Ashfield & Associates

What Ashfield & Associates does

Ashfield & Associates is a privately held professional services consulting firm founded in 2000 by Tracy Ashfield and headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. The firm specializes exclusively in strategic advisory services for credit unions seeking to maximize the value of their real estate lending programs. Its service portfolio spans nine discrete offerings: Real Estate Strategic Planning Sessions, Business Model Reviews, Servicing Business Model Reviews, Real Estate Operations Reviews, Structure and Staffing Reviews, Real Estate Compensation Reviews, Incentive Plan Design, Real Estate Transition Plans, and Speaking and Training Engagements.

The business model is a direct consulting engagement model with no proprietary technology platform. Services are delivered on-site, virtually via telephone and video, or through retainer arrangements. Pricing is quote-based, structured as either one-time project engagements or multi-year retainer contracts. The firm serves credit unions ranging from small operations to multibillion-dollar institutions, drawing on President Tracy Ashfield's more than 30 years of mortgage banking management experience, including prior senior roles at CUNA Mutual, CUNA Mortgage Corporation, CMG Mortgage Insurance, and Prime Alliance Solutions, as well as her presidency of the American Credit Union Mortgage Association (ACUMA) in 2020 and 2021. Customer acquisition relies primarily on conference speaking, industry reputation, and referral networks within the credit union vertical.

Name

Ashfield & Associates

Legal name

Ashfield & Associates

Website

https://ashfieldandassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ashfield & Associates is a privately held consulting firm founded in 2000 that provides strategic advisory services exclusively to credit unions on real estate and mortgage lending program optimization, delivered through on-site engagements, virtual support, and retainer arrangements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Strategy & Portfolio Consulting (Corporate/Institutional) (BPAJANAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate Capital Markets Advisory (Debt/Equity Placement, Refinancing) (BPAJANAE)

Keywords

• Credit union consulting
• Mortgage lending strategy
• Real estate lending advisory
• Strategic planning services
• Financial services consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Professional consulting services including strategic planning sessions, business model reviews, operations reviews, compensation reviews, incentive plan design, staffing reviews, and transition plans. Services delivered via on-site visits, virtual support, and retainer arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ashfield & Associates provides strategic consulting services to credit unions seeking to maximize the value of their real estate lending programs. Services include real estate strategic planning sessions, business model reviews, operations reviews, compensation reviews, incentive plan design, structure and staffing reviews, transition plans, and speaking/training engagements, delivered through on-site visits, retainers, and virtual support.

Product overview

Ashfield & Associates provides consulting services to credit unions seeking to maximize the value of their real estate lending programs. The company offers a comprehensive suite of advisory services including Real Estate Strategic Planning Sessions, Credit Union and Conference Speaking and Training Engagements, Real Estate Compensation Review, Incentive Plan Design, Structure and Staffing Review, Business Model Review, Servicing Business Model consulting, Real Estate Transition Plans, and Real Estate Operations Review. These services help credit unions develop competitive, profitable, and member-focused mortgage programs through strategy development, policy review, product design, staff training, and implementation support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Strategic Planning Sessions Facilitation and expertise services for credit unions to review mortgage services business models, discuss growth opportunities, and build consensus on strategies to achieve objectives.
• Credit Union and Conference Speaking and Training Engagements Presentations and training on real estate lending topics for credit unions, CUSOs, regulators, and board members.
• Real Estate Compensation Review Review of current compensation structures for mortgage loan officers with recommendations to achieve sales and service goals.
• Incentive Plan Design Identification of real estate lending objectives and development of competitive, compliant incentive plans for real estate personnel.
• Structure and Staffing Review Examination of organizational structure and staffing to maximize staff effectiveness, increase productivity, and improve the member experience.
• Business Model Review Review of mortgage origination, secondary, and servicing business models with comparison to alternatives and identification of enhancement strategies.
• Servicing Business Model Consulting Review of servicing strategy with comparison to alternatives including servicing released, servicing retained, servicing in-house, and using a sub-servicer.
• Real Estate Transition Plans Assistance in developing plans to transition from portfolio lending to utilizing the secondary market, including gap identification.
• Real Estate Operations Review Review of real estate operation structure and processes to identify opportunities for growing a profitable, sustainable real estate business.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients report taking their mortgage business to new levels
• +1 more outcomes

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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CUNA Mutual (now TruStage)minorOthersTracy Ashfield held Senior Executive position for Mortgage Development at CUNA Mutual prior to forming Ashfield & Associates. Historical employment relationship rather than active partnership.
• CUNA Mortgage CorporationminorOthersTracy Ashfield held Senior Vice President of Operations at CUNA Mortgage Corporation prior to forming Ashfield & Associates. Historical employment relationship.
• CMG Mortgage Insurance Co. (now ArchMI)minorOthersTracy Ashfield worked with CMG Mortgage Insurance Company. Historical relationship.
• Prime Alliance Solutions, Inc.minorOthersTracy Ashfield served as Executive Vice President for three years. Prime Alliance was one of the nation's largest CUSOs committed to helping credit unions excel at real estate lending. Historical employment relationship.
• American Credit Union Mortgage Association (ACUMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTracy Ashfield was instrumental in the growth and development of ACUMA over two decades and served as its President in 2020 and 2021. ACUMA is the nation's leading mortgage-lending trade association. Active leadership involvement in industry association.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• TruStage (formerly CUNA Mutual): Large financial services provider to credit unions offering insurance, lending, and investment products, historically connected to Ashfield & Associates through Tracy Ashfield's prior executive role. Adjacent incumbent that could expand into or absorb mortgage advisory services.
• Michael Baker International: Large consulting and engineering firm with real estate advisory and capital markets capabilities serving public and private sector clients. Broad incumbent because it offers overlapping real estate strategy and advisory at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• 1st Edge Consulting: A boutique advisory firm serving credit unions and community financial institutions on lending, growth, and operational strategy. Emerging peer that competes in the same niche with a more limited service catalog.
• Sagewind Consulting: Financial services consulting firm supporting credit unions and community banks with strategy, lending, and growth initiatives. Comparable niche focus on credit union advisory with similar boutique engagement model.
• Newbold Advisors: Boutique financial services consulting firm advising banks and credit unions on strategic and operational initiatives. Comparable as a small, founder-led advisory practice serving similar institutional clients.

Direct peers

• StrategyCorps: A financial services consulting firm focused on credit unions and community banks, covering retail delivery, payments, and growth strategy. Peer because both firms sell strategic advisory specifically tailored to credit union leadership teams.
• Callahan & Associates: Provides performance analytics, research, and consulting services to credit unions. Comparable as a credit-union-specialized advisory firm that competes for the same strategic planning and performance improvement budgets.
• Cornerstone Advisors: A consulting firm specializing in strategic, technology, and operational advisory for credit unions and community banks. Direct peer because both firms sell high-level strategy and operational consulting to the same credit union buyer profile.
• Moebs Services: Research and consulting firm focused on deposit, lending, and pricing strategies for credit unions and community banks. Peer because it targets the same credit union executive buyer with comparable analytical and advisory services.
• Capital Performance Group: Management consulting firm serving banks, credit unions, and mortgage lenders on strategy, operations, and risk. Comparable as a specialist advisor addressing mortgage and lending strategy for depository institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-mortgage-solutions

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 Ashfield & Associates