Credit Analyst

Join the Sterling Bank team as a full time Credit Analyst in our St Louis region.  Work hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm - no weekends!  We offer a competitive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance coverages, a 401k retirement plan with an employer match, along with paid holidays, vacation, and personal time off.  

Responsibilities for this role include assessing the creditworthiness of applicants across a variety of loan types including commercial, real estate, agricultural and consumer. This role involves analyzing financial statements, tax returns, and cash flow to identify repayment capacity, financial trends, debt service coverage ratios (DSCR), and peer performance year over year. The analyst will prepare detailed credit presentations that highlight the strengths, weaknesses, and risks of each loan relationship, provide collateral evaluations and loan-to-value calculations, and recommend appropriate risk ratings. While collaborating with borrowers and loan officers throughout the underwriting process, the Credit Analyst must maintain independence in analysis, identify potential credit issues, and ensure compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Analyze the overall credit quality and risk of applicants by reviewing financial statements, tax returns, credit reports, collateral values, and other relevant information including independent online research.
• Prepare accurate financial spreads, DSCR and other ratio analyses, and cash flow models using spreadsheet and word processing tools.
• Develop comprehensive credit presentations that include repayment capacity of the borrowers and guarantors, collateral descriptions, loan-to value and loan-to-cost calculations, and a clear summary of strengths, weaknesses, and risks.
• Collaborate and communicate clearly with loan officers to assess borrower’s needs, loan structure, and pricing. Communicate directly with borrowers throughout the underwriting process and life of the loan, as needed.
• Ensure credit analysis and presentations reflect adherence to internal credit policies, loan administration procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Document policy or documentation exceptions, as well as prior-to-close conditions.
• Assign and recommend credit risk ratings in accordance with Loan Policy guidelines.
• Participate as a non-voting member of the Loan Committee meetings, exercising sound judgment and maintaining constructive communication.
• Determine whether requests for information should be furnished or refused based on confidentiality, requiring strong judgment and quick decision-making.
• Recognize irregular or suspicious transactions and take appropriate steps to prevent loss. Help ensure compliance with BSA/AML/OFAC regulations.
• Assist with annual loan reviews and portfolio monitoring as requested, including providing support to the Auditor during internal and external audits.
• Additional responsibilities as needed to support departmental and organizational goals.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES:

• Advanced analytical and risk assessment skills, including a clear understanding of fractions and percentages.
• Ability to self-review and identify errors in written presentations, analysis, and reporting.
• Strong knowledge of financial accounting principles, economics, and credit analysis techniques with excellent problem-solving skills.
• Excellent report writing, grammar, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to produce clear, professional credit presentations.
• Organizational and time management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Broad understanding of loan policy, loan operations and overall bank procedures.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel with the ability to adapt Excel formats, data validations, formulas, conditional formatting, pivot tables, and financial modeling and analysis.
• Understanding of the bank’s core processing system to meaningfully assemble data and generate reports.

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree (B. S.) from a four-year college or university with a focus on finance, accounting, or economics and a minimum of 8 years of related experience preferably in a commercial banking environment.