This set of courses provides you with the skills needed to succeed as a Credit Analyst, underwriting commercial business loan requests, usually under the supervision of a Senior Credit Analyst, Credit Administrator or knowledgeable senior lender.

To reach this level of skill, for each credit request, an analyst will need to identify the following:

• The borrowing causes
• The cash sources of debt service
• The risks associated with each cash source of debt service
• The relevant risk mitigants

How these issues are resolved determines the loan recommendation and structure.

A proper understanding and application of the Uniform Credit Analysis (UCA) cash flow statement is critical for successful completion of the Learning Path and its associated certification. For someone new to commercial credit, the 12 - 24 month Learning Path for this role includes 5 components covered in 21 courses:

1. Introduction to Commercial Credit Skill Series (5 courses)
2. Accounting Essentials Skill Series (4 courses)
3. Fundamental Financial Skills Courses
   • Spreading Financial Statements
   • UCA Cash Flow, Traditional Cash Flow and EBITDA
4. Commercial & Industrial Business Underwriting Skill Series (8 courses)
5. Practical Skill-Building Courses
   • Commercial Business Loan Documentation
   • Introduction to the Credit Write-Up

The Introduction to Commercial Credit Skill Series teaches the foundational knowledge of business organizations, basic financial analysis and conveys the first steps in the analytical process, the initial assessment of prospective borrowers.

If the employee has a demonstrable working knowledge of accounting, he or she may skip the Accounting Essentials Skill Series. However, refreshing these skills may be necessary to achieve mastery of the material in this Learning Path.

The two fundamental financial courses teach the basics of spreading financial statements to address common credit analyst spreading errors. They also provide an introduction to the UCA cash flow statement, its construction and interpretation.

The Commercial & Industrial Business Underwriting Skill Series introduces the sequential steps in the credit decision process - an assessment of the borrower, the guarantor, and the collateral, risk assessment and risk mitigation. It also teaches the necessary analytical techniques necessary to master each step and arrive at a credit recommendation.

The two practical skill-building courses provide essential knowledge about commercial loan documentation, and the methods to create quality credit write-ups, to effectively convey the analytical conclusions, eliminating elevator analysis and data dumping.

Upon the successful completion of this Learning Path, the employee will be eligible to receive a C & I Analyst Certificate of Completion or Certificate of Mastery.

This Learning Path provides you with the skills necessary to succeed as a Credit Analyst, underwriting commercial real estate loan requests, usually under the supervision of a Senior Credit Analyst or Credit Administrator or knowledgeable senior lender.

To reach this level of skill, for each credit request, an analyst will need to identify the following:

• The borrowing causes
• The cash sources of debt service
• The risks associated with each cash source of debt service
• The relevant risk mitigants

How these issues are resolved determines the loan recommendation and structure.

A proper understanding and application of the Uniform Credit Analysis (UCA) cash flow statement is critical for successful completion of the Learning Path and its associated certification. For someone new to commercial real estate underwriting, the 12 - 24 month Learning Path for this role includes 6 components covering 21 courses:

1. Introductory Courses
   • The 5 C's of Commercial Credit
   • Commercial Real Estate
2. Accounting Essentials Skill Series (4 courses)
3. Fundamental Financial Skills Courses
   • Spreading Financial Statements
   • UCA Cash Flow, Traditional Cash Flow and EBITDA
4. Commercial Real Estate Underwriting Skill Series (8 courses)
5. Select Courses (sessions 2, 3 & 4) from the Federal Tax Return Analysis Skill Series
   • The Section 179 Deduction
   • Understanding Schedules K-1
   • Personal Income Tax Returns and Cash Flow
6. Practical Skill-Building Courses
   • Commercial Real Estate Loan Documentation
   • Introduction to the Credit Write-Up

An individual can take either of the introductory courses and/or Accounting Essentials Skill Series in any sequence.

The two introductory courses provide a common framework to evaluate potential loan candidates, and a general overview of key terminology and analytical methods used in commercial real estate lending.

If the individual has a demonstrable working knowledge of accounting, he or she may skip the Accounting Essentials Skill Series. However, refreshing these skills may be necessary to achieve mastery of the material in this Learning Path.

The two fundamental financial courses teach the basics of spreading financial statements and provide an introduction to the UCA cash flow statement construction and use.

The Commercial Real Estate Underwriting Skill Series introduces the sequential steps in the credit decision process - an assessment of the borrower, the guarantor, and the collateral - and the necessary analytical techniques necessary to master each step. The analyst will gain understanding of CAP rates, MAI appraisal valuations, property NOI projections, breakeven analysis, risks unique to CRE and the covenants to mitigate those risks.

The three sessions of the Federal Tax Returns Analysis Skill Series focus upon tax knowledge needed to analyze cash flow of individual guarantors.

The two practical skill-building courses provide a general overview of essential CRE loan documentation and the methods to create professional-grade credit write-ups.

Upon successful completion of this Learning Path, the employee will be eligible to receive a Certificate of Completion.

Completion of this Learning Path provides the credit skills necessary to underwrite a commercial business loan request, without assistance or guidance, based on an assessment of available hard and soft data.

Courses in this curriculum are targeted at individuals that typically have 2 or more years of experience as a Credit Analyst. To achieve certification as a Senior Analyst, they must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the proper use and application of cash flow statements in the credit decision process. They will also understand how to use the information in federal income tax returns in the analysis of borrowers and guarantors through successful completion of the Primary Learning Path.

The courses in the Primary Learning Path consist of:

1. Cash Flow Statements vs. Proxies for Risk Assessment Skill Series (4 courses minus the first course if already taken)
2. Federal Tax Return Analysis Skill Series (8 courses minus those already taken)
3. Advanced Cash Flow Courses
   Require completion of five of the seven courses for certification
   • Working Capital and UCA Cash Flow ( required)
   • Advanced UCA Cash Flow Skill Series (2 courses - required)
   Take at least three of the following advanced courses:
   • Global Cash Flow
   • Ratio Messages On Profitability and Cash Flow
   • Covenant Use in Controlling Cash Outflows.
   • Debt Capacity and Cash Flow
4. Projections and Risk Assessment
   • Financial Projections and Debt Service Skill Series (2 courses)
   • Borrower Performance, Loan Classification, and the Risk Grid
5. Practical Skill Building Course
   • Credit Write-Up Best Practices

Secondary Learning Path curriculum:

1. Selected Specialty Lending Courses
   • Healthcare Provider Analysis Skill Series (2 courses)
   • Non-Profit & Municipality Analysis Skill Series (3 courses)
2. Commercial Real Estate/Construction Lending
   • Commercial Real Estate (1 course)
   • Analysis of Contractors Skill Series (2 courses)

This Learning Path provides Business Bankers with the appropriate credit skills for identifying lending opportunities through a high-level review of financial analysis. Bankers will learn how to interpret the key performance ratios and the results of cash flow analyses to arrive at a sound credit recommendation.

The entire Learning Path is designed for Business Bankers with limited experience in that role. For those with more highly developed and active business banking credit skills, selected sessions in this learning path can enhance those skills. This curriculum does not include skills that permit the individual to perform the in-depth work that a Credit Analyst or Senior Credit Analyst would perform within the organization.

Recommended prerequisites are: UCA Cash Flow and Tax sessions (3) that are part of the C&I Analyst curriculum (or demonstrated competencies in those areas).

For someone new to the industry, the 12 - 24 month Learning Path for this role includes 4 components covering 19 courses:

1. Accounting Essentials Skill Series (4 courses) - optional
2. Commercial & Industrial Business Underwriting Skill Series (8 courses)
3. Practical Financial Skills Courses
   • Commercial Loan Documentation
   • Introduction to the Credit Write-Up
   • Spreading Financial Statements - optional
   • Working Capital and UCA Cash Flow
4. Advanced Risk, Projections and Repayment Courses
   • Financial Projections & Debt Service Skill Series (2 courses)
   • Minimum Financial Data for Assessing Borrower Risk

This Learning Path provides CRE lenders with the appropriate credit skills for identifying and analyzing income property lending opportunities, evaluating borrowers, guarantors and collateral as sources of repayment to arrive at a sound credit recommendation.

They will gain an understanding of CAP rates, MAI appraisal valuations, learn how to generate property NOI projections and complete break-even analysis to identify the amount of debt a property’s NOI can support. They will learn to underwrite loans to meet institutions underwriting standards, identify repayment risks and the covenants to mitigate those risks.

The Learning Path is designed for CRE Lenders that will be active in underwriting their loans. For Business Bankers that are active in CRE lending, completion of the sessions that are unique to this Learning Path will round out their training.

Recommended prerequisites are: UCA Cash Flow and Tax sessions (3) that are part of the C&I Analyst curriculum (or demonstrated competencies in those areas).

For someone new to the industry, the 12 - 24 month Learning Path for this role includes 4 components covering 19 courses:

1. Accounting Essentials Skill Series (4 courses) - optional
2. Commercial Real Estate Underwriting Skill Series (8 courses)
3. Practical Financial Skills Courses
   • Commercial Real Estate Loan Documentation
   • Introduction to the Credit Write-Up
   • Spreading Financial Statements - optional
   • Working Capital and UCA Cash Flow
4. Advanced Risk, Projections and Repayment courses
   • Financial Projections & Debt Service Skill Series (2 courses)
   • Minimum Financial Data for Assessing Borrower Risk