Practice Area
Asset managers, RIAs, regional and community banks, and insurance companies require finance executives with a specific blend of regulatory knowledge, fund accounting depth, and institutional investor management capability. We place the leaders who have it.
Financial services is not a single market — it is three overlapping but meaningfully different talent pools. Asset management finance requires fund accounting depth and SEC compliance expertise. Banking finance requires regulatory capital knowledge, CECL fluency, and exam management experience. Insurance requires actuarial literacy and statutory accounting proficiency. Misidentifying which pool your role draws from wastes time and produces weak slates.
NAV calculations, expense allocations, waterfall distributions, and LP capital account management are the core technical requirements for asset management finance. Candidates who have only worked in corporate accounting environments require significant ramp time in fund accounting — and at most managers, there is no time for that.
Registered investment advisers operate under a specific compliance framework — Form ADV, investment advisory agreements, code of ethics, soft dollar policies, and ongoing SEC examination exposure. The CCO and CFO at an RIA must both understand this framework deeply. Candidates without direct registered adviser experience are a meaningful risk.
Large asset managers run parallel vehicles — closed-end funds, open-end vehicles, SMAs, co-investment structures — each with distinct LP reporting requirements, fee structures, and expense allocation methodologies. Finance executives at multi-vehicle managers are managing complexity that does not exist at a single-strategy fund. The candidate pool with this experience is genuinely narrow nationally.
Bank CFOs must manage capital ratios, stress testing, and regulatory reporting simultaneously with core finance function leadership. CECL implementation, DFAST stress testing, and call report preparation are hard requirements at most regional bank CFO searches. Candidates without direct bank regulatory experience consistently underperform in these environments.
OCC, Fed, FDIC, and state banking regulator examinations are a recurring fact of life at every bank. The CFO and Internal Audit Head are the primary points of contact. Candidates who have managed through a full examination cycle — including MRA and MRIA response — are meaningfully more valuable and command corresponding premiums.
Bank consolidation has accelerated significantly. CFOs at regional banks are increasingly expected to have acquisition integration experience — purchase accounting, core system conversion, and regulatory approval management. This credential is becoming table stakes at the mid-market bank CFO level and is worth probing in every search.
Insurance companies report on a statutory (SAP) basis in addition to GAAP, with unique surplus, reserve, and investment accounting requirements. CFOs and controllers at insurance companies must be fluent in both frameworks. This is not a skill that transfers easily from corporate or bank accounting without specific insurance experience.
Insurance finance executives work closely with the actuarial function on reserve adequacy, pricing models, and loss development. CFOs who can challenge and interpret actuarial work — without being actuaries themselves — are a specific profile that is consistently in demand and consistently scarce at the leadership level.
Insurance company balance sheets are investment portfolios. The CFO at an insurance company must understand fixed income, alternative investment allocation, credit risk, and investment portfolio reporting — in addition to core insurance accounting. This dual competency is rare and commands significant premiums at the leadership level.
When we call a candidate on your behalf, the credibility of the outreach depends on the recruiter demonstrating real knowledge of the work. Here is what we know.
Form ADV
The SEC registration form filed by registered investment advisers — including information about the firm's business, fees, conflicts of interest, and disciplinary history. A CFO or CCO at an RIA is accountable for the accuracy of this filing and the adequacy of the compliance program it describes.
CECL
Current Expected Credit Losses — the FASB accounting standard that replaced the incurred loss model for bank loan loss reserves. Implementation experience is now a standard requirement for senior bank finance roles. Candidates who have led a CECL implementation from scratch are meaningfully more valuable than those who inherited a functioning model.
NAV (Net Asset Value)
The per-share value of a fund's assets net of liabilities — the primary output of the fund accounting function at any asset manager. NAV calculation, NAV per share reconciliation, and NAV error policies are core responsibilities of the Head of Fund Accounting and Fund Controller.
DFAST
Dodd-Frank Act Stress Testing — the annual stress testing requirement for banks above certain asset thresholds. Bank CFOs who have led a DFAST submission — including the capital plan, scenario narratives, and regulatory submission — bring a level of regulatory credibility that is immediately apparent to examiners.
DDQ
Due Diligence Questionnaire — the standard information request submitted by institutional investors evaluating a manager. The Director of Investor Relations at an asset manager owns DDQ response management as a core responsibility. Turnaround time and accuracy on DDQs are primary metrics for institutional LP relationships.
ALCO
Asset-Liability Committee — the governance body at a bank that manages interest rate risk, liquidity, and the balance sheet. The CFO is typically the ALCO chair or a primary member. ALCO fluency — including duration gap analysis, rate sensitivity modeling, and liquidity coverage — is a differentiating credential for bank CFO candidates.
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