The purpose of the role is to support the business and Personal Banking teams in promptly evaluating the creditworthiness of a borrower and ensure the proposed credit risk is profitable, beneficial to the client and is within the relevant policies and regulations.
The job holder will have overall responsibility for the quality of all credit requests prepared by herself, they will also be expected to prepare sound, prudent and judicious credit request proposals in line with the Bank’s credit policy. The job holder will also provide advice and techniques to mitigate risks for credits that are considered bankable.
Deadline: 2025-05-28
Category: Retail
Subsidiary: HFC
Principle Accountabilities
1. Relationship Management
- Provide the interface between business and credit.
- Give quality feedback to the business teams on the quality of applications and the areas of improvement.
- Support the business teams in serving their customers in a timely manner by giving prompt feedback
- Give business reports on loans processed and declined to help in decision-making.
- Supporting branches in packaging credit proposals to ensure clarity for faster approval and adoption.
2. Credit Appraisals
To ensure appraisal of quality profitable loans and identified risks properly mitigated by recommending for further review to Credit Risk Proposals through:
- Confirming borrower’s credit worthiness as presented by Relationship managers
- Conduct thorough analysis of financial statements and assessment of credit requests, through preparing spreadsheets and models
- Confirming suitability of collateral offered.
- Ensuring credit risks and breaches are identified & mitigation measures proposed.
- Reviewing if proposed facility pricing in credit is in line with the set pricing policies.
- Recommending the credit proposals for further review or returning to relationship manager, highlighting critical missing information and documents.
- Review prevailing economic trends, and risk ratings, and applying the same in the appraisal process.
- Bring out policy exceptions and breaches, recommend adequate mitigants, and seek necessary approvals
To ensure approved loans are progressed whilst the risks are still well mitigated for approved loans requiring minor amendments to underwriting standards by recommending further review, through:
- Ensuring all documents & information required to justify the variations are availed.
- Ensuring the request is justified and does not materially alter the proposal as was approved
- Recommending for further review or returning to the relationship manager, highlighting critical missing information and documents.
To organize Credit Approval Committee meetings for decision making on credit proposals presented by coordinating the meetings through:
- Communicating an invite to all stakeholders involved.
- Presenting previous minutes for review
- Following up on various action points as per credit committee meeting deliberations.
- Taking minutes.
- Presenting summaries of Credit Analysis unit decisions for further deliberations.
To create synergy for the mutual benefit of the borrower and the Bank through supporting branches and other units to ensure timely delivery of service by:
- Guiding relationship managers on techniques to mitigate risks for credits that are considered bankable.
- Sharing insights on prospective credit proposals at the request of relationship teams.
- Conducting periodic follow-up on credit files pending approval at Head Office.
- Monitoring Credit Analysis turnaround time and number of files returned to relationship managers for rework/ review
To ensure parity in skills possessed by all stakeholders in the credit process through identification of credit skills gap among relationship managers, branches and recommending appropriate training by:
- Periodic reviews credit skill gaps of stakeholders in the credit process.
- Organizing and training various stakeholders to sharpen their credit skills.
To ensure compliance with regulations and loan approval covenants by conducting customer call visit in the company of the Business Team as approved by the department through:
- Reviewing status of the borrower’s compliance with matters that may lead to Environment & Social Risks.
- Reviewing independent progress of the borrower’s project financed by the Bank.
- To ensure approval covenants are documented and met by performing other reviews and engaging the business heads for full compliance
3. Operations & Audits
- Ensure compliance with all credit policy guidelines
- Follow through with transactions to the end
- Training teams one on one to reduce on back and forth
- Develop various templates to guide the credit process
- Handle audit queries emanating from the credit process
- Monitor turnaround time on requests
4. Income generation & Cost Containment
- Supporting the RMs to achieve set income targets (Interest income and Non-interest income)
- Ensure the correct charges are applied
- Ensure all excesses are fully provided
- Manage office costs within reasonable levels
- Cross sell bank products
- Push on products that deliver quick income
Key Competencies and Skills
Technical skills
- Corporate Competence: Working knowledge of the Bank’s products, the Bank’s Credit policy and CBK Prudential Guidelines.
- Financial analysis Skills: Ability to analyze and/or interpret financial statements, and advice accordingly.
- Analytical business and investment appraisal Skills: Keen to detail and able to conceptualize financial investment proposals and provide viable solutions.
- Technology Skills: Computer literate with proficiency in computerized financial analysis applications.
- Industry knowledge: Candid knowledge of the various sectors of the economy and the investment opportunities.
Personal attributes
- Goal driven and results oriented enjoys being measured, and judged by financial and other performance targets.
- Personal Ethics: Must be honest, fair and just with self and others, and demonstrates integrity in work and business contacts.
- Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills.
- Interpersonal Skills: Must be a people’s person, with ability to interact with key contacts in the finance sector.
- Proactive Initiator: Must be pro-active, a self-starter and have the ability to see, grasp and advice on opportunities.
Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience
Academic Qulifications
- University Degree preferably in Business related field such as Economics, Finance & Accounting from a recognized institution by the Commission for University Education.
Professional Qualifications:
- Credit Management, Accounting or Banking Qualification (AKIB)
- CPA / ACCA qualification.
- Certification in financial modeling
- Certified Credit Executive (CCE) or equivalent
Work Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in banking and financial analysis 2 of which must be credit department or credit related area.
- Good track record of credit analysis and understanding of financial policies, procedures, and external regulations. Has demonstrated over the span of the career credit and financial analysis skills required to effectively perform credit analysis and portfolio maintenance activities/tasks in a manner that consistently achieves high quality standards or benchmarks.
- Demonstrated expertise and in-depth knowledge of the local banking industry, banking services, credit process and banking products.
- Evidenced knowledge and understanding of the current banking and financial services operating environment, trends, and practice, related regulatory and governance guidelines and requirement, and applicable laws
- Sound working knowledge and understanding of general commercial regulations and practices.
