What DLS Consulting does

DLS Consulting, PLLC is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1991 by Dave Scholten, headquartered in Montana and serving banks and credit unions across the western United States (Rocky Mountain, Northwest, and Midwest states). The firm delivers six core consulting offerings to financial institutions: Loan Review, Stress Testing Loan Portfolios, Review of Internal Controls, Compliance Audit and Monitoring, M&A Due Diligence Services, and ACH Audits. These services address credit risk management, regulatory compliance, asset quality assessment, and M&A transaction support requirements of community and mid-sized banks. The firm does not operate a proprietary technology platform; it is positioned as a traditional audit and consulting practice.

The team is small (approximately 10 members) and is composed primarily of former bank regulators (including FDIC examiners), senior lenders, credit managers, operations specialists, audit managers, and compliance officers, with individual tenures ranging from 25 to 41 years of banking experience. The firm operates a non-hierarchical, managing-partner-led engagement model in which senior consultants are deployed on-site throughout each engagement, eliminating pyramid staffing overhead.

DLS Consulting generates revenue through project-based and retainer arrangements for audit and consulting engagements; no standard pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. Customer acquisition is driven by direct senior-partner business development and referrals within the regional banking community, supported by long-tenured client relationships (multiple clients cite 18-30+ years of continuous engagement). Named enterprise clients include Glacier Bancorp, First Security Bank, Glacier Bank, People's Bank of Commerce, Bank of the Rockies, Bank of the San Juans, and Citizens Bank. The firm has remained independently owned and operated throughout its 30+ year history.

Name

DLS Consulting

Legal name

DLS Consulting, PLLC

Website

https://dlsconsulting.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DLS Consulting, PLLC is an independent Montana-based professional services firm founded in 1991 that provides loan review, stress testing, internal controls review, compliance auditing, M&A due diligence, and ACH audit services to banks and credit unions across the western United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Services Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Risk, Compliance & Internal Controls Consulting (BPAHACAJ)

Keywords

• Loan review services
• Compliance audit
• Bank examination
• Credit union consulting
• Regulatory review

Headquarters

HQ city

Waco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Audit and Consulting Services: Project-based and retainer arrangements for audit and review services including loan review, stress testing, internal controls review, compliance audits, due diligence services, and ACH audits for financial institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

DLS Consulting provides outsourced loan review, compliance audit, stress testing, internal controls review, due diligence, and ACH audit services to community banks and credit unions. The firm serves financial institutions across the western United States with examiner-driven credit and regulatory reviews.

Product overview

DLS Consulting is a specialized consulting firm offering audit and review services to financial institutions. The company provides a portfolio of six distinct consulting services focused on credit risk management and regulatory compliance: Loan Review, Stress Testing Loan Portfolios, Review of Internal Controls, Compliance Audit and Monitoring, Due Diligence Services, and ACH Audits. These services are delivered by a team of former bank regulators, lenders, credit managers, operations specialists, audit managers, and compliance officers who provide third-party audit and consulting assessments. The company operates as a traditional consulting practice rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Loan Review

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RSM US: RSM US is a Top-5 US accounting and advisory firm with a Financial Institutions practice providing audit, risk, and regulatory services to middle-market and community banks — a larger incumbent competing in DLS's space.
• Promontory Financial Group (IBM Regulatory Compliance): Promontory Financial Group (now part of IBM) is a major risk and regulatory consulting firm serving large banks — a broad incumbent that competes for some of the same regulatory and risk advisory mandates as DLS, though at a much larger scale and broader client profile.
• Crowe LLP: Crowe LLP is a major national accounting firm serving financial institutions with audit, advisory, and risk consulting at a broader scale than DLS — competes for the same community-bank mandates but with a much wider portfolio.

Direct peers

• Wipfli: Wipfli is a major accounting and advisory firm with one of the largest Financial Services practices in the US, providing audit, risk, and regulatory services to community banks — directly comparable to DLS in service scope and target customer.
• FORVIS (formerly BKD): FORVIS is a Top-10 CPA firm with a dedicated Financial Institutions practice delivering loan review, internal audit, and regulatory compliance services to community banks nationwide — directly comparable to DLS in offering and target customer.
• Plante Moran: Plante Moran is a large CPA and advisory firm with a Financial Services practice serving community and regional banks with audit, risk, and consulting services — a directly comparable peer operating at a larger scale in similar services.
• Eide Bailly: Eide Bailly is a Top-25 CPA firm with a sizable Financial Institutions group serving community and regional banks across the western and midwestern US with audit, loan review, and regulatory consulting — directly competing with DLS in the same geography and segment.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): CLA is a Top-10 accounting firm with a Financial Institutions group providing audit, loan review, and compliance services to community banks — directly comparable to DLS in target market and service offerings.
• Wolf & Company: Wolf & Company is a regional accounting and advisory firm with a dedicated Financial Institutions practice that provides loan review, regulatory compliance, and internal audit services to community banks — a direct match to DLS's service mix and target customer.

Emerging players

• Abrigo: Abrigo is a fintech provider of risk management, loan portfolio management, and compliance software for community banks — an emerging tech-enabled player that overlaps with DLS's audit and compliance service areas but delivers via software rather than consulting.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DLS Consulting