Capabilities

Financial Services

Financial services firms face uncharted challenges and unprecedented opportunities. Digital transformation has dramatically altered how companies unlock growth, and thriving today necessitates a new approach.

Contradictory forces of increased cost and complexity of regulation combined with the need to drive lower costs to the core business and invest in new technologies and customer interfaces necessitate rethinking corporate strategy and how to bring it to life.

The road to sustained growth is more difficult than ever. New market entrants constantly threaten the status quo. New tools and technology dramatically impact the velocity of change. Yet companies who take a holistic view and operationalize a contemporary strategy that pulls the right levers at the right time can sustain success. This strategy means tapping new operating models to build agility, enhanced digital and analytics capabilities to create advantage, and change led by business leadership.

Digital adoption has rapidly increased and employees can and want to continue working remotely. These trends need to be locked in and act as the catalyst to drive accelerated transformational performance improvement.

Over 15 years, our financial services clients have reaped billions of dollars of benefits from our projects spanning sales, service, and operations. Our expertise includes asset banking, insurance, and asset management, among others.

Team Contacts

"The SSA & Company team members are all highly-knowledgeable, insightful, and added immeasurable value for the senior management team. These are highly-proficient business people who consistently offer tangible and actionable input. Before knowing them, I was highly skeptical of consultants from personal past experience. I respect this company and every member of its team."

Bill Curcio, Chairman, Risk Management

How We Help Our Clients

Operating Model Design and Performance Improvement

Developing an operating model with multiple dimensions: processes, work structure, people and talent, technology and data, and governance and accountability

Digital Transformation, RPA, and Artificial Intelligence

Operationalizing key data elements and driving back-office process automation while using advanced analytics, RPA, and AI to propel a digital-first strategy and innovation

Journey Mapping to Drive Operational Excellence

Improving end-to-end flow of operations to drive efficiency and effectiveness while also embedding a culture that enables sustained process improvement

Design Thinking and Lean

Using Agile operational design methodology to create a customer-focused Enterprise with profitable growth

Operationalizing Regulatory Change

Helping firms operationalize regulations while maintaining the appropriate balance between cost of compliance and risk exposure

Cost Reduction

Driving tactical and structural changes to deliver sustainable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, and customer outcomes

CASE STUDY

Implemented KPI Tracking Program to Accelerate $1B Savings Initiative

A global insurance corporation lacked actionable real-time information on business unit performance and progress towards multi-year savings goals. The company sought to develop a standardized process for establishing KPIs to improve clarity and timeliness of reporting.

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Featured Insights

Insight

Despite Successive Interest Rate Cuts, the $2.7 Trillion Commercial Real Estate Problem Isn’t Going Away

Pierre Buhler and Andrew Jones discuss the future state of the commercial real estate market in this ABF Journal article.

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Insight

AI on the Trading Floor

Pierre Buhler discusses applications of OpenAI-powered tools in Financial Services in this CNBC article.

He notes the advantages of OpenAI in Financial Services, “OpenAI already has network advantages in financial services because of its ample funding and early focus on use cases for banks.”

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Insight

TD Money-Laundering Scandal Puts Supervision Back Under the Microscope

Pierre Buhler discusses new regulations imposed on TD Bank in the wake of its recent money-laundering scandal in this American Banker article.

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Insight

JPM “Better” Move than S&P 500, WFC’s Encouraging Recovery

Pierre Buhler was featured on an interview panel for a Schwab Network TV segment discussing the implications of

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Insight

For LendingClub and SoFi, a Rate Cut Rally is Coming

Online lenders are often smaller and less-experienced, leaving them open to additional risk compared to traditional lenders. Pierre Buhler outlines the risks facing digital lenders in this The Information article.

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Insight

Stubbornly High Interest Rates Call for a New Cost-Cutting Playbook for Banks

As interest rates remain historically high, Rajeev Aggarwal and Pierre Buhler share a cost-cutting playbook for banks in this ABFJournal article.

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Insight

A Painful Year Looms for Issuers of Middle-Market Consumer Credit Cards

Pierre Buhler was featured in this American Banker article outlining strategies for credit card issuers operating in an increasingly complex environment. 

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Insight

Corporate Overhaul at Citigroup

Pierre Buhler was featured in this CNBC article about the corporate overhaul underway at Citigroup in the wake of the new CEO Jane Fraser’s plan for sweeping layoffs in an attempt to cut costs.

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Insight

Citi Considers 10% Job Reduction

Pierre Buhler is featured in this Retail Dive article about the reorganization underway at Citigroup under new CEO Jane Fraser.

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Insight

Targeting Friction in Corporate Cash Flow

Pierre Buhler is featured in this American Banker article about new strategies for corporations looking to better manage cash flow and working capital. 

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Insight

Rising Costs, Tough Choices: Banking in the Era of Inflation

Banks have entered a period of increased uncertainty over the last few months. Notation agencies like Fitch have already started to review ratings, and countless banks are either downgraded or being considered for a downgrade. No one is spared, neither small banks nor large banks.

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Insight

Banking’s Cost Crunch: Tackling Layoffs and Regulatory Challenges

Beyond personnel overages, banks are pressed to get their costs well under control for the foreseeable future. The second article in our two-part series looking at the top risks facing banks focuses on the ever more demanding regulatory and compliance requirements, increased need for human and financial resources, and commercial and personal defaults/default risks to avoid.

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Insight

Can Better Resource Management Help P&C Out of Its Slump?

The property and casualty sector has suffered steep and unambiguous losses in recent years – better resource management could be the solution the industry is looking for. Brian Nordyke and Jonathan Schwartz are featured in this Property Casualty 360 article looking at how better resource management could help property casualty insurers.

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Find out how we can help transform your business

While today’s age of disruption and rapid digitization has companies rethinking their strategies, few know how to translate them into action and results. We work with clients to develop and implement tailor-made solutions that deliver exponential returns.

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