combined professional experience helping credit unions monitor risk, optimize investments, and achieve regulatory compliance. Our number one goal is to make your job and your life easier. Our collaborative approach to advisement allows you to be as hands-on as you want and means you are not making decisions in an information vacuum.
With ALM First, you can:
- trust in our knowledge, experience and reputation to deliver complete
balance sheet management
- relax knowing you have an expert partner to help you make financial
decisions
- reduce overhead expenses (salaries, benefits and equipment)
- gain access to the most sophisticated and useful models and tools
- take advantage of a larger menu of investment choices
- benefit from better trade execution of securities trades (in most cases)
- have more time to concentrate on other issues
What is the size of your company?
We currently have 25 employees. When you include our partners, the ALM First team has 166 years of combined professional experience helping credit unions uncover opportunities for greater efficiencies, optimize investments, and avoid non-compliance.
I need reports that comply with NCUA requirements. Can ALM First help?
Absolutely. All of the reports generated by ALM First comply with parts 703 and 704 of the NCUA regulatory reporting requirements. In fact, we are well known within the industry for helping our clients achieve compliance.
How can I be sure that our financial institution’s best interests are ALM First’s priority?
Part of the reason our clients trust us to the extent that they do is because of our fee-based services. We are not a broker/dealer so we don’t work on commission, nor are we interested in raising deposits as ALM First is not part of a depository institution. Which means you can rest easily knowing our only incentive is to find what’s best for your institution.
We act as an unbiased third party, formulating strategies to help you manage risk and enhance return, uncovering opportunities for greater efficiencies, and helping you avoid non-compliance.
We don’t believe in hidden mark-ups. What we do believe is that your trust is a privilege—and we work to earn and keep it on a daily basis.
As a registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, ALM First is governed by the rules and regulations set forth in the Investment Advisors Act of 1940.
How can I be sure that ALM First has the expertise and experience to manage my financial institution’s balance sheet and investments?
As the nation’s leading financial advisory firm serving the credit union community, ALM First’s team of highly skilled, seasoned asset liability management and investment advisors has 166 years of combined professional experience, and currently more than $11 billion under management and over 130 clients. Since 1995, we’ve worked to build a superior trust level not only with our clients, but with the regulators who inspect their books.
Will you tailor your services to our financial institution’s needs?
We know that every financial institution’s needs are different. That’s why we offer three different levels of balance sheet management. Working together we can help you determine which level is right for you. Click here to learn more about our services.
If I sign up for one of the services, can I upgrade later?
Yes. Our number one goal is to make your job, and your life, easier. Many of our clients begin with the Standard Partnership, and then decide the Premier Partnership will more completely meet their needs. We give you the flexibility to change, and will credit a portion of your initial fee towards your upgraded service fee if you should choose to upgrade.
Can you help me understand your fee structure?
When you compare apples to apples, you’ll see that you most definitely get what you pay for with ALM First. From our extensive experience and outstanding expertise to our level of service and strategic collaboration, ALM First offers a level of trust that is highly valuable. We also don’t believe in hidden fees, and do not work on commission, which means you know exactly what you’re paying for, and how much, up front. |
