Senior Credit Officer

WHO WE ARE

City First Bank N.A. is a mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) principally focused on a transformative impact in underserved urban markets with the highest needs to drive equitable economic development. Our credit activities are purely commercial and focused on the following segments: Multifamily Affordable Housing Not-for-Profit Finance and Small Business Finance. As a depository and commercial lending provider with over $1.3 billion in bank assets as of December 31 2024 our unified organization has over 100 employees in Washington DC and Los Angeles/Inglewood CA.

ROLE SUMMARY

The role will directly report to and support the Chief Credit Officer (CCO) in management of the Banks loan portfolio. This role will also assume responsibility for the more complex lending relationships in the portfolio including underwriting and serves as a senior subject matter expert internally and externally. The Senior Credit Officer would handle all aspects of the relationships in the portfolio including pre-vetting maintaining the credit pipeline loan approvals month-end reporting annual reviews monitoring and watch reporting. The position will not have business development responsibilities; however the individual must be able to recognize such opportunities and refer these to the appropriate area of the bank.

In addition to driving production and portfolio monitoring the position will lead the measurement and tracking of portfolio metrics for the CCO. The individual will need to have a broad working knowledge of a credit portfolio including loan loss reserves risk rating assignments general loan accounting and risk management. Attention to detail and ability to research and resolve issues as they arise is critical to the position as the individual will also work closely with the CCO and play a primary role in the banks Credit Risk Management process.

The position requires a demonstrated ability to work across multiple areas of the financial institution while providing competent courteous and professional customer service to external and internal customers. The successful individual in this position is one that thrives on high quality service strong initiative using their accumulated knowledge and experience problem solving and an eagerness to adapt and develop new banking skills.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership and Supervision 30%

• Creates an atmosphere within the organization that attains and maintains a high level of morale and embraces our Vision Values Mission and Team Expectations while providing best in class customer service to internal and external clients.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of annual department goals and individual goals.

Credit Oversight 30%

• Partner with relationship managers/lenders to establish and maintain prudent risk appetite and facilitate growth within these parameters through deal vetting and prescreening.
• Review approve decline or recommend to appropriate higher authority credit opportunities for new originations renewals or modifications of existing loans.
• Drive the pipeline with a focus on loan approvals underwriting completion and moving deals through the closing process.
• Ensure all credit delivery activities have been completed in a timely efficient and prudent manner while facilitating an environment for the efficient delivery to customers of products and services that require credit exposure.
• Provide leadership role modeling and disseminate the banks credit culture and risk appetite.

Credit Risk/Portfolio Management 20%

• Provide experienced oversight of portfolio to ensure that satisfactory loan quality is maintained as well as early identification of potential problem credits communicating with CCO working with Special Assets Officer as necessary to restructure the credit to minimize losses.
• Portfolio Management duties will include monitoring a specialized portfolio of commercial loans risk rated of all ratings perform analysis to determine the financial viability of the customer develop and implement a strategy and plan for the collection of the loans.
• Assists with the identification of potential problem loans recommends risk rating changes and assumes responsibility for loans newly identified as criticized and classified problems loans with the goal to upgrade the risk rating of the loan to performing.
• SCO must possess the ability to recognize revenue opportunities in the portfolio and to follow through on routine requests for credit or other bank services. There are no incremental sales targets; however must ensure retention of existing clients and that credit needs are met to the extent the bank is comfortable.

Credit Support and Underwriting 20%

• Credit Support and Underwriting duties will include analyzing and spreading the customers financial information assessing the collateral performing a delinquency review performing industry comparisons assessing the risk rating and preparing the business personal and global debt service coverage addition written presentations will be prepared that detail the findings of the analysis.
• Assists the CCO with monthly management and Board reporting activities including research of items that present anomalies to the portfolio. Ability to manage time accordingly to produce necessary and accurate reporting is a priority.
• Work with the CCO on the ongoing CECL implementation process and to assist in the management of the ALLL during the transition and required parallel tracking period. Individual will be responsible for the data integrity management portion of the CECL adoption and implementation.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Required Education/Experience:

• Bachelors Degree in Business Administration Finance Accounting or related field required; 10 additional years of commercial credit underwriting and analysis experience may be substituted for bachelors degree.
• 10 years of commercial credit financial statement analysis portfolio management and customer service experience required
• Responsibility in a leadership role in a prior financial institution
• Significant experience in a Commercial Lending position operating in a $1B complex bank environment.
• Experience lending in syndicated structures managing credits with complex capital structures and partnering with multiple commercial banking product areas to responsibly allocate capital across a credit relationship.
• Strong administrative communication/interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and act independently in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to balance risk and return promoting responsible expansion of credit relationships while leading stewardship of the Banks balance sheet.
• Experience structuring and pricing loan transactions to achieve organizational goals preferred.
• Leading a team of Commercial Underwriters or Analysts in the banking industry

CERTIFICATIONS

• Completion of formal or in-house credit training required

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Required Knowledge & Skills:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and other (credit analysis) systems and a hands-on working knowledge of a bank core system e.g. FIS FiServ etc. Strong ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong supervisory experience.
• Uncompromised attention to detail and demonstrated eagerness to problem solve through research and application of experience/knowledge.
• Experience with commercial construction and real estate loan underwriting and broad understanding of the banks balance sheet e.g. ALLL.
• Solid knowledge of and skills in personal computer operation word processing and spreadsheet software.
• Knowledge of related state and federal lending and compliance regulations and other bank lending policies.
• Organized detail oriented ability to articulate matters over the phone or in person capable of working independently can plan set priorities meet deadlines and work with little supervision while performing most duties
• Strong ability to interact pro-actively with all levels of the organization.