About Us

Every member of the Ardmore team brings many years of proven experience to each and every client engagement.

Back row, left to right: Thomas Spratt, Lara Hartin, Jorge Leon, Jim Hamlet.  Front row:  Sandy Spratt, Jim McKee, Peter Cherpack

Ardmore Banking Advisors is a market and thought leader in credit risk management consulting, recognized for its expertise in loan review, credit risk consulting, and credit technology that delivers value-added results to financial institutions.

Since its inception in 1991, Ardmore has provided credit risk management consulting services to banks nationwide and built an unparalleled reputation for integrity and expertise with both clients and regulators.

Our team of seasoned former senior banking executives and regulators ensures that our clients receive the highest quality services and solutions from professionals who have been in their shoes and shared their experiences. Each member of our consulting team has a proven track record of credit risk management experience, expertise, and insight.

Our History

Left to right: Don Frueh, longtime Ardmore Senior Team Member Maffie McCarthy, Sandy Spratt, and Jim McKee

After founding Ardmore Capital Advisors, CEO T. Alexander (Sandy) Spratt partnered with Jim McKee and Andy Cook to form Ardmore Banking Advisors to provide credit risk management services to financial institutions. Donald C. Frueh was named a principal in 1996, and our fourth partner, Peter Cherpack, arrived in 2003 forming our credit technology and development group.

As Ardmore looks back on the past 30 years of providing expert credit risk consulting services to financial institutions and looks forward to the future, a new paradigm has developed. This new paradigm is led by new President Thomas Spratt, and three new members and advisors to our Board of Directors, Lara Hartin, Jim Hamlet, and Jorge Leon. These new leaders will ensure that the principles and values that have guided Ardmore through its first 30 years, will endure into the next generation while continuing to improve upon our service to clients.

Our Experience

Many firms try to duplicate Ardmore’s service offerings, but very few have the aggregate level of bank management and credit risk management experience, expertise, and insight collectively held within our company. Here are just a few ways that Ardmore differentiates itself in the market:

We have an over 30-year history in the banking and financial services industry with an impeccable reputation recognized by regulators, financial institutions, industry associations, and CPA firms.

Our consultants have significant experience as former banking and regulatory executives (including e.g. Board Chair, Director, President, CEO, CFO, Chief Lending Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Credit Officer, etc.) in multiple specialties to assure an understanding of clients’ credit risk management and provide value-added commentary within the context of a loan review or consulting engagement.

We have a strict quality control process before, during, and after every loan review or consulting engagement to supplement our Relationship Manager/Team Leader’s management, ensuring a superior level of accuracy and substantive reports and write-ups.

Ardmore has successfully developed and delivered credit management automation software to help bring efficiency and increased capabilities to regional and community banks including portfolio management, stress testing, loan review, and CECL estimation platforms.

Our Values & Ethics

The code of ethics that our Founder, Sandy Spratt, developed in 1991 to detail Ardmore’s commitment to serving our clients with competence, independence, and integrity is still in place over 30 years later. They are conveyed to every Ardmore team member and form the cornerstone of our business, from how we treat our team members and clients to the way we approach providing credit risk management services.

Respect

We respect all points of view, whether they come from clients, team members, regulators, prospects, and other professionals, and do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender identity or expression, race, nationality, sexual orientation, disability, religious or political beliefs, economic or social class, or military status. We will also not tolerate any type of harassment of employees, consultants, or clients.

Independence

We never allow anyone to compromise our ability to be impartial and forthright, and will always tell our clients the truth.

Fairness

You can always trust the professionals working at Ardmore to do the right thing and always act in a manner that is best for our clients, our company, and each other.

Valuable Insights

We typically provide additional information and recommendations to our clients based on our observations of their bank, their peers, industry, and regulatory best practices and expectations.

Integrity

Our team members follow moral and legal expectations and principles in all aspects of their work.

Quality Service

We do not take shortcuts in providing services to our clients, even if additional time is needed. Our clients’ welfare is our primary concern.

Hard Work

We will work tirelessly to ensure that deadlines are met and our clients​ are completely satisfied with the final product.

Our Reputation

In its 30-year history, Ardmore is privileged to have provided risk management consulting services to banks of all sizes nationwide, and earned an unparalleled reputation for integrity and expertise with both clients and regulators.

We work closely with all our clients to make sure that their experience far exceeds their expectations. Here are some comments from a few of our representative clients.

First National Bank of Elmer 

“When I think of Credit Risk Management, I think of Ardmore.”

Brian W. Jones – President

C&N Bank

“Ardmore Advisor’s loan review service provides us with an independent evaluation of our portfolio and a validation of our risk rating system. The Ardmore team is a group of experienced, knowledgeable professionals who are former senior bankers and examiners that add significant value to our engagements with their insights and best practice recommendations.”

John M. Reber – EVP, Chief Risk Management Officer

Brookline Bancorp, Inc.

“Ardmore’s Credit Data Assessment service was extremely valuable to Brookline Bancorp – as it helped us quickly identify strategic and tactical actions we could take to be better prepared for CECL and stress testing initiatives. The process was quick, virtually painless, and the results were actionable. Ardmore has a depth of knowledge of credit data and related processes that is unique in the industry. All banks will find value in using this important service, especially now with CECL and other regulatory initiatives on the horizon.”

Bob Rose – Chief Credit Officer

Univest Bank

“Ardmore’s Credit Data Assessment service helped us evaluate the state of our credit data process and readiness for regulatory expectations. Since implementing Ardmore’s recommendations, we have seen improved loan credit coding accuracy and broader internal adoption of an understanding of the significance of data integrity. This proactive process was also important to undergo to evaluate the necessary data to support expanded loan concentrations stress testing and to be prepared for the upcoming CECL requirements.”

John Landes – EVP

Memberships & Affiliations

Computer Services, Inc. (CSI)

Computer Services, Inc. (CSI) is a customer service company that delivers innovative technology solutions to financial institutions and other businesses nationwide. Based in Paducah, Kentucky, CSI not only provides all of the technological core competencies needed by banks, but also serves the compliance needs for a variety of industries, including real estate, insurance, and casino & gaming.

CSI is one of the nation’s largest providers of dynamic technology solutions, with more than 1,100 employees helping financial institutions and corporate entities remain competitive, compliant, and profitable. We first partnered with CSI in 2012 to provide support and consulting services to the company and its banks relating to credit risk, credit data management, stress testing, and CECL. We have conducted more than 25 educational webinars for CSI in the past 5 years and are an active sponsor of the annual customer exchange event.

Visit CSI

Bank Director

We first partnered with Bank Director in 2019 to present thought leadership and participate in event sponsorship. Bank Director, which has been an information resource to the financial community since 1991, focuses on the strategic issues most fundamental to a bank’s CEO, senior leadership team, chairman, and independent directors.

Bank Director’s operational focus aligns with the educational, informational, and fiduciary interests of a bank’s board of directors and C-suite of executives.

Visit Bank Director

CBANC

CBANC is a professional network for community bank and credit union professionals, empowering them to collaborate, share information and lead the evolution of community banking. Every day, thousands of verified financial professionals leverage CBANC to make more intelligent vendor decisions, navigate compliance challenges, answer questions, and advance their careers.

We have worked with CBANC since 2015 offering thought leadership and educational resources on credit risk, credit data management, stress testing, and CECL for community banks. Additionally, we have hosted more than 20 CBANC educational webinars since the partnership began.

Visit CBANC

Argus Information Systems

We first partnered with Argus Information Services (part of Verisk) in 2015 to assist in the design, functionality, and implementation of their Credit Portfolio Management (CPM) suite, which offered CECL-Ready ALLL, Stress Testing and Analytic Reporting solutions. Argus’ solutions leverage the latest in Analytics, Data Sciences, and Information Management technology to help banks of all sizes manage “Big” and “Small” Data to meet or exceed regulatory expectations. We have retained a marketing and sales support role with Argus since January, 2021.

Visit Argus Information Systems

Learn more about how we can work together.

Contact