Commercial Credit Associate, CRE - Upstate

Overview:

The Commercial Credit Associate plays a pivotal role in assessing and managing credit risk for commercial real estate clients at M&T Bank.  This position involves analyzing financial statements, monitoring loan portfolio, and ensuring compliance with credit policies and regulatory requirements.  This role serves as a critical link between relationship managers (RM) and credit risk management to facilitate sound lending decisions and portfolio management.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Facilitate the credit needs of customers by underwriting new requests and material modifications from deal screen through approval and for the life of the loan. This analysis may include recommending adding or removing conditions.  Will work with senior team members on more challenging complex transactions/account coverage.
• Manage the ongoing credit risk of existing loan portfolios through continuous credit monitoring (CCM) activities enabling the timely identification of emerging credit risk so that appropriate actions can be taken to manage the risk, minimize losses and assign an accurate risk rating. A CCM program includes, but is not limited to, annual reviews, interim update memos, a covenant monitoring program, problem loan management, early warning indicators, and other forms of credit surveillance.
• Review all pertinent credit and financial information, including but not limited to financial statements, tax returns, due diligence reports, credit bureaus, appraisals, internal credit information, industry research and peer data. Determine the need for more thorough investigation or additional information.
• Analyze financial information and related materials and complete the credit analyses for the Bank’s commercial transactions. Written analyses to include an independent credit quality assessment with well-supported risk rating, identification of and description of credit risks and mitigants, industry concerns, market trends, financial trends, and other pertinent credit issues of respective deals.
• Make appropriate structure recommendations based on an analysis and evaluation of scenarios including the company's case, bank's base case and a downside case.
• As part of managing the ongoing credit risk of existing portfolios, identify suspicious activity and activity that may be contrary to customer's interest.
• Partner proactively with relationship managers (RM) and be intimately involved throughout the deal process, from deal screen through approval and for the life of the loan to maintain timely and accurate risk ratings for a portfolio of commercial credits. Spread financial statements and prepare financial models designed to sensitize various conditions impacting the proposed transaction.
• Prepare cash flow, collateral schedules, covenant sensitivity calculations, financial models, and guarantor statement analysis as appropriate.
• Attend client/prospect calls with RMs to gain a thorough understanding of the client/prospect and their business to effectively analyze and underwrite the proposed transaction. Based on underwriting parameters, recommend the risk rating.
• Prepare summary, present facts, and offers opinions concerning credit-worthiness. Present analysis or address questions during credit request discussions or committee presentations.
• Ensure credit policy compliance by verifying adherence of underwriting to the Commercial Credit Policy and commenting on any risk associated with non-compliance.
• Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
• Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
• Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
• Complete other related duties as assigned.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Commercial Credit is responsible for the credit delivery of the Bank's commercial clients throughout the credit lifecycle. Credit assessments range from initial analyses of new relationships to the Bank to material modifications or restructurings of long-term relationships and ongoing monitoring through the life of the loan. Commercial Credit is also responsible for ensuring the accurate completion of the Bank's risk rating scorecards and financial statement spreads. The work completed in this capacity is used to make credit decisions for new or renewed or amended credit transactions.

Position is a development account coverage role and will work with senior team members on more challenging complex transactions. 

The position interacts with commercial banking RMs throughout the bank’s footprint and industry verticals as well as other internal personnel on typical credit approvals.

Customer interaction is expected.

Works independently with limited supervision.  Ability to lead a transaction execution team in partnership with a Commercial Credit Analyst.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

Input into the development of and training of junior/newly hired Analysts.

Education and Experience Required:

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or related field and at least 4 years’ experience in commercial credit, public accounting, and financial statement analysis.  In lieu of a degree, a combined minimum 8 years' higher education and work experience to include at least 4 years’ experience in commercial credit, public accounting, financial statement preparation/analysis or other financial analysis.

Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Strong analytical skills with proficiency in financial modeling and analysis of credit metrics.  Ability to calculate and interpret financial ratios, analyze data, and complete trend analysis.

Familiarity with legal documents and how to efficiently understand structural elements.

Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Attention to detail with a high level of accuracy.

Strong organizational and time management skills.

Ability to work independently and as a part of a team.

Customer focused with strong interpersonal skills.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Education and Experience Preferred:

Experience with Capital IQ, FactSet, and Bloomberg.