Our Projects

Since 1995, the staff of Opportunity Group has been actively involved in the economic development of Eastern European countries, the Republics of the Former Soviet Union, Central European countries and Asia. We have worked with donor agencies and private institutions to develop and implement various technical assistance projects in the areas of central bank reforms, commercial bank and non-bank financial institution reforms including corporate governance systems, legal systems, accounting conversions, management information reporting systems, risk management systems, and other capital market reforms.

Our staff has successfully implemented numerous multi-year, multi-faceted projects in the region involving technical assistance programs with funding that exceeded $50 million. For over twenty years, we worked extensively in the international banking sector in Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belize, Albania, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Egypt, Russia, and Bangladesh.

Specific programs include:

 

Resolution Trust Corporation

Served as an asset manager for a group of troubled assets Responsibilities included obtaining clear title, establishing market value, selling/marketing strategies, and closing procedures.

Period of Performance: 1991 - 1992.

Texas Department of Insurance

Served as a court appointed Special Deputy Receiver for 7 troubled insurance companies including both Life and Property and Casualty Companies.

Period of Performance: 1992 – 1995.

National Bank of Moldova

Problem Bank Resolution and Off-site Surveillance Systems - Served as the Senior Consultant for the development and establishment of formal criterial for defining a problem bank including enforcement techniques to help mitigate and contain the problems of distressed banks.

Period of Performance: 1995-1996.

National Bank of Ukraine

As the Senior Consultant was responsible for supporting the efforts to rationalize enforcement programs with particular attention to under-capitalized banks as well as the development of recapitalization plans for several large sectoral bank. Also involved in the development of an internal audit program involving fraud prevention. 

Period of Performance: 1996-1997.

Central Bank of Uzbekistan

Risk based Bank Supervision Program including the following components: 

  • On-site inspection programs,
  • Off-site surveillance systems,
  • Legal – development of banking laws and regulations,
  • Auditing Standards,
  • Accounting conversation to International Accounting Standards,
  • Corporate Governance Standards.

Period of Performance: 1997-1999.

National Bank of Egypt

Served as the lead consultant for implementing a comprehensive program, with a focus on prudential reporting by the commercial banks, bank recapitalizations, bank restructuring strategies for all state-owned banks and a financial crisis preparedness program. 

Period of Performance: Spring of 1998.

National Bank of Tajikistan

  • In 1998 implemented and provided training materials and courses for an accreditation program for inspectors.
  • In 2020 - Serve as team leader for the development of a risked-based supervision program involving banks and insurance companies.

Period of Performance - 1998 and 2020.

National Bank of Kazakhstan

Risked based Supervision Program including on-site inspections and off-site surveillance systems.

Period of Performance: 1999.

National Bank of Georgia

Risked based Bank Supervision Program including the following components:

  • Off-site surveillance systems,
  • Banking reforms including bank recapitalization and resolution, asset restructurings,
  • Financial literacy training campaigns for commercial bankers and central bankers
  • Legal – development of banking laws and regulations
  • Commercial Banks accounting conversation to International Financial Reporting Standards
  • Corporate Governance Standards
  • Training Initiatives

Period of Performance: 1999 – 2003.

National Bank of Azerbaijan

Risked based Bank Supervision Program including the following components:

  • Off-site surveillance systems,
  • Legal – development of banking laws and regulations,
  • Commercial Banks accounting conversation to International Financial Reporting Standards,
  • Corporate governance training and international financial reporting standards development with central and commercial bankers, government, ministries, the judiciary, and stakeholders,
  • Financial literacy training initiatives for commercial bankers and central bankers.

Period of Performance: 2003 - 2007.

Central Bank of Belize

Risked based Supervision Program including development of on-site inspection processes, internal auditing programs, consolidated supervision and risk-based matrixes. 

Period of Performance: 2008 - 2009.

Deposit Guaranty Fund Ukraine

Development of a Bank Resolution Manual including resolution methods, preparing the resolution plan, marketing the troubled/failed bank, and final resolution processes including identifying the winning bid and closing the failed bank.

Period of Performance: 2011.

Bangladesh Bank

Development of a risk-based supervision.

  • On-site supervision - development of a new inspection format for the CAMELS system,
  • Off-site supervision - development of the CAELS system including a new off-site manual and reporting system,
  • Analytical reporting system using peer group analysis,
  • Accounting and Auditing programs based on IFRS,
  • Corporate governance standards as defined by  BIS,
  • Problem Bank Resolution techniques
  • Training programs.

Period of Performance 2019-2020.

Thomson Reuters

Litigation support involving corporate governance issues including fiduciary responsibilities for boards of directors.

Period of Performance: on-going.

Various Law Firms

Served as an expert witness on numerous cases concerning banking fraud including:

  • Lending frauds including Mortgage fraud
  • Corporate Governance - involving insider abuse
  • Misappropriation of Assets and Bank Funds

Period of Performance 2011 to Present.