Deputy Chief Credit Officer

At First County Bank, You + We = Team

YOU - Bring your talent, hunger to learn and desire to grow.

WE - Will provide you with the training and experience you need to become a Trusted Advisor to your clients.

TEAM - As part of the FCB team, you will share in the satisfaction of working for a respected 170-year-old institution with deep community roots and a tradition of giving back.

First County Bank - It's where you belong!

We are looking for a Deputy Chief Credit Officer to join our Credit Administration team! This individual will be responsible for supporting the Chief Credit Officer in oversight of all credit administration activities for the Credit Administration Department, including management of analysts, oversight of the Bank's commercial underwriting software, assigning & managing Credit Administration workflow, reviewing & editing analysts' written work and maintenance of the Bank's third party commercial real estate reporting. Work Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday through Friday.

Primary Responsibilities

• Review & edit analysts' written work, including underwriting, portfolio management, and risk rating recommendations
• Credit oversight for construction portfolio; Oversight of additional portfolios, such as small & medium sized business underwriting & approval, and portfolio management.
• Maintenance of the Bank's third party commercial real estate reporting, including appraisals and appraisal reviews & environmental reports.
• Collaborate with Business Banking loan officers regarding loan structuring and negotiation, as needed.
• Develop new products and services, including recommendations for underwriting policies and procedures, as necessary.
• Using breadth and depth of credit knowledge, including experience with auditors, loan reviewers, and bank regulators, maintain asset quality in a safe and sound manner, ensuring Bank policies and procedures are safe, sound, and compliant with regulatory and accounting guidance.
• Produce portfolio management reporting for executive management and the board of directors, as necessary.
• Assist with production of the Bank's quarterly Allowance for Credit Losses and the related documentation.
• Supervise, train, and mentor Credit Administration analysts by:

Underwriting

• Partner closely with customer-facing Business Banking and sales personnel (including Business Banking Loan Officers, Business Development Officers, and Branch Managers) to anticipate and respond to credit needs of customers and prospects; Visit/call customers and prospects with or without sales personnel to gather data and ask questions regarding credit needs.
• Review Credit Administration workflows and assign transactions to analysts based on current portfolio responsibilities, analyst experience, and other factors.
• Ensure analysts spread financial statements appropriately based on accounting guidance and appropriate credit analysis techniques; Train analysts on proper financial statement spreading as needed.
• Review analysts' written work and credit analysis to ensure adherence to Bank Lending Policy and regulatory guidance, as well as safe and sound underwriting practices; Provide coaching and development to analysts, as needed.
• Ensure borrower, collateral, and guarantor analysis are accurate and appropriately mitigate the risk in the prospective transaction.
• Ensure credit memos and other written work is completed within acceptable time frames and meets deadlines required by the relevant credit approval delegation; Ensure that draft credit memos are delivered to all necessary parties with enough time for review and comment by Senior Lending Committee and executive management.
• Ensure loans are structured to mitigate risks and to gain internal credit approval
• Identify/analyze risks and develop/identify mitigating factors; Determine/recommend risk rating - be both innovative and creative within the Bank's Lending Policy.
• Ensure pricing strategy meets the Bank's profitability hurdles.
• Utilize approval authority to approve facilities within the required delegation; Ensure that credit facilities are documented and closed according to the approval.
• Proactively identify and recommend cross-sales opportunities.

Team Operational Oversight

• Support Chief Credit Officer by overseeing the daily operations of the team.
• Ensure the efficiency and accuracy of all operations
• Monitor work flow, loan pipeline, and individual task assignments.
• Schedule staff to ensure adequate coverage; Cross-train staff to ensure smooth and efficient operations.
• Monitor operations to ensure compliance with Bank, state and federal regulations and guidelines.
• Recommend to Chief Credit Officer changes in policies, procedures, products, and services to respond to external conditions and implement agreed upon revisions.
• Ensure team adherence to the annual review schedule and make adjustments to that calendar based on workflow, staffing, and competing priorities.
• Prepare, maintain and update departmental procedure manuals in concert with approval of the Chief Credit Officer.
• Ensures smooth operation and coordination of all procedures, systems and methods with other Bank personnel and departments.
• Supervise subordinate staff: functions include (but not limited to) hire/select staff appropriate to the position; train staff; counsel/discipline staff as needed; prepare performance reviews and conduct performance review sessions; make compensation recommendations.
• Maintain awareness of team and individual training needs and coordinate with the Chief Credit Officer to provide the necessary curriculum while being aware of the team's approved annual budget.
• Support the Chief Credit Officer to develop and submit comprehensive department budget on a timely basis; As directed by Chief Credit Officer, administers budget with justifiable variance; Assist the Chief Credit Officer in the controlling of expenses team expenses.
• Support the Chief Credit Officer in the preparation and submission of required financial and regulatory reports on a timely basis.
• Oversee the maintenance and management of the Bank's commercial credit underwriting software platform.
• Oversee the execution of established appraisal and environmental protocols with internal and third party entities as applicable.
• Ensure analyst activities such as business banking overdraft management, credit spreads, underwriting, and write-ups are completed in alignment with established Bank policies, procedures and standards.

Portfolio Management

• Oversee analysts' preparation and delivery of portfolio management reports in alignment with the relevant schedule: Asset Quality is reported to the board of directors monthly; Commercial and Residential Watched Asset Reports, Construction Loan Management Report, Top 20 Report, and the Allowance for Credit Losses are reported to the board of directors quarterly; Other reports are prepared semi-annually or ad hoc, depending on the data.
• Partner closely with customer-facing commercial credit sales personnel to manage the risk in the applicable assigned book of customers; Visit/call customers and prospects with or without sale personnel; Gather data and ask questions in the process of performing servicing, preparing for renewals or modification.
• As required to keep current on the borrower's risk profile, perform and document analysis of the company, including management assessment, financial statement analysis, sensitivity analysis, collateral analysis, industry analysis, borrower analysis, guarantor analysis, etc. to support renewal and servicing events.
• Determine/recommend revisions to the existing risk rating, depending on recent developments; Modify service plans as needed.
• Uses various software applications to obtain financial statements and analytical data.
• Develop structure of renewals in consultation with Business Banking loan officers.
• Utilize lending authority to approve renewals and modifications within that authority.
• Review and approve annual reviews in alignment with credit authority and Lending Policy.
• Ensure financial statement ticklers, credit administration (i.e., loan covenant) ticklers, and annual review ticklers are established and appropriately maintained in the Bank's credit administration software.
• Perform servicing events on assigned portfolio as scheduled, including regular reviews, borrowing base calculations, collateral evaluations, covenant compliance calculations, etc.
• Assess risk in assigned portfolio by independently conducting reviews, analysis and research.
• Solve problems for customers and respond to customer requests for modifications, extensions, increases, etc.; Identify deteriorating credit situations and recommend appropriate action.
• Proactively mine portfolio for cross-sales opportunities and refer such opportunities to Branch Managers, Business Development Officers, and Business Banking Representatives.

Additional Role Responsibilities

• Maintain awareness of any changes to accounting or regulatory guidance that impacts the Credit Administration team and/or the Bank; Escalate any new guidance or reporting requirements to the Chief Credit Officer in a timely fashion.
• Maintain thorough understanding of the Abrigo loan origination, underwriting, and portfolio management software, including having the ability to update system engineering, as needed.
• Ensure coordination with the Credit Administration personnel to identify troubled loans and make appropriate and timely risk rating recommendations.
• Establish strong working relationships and provide excellent customer service to partner groups including Branch managers, Business Development Officers, cash management credit risk review, and operations; Provide timely and thorough responses to all requests for information.
• Write and conduct annual performance reviews with Credit Administration personnel; Make personnel recommendations to Chief Credit Officer, including advocating Performance Improvement Plans, promotions, salary adjustments, and short-term incentive pay.
• Assist in coaching and developing other division members; Seeks out opportunities to improve job skills and personal development; Volunteer and/or provide leadership in community/civic activities.
• Develop new products and services for Small and Medium Size Businesses; Write policies and procedures as well as recommend pricing for these products and services for approval.
• Recommend and establish underwriting guidelines for Small Business lines of credit, term loans, ACH, etc. that leverage AI underwriting and/or loan decisioning.

Requirements/Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent experience required.
• Completion of a formal commercial credit-training program or equivalent.
• Minimum seven years of experience in Underwriting, Portfolio Management, Loan Administration, and/or Relationship Management with a heavy concentration on financial analysis, combined with deep experience with loan review, auditors, and regulators is required.
• Understanding of broad portfolio management skills, including concentration analysis, portfolio stress testing, and calculating the Allowance for Credit Losses is mandatory.
• Thorough knowledge of financial accounting theory and logic, loan structuring, commercial products and services is required.
• Excellent PC, software and financial analysis skills, as well as experience with team budgets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; Strong interpersonal and presentation skills are required, particularly with a board of directors, loan reviewers, auditors, and bank regulators.
• Ability to interpret and discuss analytical data in context with various levels of management.
• Limited travel required; Ability to travel/spend time outside the Bank at business locations.
• Advanced knowledge of FASB and state and federal banking regulations are keys to success in this role.

Salary commensurate with experience.

Wage Range: $160,000 - $185,000