Financial Services Credit Risk Advisory

Driving Smarter Credit Decisions. Enhancing Risk Control. Powering Growth.

In today’s dynamic credit landscape, institutions must strike the right balance between growth, risk appetite, and prudent governance. At Talentstone Advisory, we help financial services firms build, transform, and optimize credit risk management across all sectors—corporate, consumer, private wealth, and alternative lending.

We deliver tailored consulting and embedded leadership solutions that strengthen underwriting discipline, improve portfolio oversight, and ensure regulatory readiness. Whether supporting strategic credit transformation, leading credit reviews, or embedding senior-level credit professionals into your team, we deliver clarity, control, and commercial insight.

Our Expertise Across Credit Risk Segments

1. Corporate & Leveraged Finance Credit Risk

Empowering institutions to evaluate, structure, and manage complex credit exposures.

We help banks and financial institutions design robust frameworks for corporate lending, syndicated loans, and leveraged finance. Our team brings deep experience in credit underwriting, risk grading, exposure monitoring, and portfolio governance across sectors and geographies.

Key Capabilities:

  • Corporate and leveraged lending underwriting frameworks

  • Sector-specific risk appetite and limits

  • Sponsor-backed deal evaluation

  • Covenant risk monitoring and early warning

  • Workout and restructuring advisory

Select Consulting Engagements:

  1. Designed a full corporate credit policy and approval matrix for a pan-African Tier I bank with a diversified lending book.

  2. Conducted credit due diligence and covenant testing for a $500M syndicated LBO transaction for a regional investment bank.

  3. Advised a sovereign wealth fund on leverage thresholds, risk-adjusted returns, and exposure management in energy and infrastructure lending.

  4. Performed a sectoral credit portfolio review across manufacturing, FMCG, and logistics for a bank with rising NPLs.

  5. Developed credit grading models and counterparty risk scorecards for a DFI (Development Finance Institution) investing in green infrastructure.

  6. Supported the risk team of an African mezzanine debt fund in developing pricing models and loss mitigation structures.

  7. Created a watchlist and early warning trigger framework for a South African commercial lender.

  8. Led the credit risk stream for the integration of two merging corporate banks with differing credit cultures.

Embedded Leadership Engagements:

  • Seconded a Head of Credit Underwriting – Corporate to lead mid-market underwriting for a bank expanding into Francophone West Africa.

  • Deployed an Executive Director, Credit Risk to design and implement new deal origination and risk frameworks during a wholesale credit transformation.

  • Embedded a VP, Leveraged Finance Risk into a global investment bank to support debt deal structuring and risk grading.

  • Appointed a Manager, Corporate Credit Risk to manage exposure monitoring and reporting during an NPL reduction program.

  • Provided an Interim CRO to oversee post-merger corporate credit integration and policy harmonization.

2. Consumer, Retail & SMB Credit Risk

Building scalable credit platforms with smart analytics and strong controls.

We work with banks, fintechs, and non-bank lenders to improve consumer and SME credit lifecycle—from acquisition and underwriting through to portfolio monitoring and collections.

Key Capabilities:

  • Consumer and SMB credit scoring models

  • Loan origination and automation design

  • Portfolio and delinquency analytics

  • Early arrears and collections strategy

  • Regulatory compliance in retail credit (e.g. affordability, fair lending)

Select Consulting Engagements:

  1. Built a credit risk scorecard and automated loan decisioning system for a digital consumer lending platform.

  2. Led a delinquency deep-dive and segmentation project for a mid-tier retail bank to improve collections efficiency.

  3. Developed an end-to-end SMB credit framework, including policy, limits, and governance, for a pan-African fintech.

  4. Supported a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) startup with portfolio analytics and write-off provisioning methodologies.

  5. Re-designed loan origination workflows and affordability checks for a mobile-based micro-lender.

  6. Created a multi-channel early arrears strategy and contact optimization model for a bank’s credit card division.

  7. Assessed conduct risk in retail credit underwriting for a regional lender under regulatory scrutiny.

  8. Delivered retail credit MI dashboards to improve visibility for CRO and collections leadership.

Embedded Leadership Engagements:

  • Embedded a VP, Retail Credit Risk to lead scorecard development and analytics for a consumer finance joint venture.

  • Provided a Director, Collections Strategy to revamp recovery and write-off policy in a multi-country banking group.

  • Appointed a Senior Manager, Credit Operations to lead customer onboarding transformation for an e-wallet provider.

  • Seconded a Head of SMB Lending Risk to scale small business credit evaluation at a commercial bank.

  • Deployed a Manager, Consumer Risk Models to validate retail credit models for a firm entering new regulatory markets.

3. Private Banking & Wealth Credit Risk

Enabling prudent credit decisions for high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

We advise private banks, wealth managers, and family offices on tailored lending strategies, credit structuring, and portfolio risk management for their most sophisticated clients.

Key Capabilities:

  • Lending against marketable securities, real estate, and bespoke assets

  • Risk-adjusted lending and collateral management

  • Concentration and single-obligor risk monitoring

  • Cross-border and multi-jurisdictional lending frameworks

  • Internal audit and compliance alignment with HNW lending

Select Consulting Engagements:

  1. Designed a high-net-worth credit policy framework and monitoring tools for a global private bank entering Africa.

  2. Advised on multi-asset collateral structuring and lending risk for a UHNW client of a cross-border wealth platform.

  3. Developed loan-to-value (LTV) limits and liquidity stress models for margin lending portfolios.

  4. Reviewed a private banking division’s end-to-end credit process and introduced risk-based pricing tools.

  5. Conducted a stress scenario analysis of pledged-asset lending across a regional wealth management business.

  6. Built dashboards for board reporting on exposures to family office clients in illiquid asset classes.

  7. Developed country-specific credit playbooks for structured lending to HNW clients in East Africa.

  8. Supported a Middle East-based private wealth group with policies on luxury asset lending and concentration risk.

Embedded Leadership Engagements:

  • Provided an Executive Director, Wealth Credit Risk to lead restructuring of complex UHNW exposures.

  • Appointed a Head of Lending & Credit Operations to align controls with regulatory expectations on cross-border lending.

  • Seconded a Manager, Structured Lending Risk to review collateral adequacy in non-traditional asset-backed loans.

  • Embedded a Director, Wealth Lending Strategy to overhaul credit structuring for large-ticket HNW portfolios.

  • Deployed a VP, Credit Portfolio Oversight, to support governance and reporting for family office lending.

4. Private Credit & Private Debt Advisory

Supporting alternative lenders and asset managers in managing private market exposures.

We work with asset managers, private credit funds, and institutional investors to evaluate risk in private debt portfolios and support underwriting, monitoring, and credit governance.

Key Capabilities:

  • Credit underwriting and due diligence for private placements

  • Fund-level risk and exposure monitoring

  • NAV-based lending, direct lending, and mezzanine structures

  • Workout strategy and covenant review

  • Third-party credit assessment and risk rating support

Select Consulting Engagements:

  1. Advised a pan-African private credit fund on credit structuring and risk grading for mid-market direct loans.

  2. Developed a monitoring dashboard for fund-level risk oversight at a private debt investment platform.

  3. Reviewed distressed asset exposure and developed a restructuring plan for a private lender’s manufacturing portfolio.

  4. Conducted covenant compliance assessments for a DFI lending into logistics and transport sectors.

  5. Created an ESG-integrated credit framework for an impact-oriented private credit manager.

  6. Built a third-party credit risk assessment toolkit for institutional co-investors in debt deals.

  7. Supported due diligence on a healthcare lending pipeline for a mezzanine fund.

  8. Performed risk diagnostics on a vintage portfolio of SME loans acquired by a special situations investor.

Embedded Leadership Engagements:

  • Deployed an Interim Head of Private Credit Risk to manage the risk function for a growing alternative lender.

  • Embedded a Director, Credit Structuring, to support deal origination and documentation in a private debt fund.

  • Appointed a Manager, Fund Risk Reporting, to drive portfolio transparency and investor updates.

  • Seconded a VP, Restructuring & Workout, to manage high-risk exposures in a post-COVID loan book.

  • Provided an Executive Director, Private Lending Risk, to establish risk controls for a new private credit vehicle.

Our Embedded Leadership Model

Flexible Talent. Strategic Impact. Seamless Execution.

Talentstone Advisory sets itself apart by offering embedded staffing and subject-matter leadership for financial institutions navigating complex credit risk challenges. Our seasoned professionals—ranging from Managers and VPs to Directors, Executive Directors, Heads of Credit and Interim CROs—serve as integral team members to drive execution, transformation, or interim leadership.

We integrate seamlessly with your credit risk, credit underwriting, and portfolio oversight functions—offering a flexible, high-caliber solution for growth, remediation, or transformation periods.

Let’s Navigate Credit Risk Together

Partner with Talentstone Advisory to build smarter credit strategies, enhance risk control, and embed credit excellence across your organization.

Contact us to explore our consulting solutions or discuss embedded leadership support for your credit risk needs.