Certified Audit

This is known as an opinion audit. This is the highest level of assurance that a Certified Public Accountant can provide. Certified audits are conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance as to the assurance of material misstatement in the financial statements. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management. A certified audit is required by banks with more then $500 million in assets as well as all state chartered thrifts. Regardless of the size of your institution, having the assurance of a clear and accurate depiction of your institution's performance shows your dedication to the shareholders.

Agreed Upon Procedures

Smaller banks are encouraged by their regulators to have annual audits performed but are not required. Instead, many smaller banks engage CPA firms to perform these agreed upon procedures. These are procedures that are agreed upon by institution management and Board and the scope can vary depending upon the level of assurance required.

WJG & Associates, PLLC sets itself apart from it's competitors by assuring you that a partner in our firm will be in charge of delivering your assurance services. We have staked our claim on Midwest Financial Institutions by constantly reviewing ourselves through peer audits, regulator approval, and most importantly customer feedback. Our firm currently provides audits to financial institutions ranging from $14 million to over $300 million. We feel our dedication to the financial institutions industry would only assist you and your institution in its strategic goals.

WJG & Associates, PLLC can assist your financial institution with the development and maintenance of an effective ongoing compliance program.

Our professionals are available to monitor the compliance effort on behalf of the management and the board of directors on a quarterly or semi-annual basis, or to perform ongoing compliance review services on an outsourced basis monthly.

We can assist your organization in the development of a compliance program, formation of a compliance counsel, training of a compliance officer, addressing specific regulatory examination recommendations, and all of your institution's compliance needs

Our on-site compliance review program includes the following:

• We review internal controls and procedures to determine they are adequate to effectively monitor for compliance with policies, laws and regulations.
• We review the compliance training efforts and schedules to ensure mandatory training is being performed, and adequately documented.
• We will make recommendations relative to the institution's compliance review policies and procedures.
• We will recommend a list of materials, publications, or programs to enhance the institution's compliance library.
• We will recommend forms and compliance review checklists for use by the compliance officer in performing compliance audit procedures.
• We will assist the compliance officer with determining an appropriate internal training schedule for the staff.

We will assist the compliance officer with determining an appropriate internal training schedule for the staff. We will provide telephone assistance to your staff relative to day-to-day situations and regulatory questions that may arise between our quarterly visits.

WJG & Associates, PLLC can take the quarterly, semi-annual and annual Holding Company reporting burden off of you and your staff. We are also available to perform the ongoing bookkeeping services for your holding company.

We are capable of preparing and electronically filing your holding company's quarterly FR Y-8 (Bank Holding Company Report of Insured Depository Institution's Section 23A Transactions with Affiliates) and the semi-annual FR Y-9SP (Parent Company Only Financial Statements for Small Bank Holding Companies) reports with the Federal Reserve Bank.

We can also prepare the annual FR Y-6 (Annual Report of Bank Holding Companies) for your review and filing.

Since we prepare these reports for numerous of our current holding company clients, and work closely with the Fed staff throughout the year on these various reports, we are able to offer you an increased efficiency and competence in this reporting, and at a reasonable investment on your part.

With the inception of the Internet, network use, and increased data processing capabilities; regulators and examiners alike have found an ever-growing area in which to heighten the review of your institution. The year 2000 "scare" to the financial industry enabled the regulatory agencies to increase the number of Information Technology examiners. As the worries over year 2000 issues subside, examiners used for compliance in this area, are now focusing on internal controls, electronic banking, and various other data processing issues relevant to your institution. The regulatory agencies are using these IT experts in the course of your safety and soundness exam, as well as specialized IT audits that can come with little warning.

We, at WJG & Associates, PLLC, are ready to assist you in your preparation for such an audit. Our services will not only prepare you for such an examination, but will also increase your awareness of responsibilities, use, and capabilities of the data processing systems you have in place, or ones you wish to put in service. Our service will thoroughly examine, detail, and report the findings of the data processing department you are utilizing.

A specialized service we are offering, the electronic banking review, details the use of an electronic banking platform utilized by your institution. This review is based on the need for sound compliance as it relates to electronic disclosures, policies, and management oversight.

We are an experienced, financial industry specialized, CPA firm. The experience we bring to you comes from over 23 years of service to the banking industry. Our dedication to your existence is evident in our pursuit of experienced professionals in the audit, tax, compliance, and now IT areas.

Our approach to the internal audit function is to spend time "up front" to assess the relative risk in the various operational areas of the bank, then to tailor our internal audit schedule and scope accordingly. We also incorporate any particular areas of concern noted by the client's audit committee or management team.

Our internal audit schedule is then established to cover all of the audit areas within a 12-month period. This 12-month audit schedule does not necessarily mean a calendar year, it may run from July 1st through June 30th for instance.

We usually report to management at the conclusion of our monthly visit in an exit meeting. We then prepare a written report for the audit committee (and management). We normally attend the quarterly audit committee meetings to be available to answer questions and provide clarifications or explanations as needed.

Our internal audits are more detailed in scope and coverage than what is found in an external audit, with the emphasis more toward internal controls and operations. We will offer suggestions for corrections and improvements wherever we see them. We are able to draw on our years of experience in the financial institution industry to identify potential helpful recommendations that may not necessarily result from a specific audit procedure, but rather simply from experience and observation.

Our audit team assigned to the various internal audit engagements includes a mix of our more experienced personnel. With assistance from our hand picked core of auditors, this team is fully capable of serving you and your institution's needs.

WJG & Associates, PLLC is available to assist your institution with its Loan Review needs, from developing internal loan review and assist classification policies and procedures, to performing an independent internal loan review for you on an outsourced basis. Our highly experienced team of loan review professionals will work with management to develop the best option to suit your particular needs.

We are available to provide you with a thorough, ongoing internal loan review on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Our professionals will analyze individual loans for quality and risk, as well as for basic documentation required by your policy, and prudent lending practices in the industry. We will offer classification recommendations based on our reviews, which may be utilized in determining the adequacy of your Allowance for Loan and Lease Loss account if you so desire. We can also assist you in developing a reasonable and acceptable methodology for performing the regular assessment of the adequacy of your allowance.

Our loan reviews usually also result in an assessment of the effectiveness of your lending-related policies and procedures, as well as your overall loan administration.

We base our assessments on our experience, rather than simply plugging numbers into a spreadsheet or model. We believe that loan review is an art rather than a science, and that there is no quick and easy solution that can replace good old-fashioned, hands-on experience.

Income Tax Preparation and Planning

Expertise. Peace of mind. These are the things that you can expect your tax advisor to provide. We view our relationship with each of our clients as an ongoing partnership and strive to provide you with quality, up-to-date tax return preparation and advice. We keep abreast of current tax laws throughout the year to minimize your tax liabilities and to maximize your future opportunities.

Whether you are an individual or operate a multi-tiered corporation or partnership, our partners and staff can accommodate your needs for tax planning and preparation.

We prepare Federal and State tax returns for individuals and all types of entities including corporations, partnerships, limited liabiltiy companies, trusts, and estates.

Business Tax Returns

In today's environment, there are many other tax regulations businesses must comply with.

We provide preparation services for Federal and State payroll, sales, and franchise tax returns.