Independently owned and operated, providing audit and consulting services to
financial institutions for over 30 years
A wealth of experience from competent professionals with specialized expertise in
a variety of areas critical to dealing with the challenges facing
bankers in today’s financial services environment
Our philosophy of audit and consulting is to provide exceptional service at a low cost
through an efficient organizational structure. Our non-hierarchical structure means
you receive managing partner level experience on-site throughout the engagement.
DLS Consulting, PLLC offers independent reviews of asset quality, loan underwriting and credit administration
Stress testing provides management with an estimate of loss exposure under stressed market conditions including a significant decline in revenue, cash flow and collateral values
A review of internal controls is designed to assess the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and bank operations
Compliance audit or review assesses the effectiveness of the institution’s internal policies, procedures and audit functions
Our staff has been involved with due diligence services for mergers and acquisitions for more than 25 years
An audit assesses an institution’s compliance with rules and regulations governing the ACH network
DLS Consulting, established in 1991, provides a variety of audit and review services to assist financial institutions in monitoring and managing credit risk, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of internal controls and dealing with regulatory requirements. Our consultants, made up primarily of bankers and former regulators, have extensive experience in lending, credit review, operations and regulatory compliance. We strive to stay abreast of current trends and hot topics in the industry and enjoy a reputation for practical competency and efficient expertise. Please click on the services listed above for more information.
Dave has been involved with GBCI’s external loan reviews for over 30 years. He has adapted his reviews & reporting to meet all of our internal & external (regulatory, M&A, etc.) needs as we have grown from a $200M savings bank with one division to a $20B+ Commercial Community bank with 17 bank divisions. Dave is always professional & respectful in his communications & findings when reporting in person & in the final reports even with difficult situations.
Don Chery, EVP/CAO - Glacier Bancorp, Inc
The DLS Consulting team has been a great asset to our division. Their findings and subsequent coaching have allowed our division to pinpoint areas in credit where we can improve through better structuring, underwriting, documenting, and monitoring of loans.
Scott Fagin, SVP / Chief Credit Officer - First Security Bank
Dave Scholten and his team efficiently/thoroughly review loan files and his summary reports always provide useful and actionable information. Dave also shares industry and regulatory insights that we highly value. Our regulators also respect Dave’s work and utilize his analysis and trend tracking to help assess our performance. We are clearly a better bank because of our 25+ year relationship with Dave and DLS Consulting.
Dennis Beams, EVP | Chief Credit Officer - Glacier Bank
We have been very pleased with the thoroughness of the exam and the open communication during the exam process.
Julia B. Beattie, President & Chief Credit Officer - People's Bank of Commerce
I have known and dealt with Dave Scholten for many years. You will find he and his team very professional and helpful in many ways.
Michael E Grove, President and CEO - Bank of the Rockies
We have worked with DLS Consulting since 2008, and it has been a great relationship. Our bank has always had a strong credit culture and DLS’s insights and recommendations have helped us to keep our credit metrics moving in a positive direction. I highly recommend Dave Scholten and his team to anyone who is serious about optimally managing their portfolio credit risk.
Art Chase, President - Bank of the San Juans
DLS Consulting has been our primary resource for external credit review and M&A credit due diligence for over twenty-five years. Dave and his expert team of credit review professionals are a valuable resource to maintaining our conservative credit culture and asset quality standards. I highly recommend DLS Consulting.
Tom Dolan, SCO - Glacier Bancorp
Dave Scholten and DLS Consulting have been trusted partners and advisors of mine for over 18 years. They are extremely efficient, thorough, and highly regarded by our Federal and State regulators. The immediate benefits from their independent loan review as well as methodology analysis and stress testing are invaluable to our institution.
Gordon Zimmerman, President/CEO - Citizens Bank
Born in Minnesota, Dave has lived and worked in banks in Montana, Washington, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. His career has included middle-market commercial lending in Seattle, designing asset-based audit programs in Alaska, and managing regional audit and loan review offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Dave founded DLS Consulting in 1991 to provide specialized consulting services and assist financial institutions in improving credit risk management and dealing with regulatory requirements. With a strong work ethic inherited from his father, Dave has a head for analysis, and a non-confrontational, easy-going nature which promotes a team approach to audit and consulting engagements. This approach has expanded the business to include clients throughout the western United States.
When he is not traveling, you can find Dave at home along the Missouri River near Ulm, MT where he and his family enjoying hiking, canoeing, fishing, and skiing. Dave earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Northwestern College and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Minnesota Carlton School of Management.
Natalie was born and raised in Colorado. For school and work, Natalie has traveled throughout the country as well as to many others. Her professional background includes a myriad of jobs, such as working in commercial real estate, education, localization, and banking.
Natalie first started working for DLS in January of 2019. Starting out as the company bookkeeper, she slowly learned more about loan review, taking over consumer loan review in the summer of 2019. Since 2020, Natalie has helped lead most company operations.
In her free time, Natalie enjoys time with her two dogs, cooking, and sewing. She received her BA in International Studies with a minor in Spanish from Gonzaga University and her MA in International Studies from the University of Wyoming.
Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Laura moved to North Dakota in 2011 and started her banking career during the Bakken oil boom. There she was catapulted into all facets of lending and hit the ground running by pairing with the top performing business banker working on large commercial credits, construction loans, and multi-million-dollar development projects. Within a year, she was also taking on special projects such as internal compliance audits of large construction and floor plan accounts, HMDA, and Flood.
In 2014, Laura moved to Montana and furthered her banking knowledge and experience in Credit Administration, overseeing all areas of the loan process function and regulatory compliance. In 2017 she moved into full Regulatory Compliance mode. In less than a year, she obtained a CCBCO certification and began performing compliance audits & consulting in 2019. Most recently, she has taken on BSA/AML and received her CBAP certification in 2021. In 2022, she accepted a position on the Montana Bankers Association’s Compliance Committee.
Laura loves all things compliance and helping banks with their compliance questions and needs. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, camping, and playing cards with her husband Shawn, and two children, Brinley and Blake.
Amy was born in Miles City, Montana, but was raised and continues to reside in Fairfield, Montana. With her comprehensive banking knowledge in operations and lending, Amy makes a great addition to the DLS team.
Amy has worked for First Bank of Montana for over 20 years, taking on many roles and working her way up the ladder. Starting off as a teller in 1988, she quickly took on new roles in internal auditing. In the mid 1990s, Amy joined the DLS team completing Operations Audits, while continuing her roles at First Bank Montana. In 2001, Amy was promoted to an Operations Officer. In 2010, Amy added the role of Internal Audit Coordinator to her duties. In 2013, Amy added lending to her long list of other duties for the bank . In 2016 she moved to the role of VP/Loan Officer and Assistant Auditor. In 2019, Amy was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager of the Fairfield and Vaughn branches.
Amy enjoys spending time with her five grand children, soaking up the sun, and riding her Harley. She earned her BA in Mathematics with a Secondary Education Option and a Minor in Computer Science from Carroll College.
Bridger was born and raised just outside of Great Falls, Montana. With a passion for numbers, Bridger went to school for Math and Economics, and has professional experience in loan review and market research.
Starting with DLS in 2016, Bridger has learned loan review from the ground up, making meaningful connections with clients and giving a new perspective on loan review. Working with DA Davidson for a short time in the summer of 2017 as a IIG Research Analyst, as well as his experience with academia in his position as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Wyoming, Bridger has brought new and interesting insights to DLS and their clients.
In his free time, Bridger enjoys the outdoors, throwing a ball for his dogs, and woodworking. Bridger graduated from Gonzaga University in 2018 with a BS in Economics and Mathematics, and from the University of Wyoming in 2021 with a MS in Economics.
Jeff entered the finance industry in 1979 working first with a finance company then with commercial banks until retiring in 2019. Jeff has held diverse positions from loan officer to CEO/President with community and regional banks. His later career focused on credit, working for 12 years as a Credit Administrator and 10 years as a Chief Credit Officer. Jeff’s background emphasis was on small business, SBA, and agricultural lending.
Scott Godfrey has over 37 years of banking experience. He worked for two years on Special Assets and Problem Loans for Idaho First National Bank in Boise, Idaho. Scott also worked with Norwest Corporation for 11 years on Special Asserts, Problem Loans, and Credit Administration.
Since 2001, Scott became the Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer for Western Security Bank, Division of Glacier Bank. In the role of SVP CCO, he was responsible for the commercial and Ag portfolio management, lending, credit administration, collection, compliance and part of the banks senior management team. In addition to Ag and Commercial segment provided oversight on the consumer loan portfolio and underwriting. He totaled 25 years with Glacier Bank before retirement in April 2021.
Scott joined DLS Consulting in April 2021 after retiring and relocating from Billings to Dillon, Montana.
Bret Carpenter grew up on ranch in Denton, Montana, homesteaded by his grandfather, which he continues to harvest yearly with his brother. In 1982, Bret graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Agronomy, learning the most important lesson that “if it doesn’t rain, we don’t grow a crop.”
Bret started his career shortly after graduation at Federal Land Bank doing Farm and Special Credits. In 1991, he moved to Farmer’s State Bank in Conrad, then to F&M Bank in DeSmet, South Dakota, where he the Branch President. In 1997, Bret moved to Basin State Bank and Stockman Bank in Lewiston, Montana as Branch President. At the end of 2021, he retired, moving fully to work with DLS.
Bret sits on the Central MT Medical Center board, Central MT Foundation board, and Fergus County Port Authority board, as well as is a First Christian Church elder. He has three daughters and three granddaughters all living in Missoula. He enjoys basketball, golf, cribbage, Bobcat games, motorcycling, & family gatherings.
Zoe was born and raised in New Hampshire, spending a few years in Costa Rica, as well as a few others on a boat in the Bahamas. From 2017 until 2020, Zoe restored and excavated murals around New England to be preserved. Zoe attended Berklee College of Music from 2019 until the summer of 2020. In 2021, Zoe attended the Port Townsend School of Woodworking. In the summer of 2021, Zoe joined the DLS team as a loan reviewer.
In her free time, Zoe enjoys singing and playing her guitar, snuggling her dogs, and hanging out in nature.
DLS Consulting, PLLC was established in 1991 to provide specialized consulting services to assist financial institutions in improving credit risk management and dealing with regulatory requirements. The company is a unique association of highly effective, experienced and competent professionals who provide specialized expertise in a variety of areas important to dealing with the challenges facing bankers in today’s financial services environment. Our professionals include former bank regulators, lenders, credit mangers, operations specialists, audit managers and compliance officers. Over the years we have developed favorable reputations with industry professionals and regulators. Based in Montana, we have provided audit, review and consulting services to a wide range of banks and credit unions in the Rocky Mountain, Northwest and Midwest states. Working with a variety of clients allows us to bring the best industry practices to your organization. Our loan review professionals are highly productive and efficient in providing valuable, insightful, third-party assessments of loan portfolios. We have extensive experience in commercial real estate, commercial, agriculture, consumer, and real estate loans. Our compliance experts have comprehensive knowledge and practical experience in regulations affecting financial institutions today and stay up to date in current regulatory changes.