Don has over thirty years of experience in the asset based lending industry. Prior to co-founding Allen & Merrill Collateral Services, Don worked for Wachovia in their Collateral Evaluation Group which focused their efforts on inventory, machinery and real estate values for borrowing base purposes for the ABL Group, Syndicated Loan and Cash Flow Groups of the Bank. 

Don’s experience covers all facets in the asset based lending industry including auditing, training, management and commercial lending within Wachovia and Bank of America.

Janet has over twenty five years of audit and management experience during her tenures with FINOVA, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and various CPA firms. Prior to co-founding Allen & Merrill Collateral Services, she served as the FINOVA’s Southeastern Audit Manager servicing three offsite portfolios consisting of 100 plus loans ranging from $5 million to over 100 million.

Her experience covers all aspects of the ABL spectrum including specialized knowledge within the Special Assets/Workout Groups of Wells Fargo and Bank of America. During this time, she established a collateral control/analysis group to minimize collateral risk and improve management reporting capabilities for these workout credits.


Robert Bowles - Blue Water Consulting, LLC

As the Managing Member of Blue Water Consulting, Robert has extensive experience in the asset-based lending and commercial finance industries.  Prior to founding Blue Water Consulting, Robert was a founding member of a mid-west regional collateral services firm.  He has also worked for the collateral evaluation department of a major bank and served in numerous accounting positions, including controller, for several manufacturing companies.

For the past several years, Robert has developed a specialty of servicing high risk and troubled accounts.  Robert has overseen numerous forensic examinations and been retained by counsel to investigate fraudulent activities, which has directly led to the recovery of millions of dollars in misappropriated assets.

Robert received his Bachelor of Accountancy degree from Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration in Troy, Michigan, and is currently studying to be a Certified Fraud Examiner.


John Kreye - BMT Financial, Inc.

He is a former National Audit Manager of CIT Corp., where he was responsible for training and development of CIT’s national field examination staff, exam scheduling, and management review of field examination reports.  He personally has performed over 500 field examinations. He is a former senior account executive in the asset based lending division of a large mid-west bank where he was responsible for all portfolio management duties including customer relationship management, credit underwriting and approval, workouts, and management reporting.  His portfolio included public and private companies, growth companies, LBO's, turnarounds and bankruptcies.

In 1999, Curt Croshaw started his own consulting practice performing due diligence and collateral examinations nationwide for the banking and commercial finance industries.  The firm currently consists of four professionals and performs work for national and regional lenders as well as small private and community banks.  Curt also has litigation support and loan workout experience.  

His career started in 1989 with Bank of America in Los Angeles as an asset-based lending field examiner.  Upon receiving his MBA in 1994, he moved to Las Vegas to work as a corporate loan officer with BofA and managed a $200MM loan portfolio.  In 1997 Curt left BofA to work for a publicly traded company as Treasurer.  While there, his primary responsibilities were working on debt & stock placements, including negotiating a $125MM syndicated ABL credit line, and managing cash flow. 

Education includes a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989 and a MBA from Texas A&M University in 1994.  Curt is also an Associate member of the Certified Fraud Examiners.


Derek Daniel - D&B Examinations, Inc.

Derek Daniel has a combined 14 years of experience in industry accounting and asset based lending.  He earned his business degree from Texas A&M University.

After four years of industry experience as a division controller for a transportation company, Derek joined a regional ABL consulting company as a senior field examiner, where he was entrusted with performing and supervising field examinations for large lenders.  In 1999, Derek along with Nicholas Betts established D&B Examinations, Inc., a provider of field examination services for well respected banking institutions.

Derek has performed over 400 new business and recurring examinations for various lenders including high profile accounts with total loan facilities exceeding $100 million. He has created and implemented field exam templates for investment firms and factoring companies.

Steve Keyser - Keyser Associates

Prior to forming Keyser Associates, Steve ran the national field examination department for LaSalle Business Credit for over five years. During this time, Steve developed a management development program recruiting and training field examiners serving as LBC’s pipeline for junior loan officers and underwriters. He oversaw sixty internal examiners and managed approximately 20+ contract firms.

Steve is a CPA with over 20 years in the asset based lending industry including an audit management role at Fremont Financial and running a lenders services practice for BDO Seidman. Steve has extensive experience leading due diligence projects including workouts, LBO's and large syndicated transactions.

He has taught for the Commercial Finance Association for the past ten years. Steve is currently working on becoming a CIRA (Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor).

Jeff W. Kessel - JW Kessel  Co.

Jeff Kessel graduated in 1986 from Michigan State University with a BA in Accounting.  In September 2001, Jeff started his own business which is organized to provide field examination services on an outsource basis to asset based lenders and banks.  Jeff has more than 20 years experience in the auditing and accounting profession.  15 of his 20 years of experience focused on providing services within the commercial finance industry.  Prior to forming JW Kessel & Co. in 2002, he underwrote from start to finish ABL financing transactions ranging from $2.5MM to $15MM as an underwriter in GE Capital's Business Credit Dallas, TX office.

Prior to Jeff’s experience with GE, he underwrote ABL financing transactions for Bank of America - Business Credit in Dallas, TX.  Jeff’s direct field exam experience includes positions held with Bank of America - Business Credit and Comerica Bank – TX.  Jeff’s experience as both an auditor and underwriter provides lenders with a well rounded field exam product.  Jeff’s initial audit background and experience was developed during his career as an auditor for both a “top 4” public accounting firm and a small local CPA firm.

Ann Smith - Lincoln Regal

Ann Smith has worked in the commercial finance industry for 15 years.  She earned her MBA in European Business from the University of Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom.  She also spent a year in Spain at the University of Bilbao studying business, where she became fluent in Spanish.

After working in the UK as a controller for a division of Unilever, Ann moved to the United States, taking advantage of an opportunity with a southern California workout consulting firm.

Ann began her asset based lending career as an account manager.  Her field examination career began with Bay View Financial in 1997.  In 1999, she moved to contract field examination work.  For the last 11 years Ann has led and supervised complex field exams for many of the largest commercial finance companies in the country, working with over 30 lending institutions on hundreds of field examinations.  Ann has managed workouts and a wide range of non-compliance and fraud situations.  Her expertise in business gives her a competitive advantage of being able to train and produce staff of the very highest quality.

With over 20 years experience in business, Ann founded Lincoln Regal in San Diego, CA in 2006.

Ted Cappas

Ted has over 12 years experience in the asset based lending industry.  Since 2003 Ted has been a successful independent field examiner for a variety of lenders.  Ted has extensive experience leading Prospect Exams and large syndicated transactions.  In addition, Ted has been engaged to mentor and train junior field examiners.  

Ted’s prior work experience includes Regional Audit Manager for Focus Lending Services (fka SB Capital Advisory Services, LLC), Credit Officer/Underwriter at Fleet Capital Leasing, Credit Analyst/Underwriter for Bank of America Business Credit and Senior Field Examiner and Assistant Audit Manager for Thomas Capital Resources, Inc.  

Ted received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Indiana University and his MBA in Finance from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

Western ABL Services, Inc. has been in business since 2003 and has been operating under the supervision of Warren Silliman, managing partner.  The company and staff have prided themselves on the fact that they provide a superior product with fast service and quick turnaround to all of their clients.  Western has provided its services to the smaller financing and factoring companies in addition to some of the major banks located in the Western United States.