Events

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Commercial & Business Lending Basics for Support Personnel

Lending is all about risk management. This seminar is designed to take the “mystery” out of the commercial lending process and the confusing terminology often used by lenders.

Support personnel have a key role and stake in the commercial and business lending process, and they can help to create a safe and sound loan portfolio. Many would say that support personnel are the backbone of a good leading team. This program takes the perspective of a non-lender, and what goes on during the process of analyzing and approving a loan, focusing on commercial and business loans.

Covered Topics
An overview of the key steps in the commercial and business lending process
The role of loan policy and typical content areas
The types of financial analyses conducted
Four keys to loan structuring, including the types of commercial loan facilities most frequently used, and various terminology
Loans as defined by financing length or term (loans, lines of credit, etc.)
Loans as defined by collateral (secured or unsecured)
Loans as defined by third party support (guaranteed or non-recourse)
Overview of how bankers establish a risk rating for commercial and business loans
Importance of ongoing loan monitoring after the loan is closed
In summary: the “Five Cs of Credit”

Who Should Attend?
Community bankers in non-lending roles, bankers in larger organizations in roles such as lending assistants, loan processors, loan operations personnel, new credit analysts, loan review personnel, internal audit and bank compliance specialists.

Presenter
Richard Hamm has been training bankers for 30+ years, designing and delivering courses specializing in commercial lending and credit, including portfolio and risk management, commercial real estate (CRE) and appraisals, plus selling and negotiating skills, and director training.

His clients include National associations such as the American Bankers Association (ABA) and the Risk Management Association (RMA), regional banking schools such as the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado, the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) and other major schools, state banking and community banking associations in ten states, and individual banks

He is based in Huntsville, AL and has owned/operated Advantage Consulting & Training for 15+ years, after a 22-year banking career including senior positions in lending and credit, plus president during the formation of a community bank. He has BS and MBA degrees from the University of Alabama.

Registration Options

Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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FCRA Compliance: E-Oscar and Metro2

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), like many consumer protection statutes represents a unique challenge for creditors and other data furnishers of consumer credit information. Although the language of the FCRA has not substantially changed over the years, the interpretation and enforcement of it has drastically changed in the last 10 years and navigating through those changes can be daunting.

During this informative ninety (90) minute webinar the basics of proper credit reporting will be discussed along with a more in-depth conversation regarding specific pitfalls and challenges that creditors and other data furnishers encounter. You will learn how to navigate these challenges by ensuring that proper policies and procedures are in place to ensure compliance with current CFPB directives in addition to recent changes instituted as a result of the Covid-19 legislation.

Covered Topics

  • FCRA Definitions and Key Terms
  • Reporting Requirements of the FCRA
  • Types of credit reporting disputes
  • Responding to disputes through e-Oscar and Metro 2
  • Responding to Direct Consumer Disputes
  • The Role of the CFPB in Credit Reporting
  • Recent CFPB Rulings and Interpretations
  • Recent FCRA case law
  • Impacts of Covid-19 on credit reporting
  • Compliance tips

Who Should Attend?
Anyone who is involved in day to day credit reporting along with decision makers tasked with ensuring rigorous policies and procedures are in place and being complied with.

Presenter
Matthew D. Urban, is a Shareholder who manages the Pittsburgh Local Law Office and oversees credit union work across Pennsylvania. In addition he practices in the area of Consumer Collections, focusing on a wide variety of collection and compliance matters. Matt regularly speaks on issues such as FCRA compliance and the proper handling of writs of executions. Matt earned a B.A. magna cum laude in History from West Virginia University in 2000, and a J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 2003. He is licensed in Pennsylvania and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Creditors’ Bar Association.

Registration Options
Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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Five Steps for Understanding & Managing the Complaint Process

The CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) has been inviting consumers to “tell their story” and file complaints since July, 2011. While the CFPB may not be the primary regulator for your financial institution, it’s critical to understand how the CFPB complaint process has changed regulatory expectations, and what your bank should be doing to proactively manage complaints.

Program Highlights
Learn how the CFPB uses complaint information to guide investigations, develop enforcement actions, and require reimbursement to consumers.
Learn the regulatory “expectations” for complaints.
What do recent enforcement actions tell the financial service industry about the importance of complaints?
How is social media used by regulators in the complaint process?
What do the employees in your financial institution need to know about handling complaints?
How should complaints be tracked and evaluated?
What type of training should be completed for handling complaints?
Who Should Attend?
Fair Lending complaints have initiated regulatory scrutiny that resulted in civil money penalties, reputational damage, and downgrades to the CRA rating. This session provides important information for Senior Management, Compliance Officers, Risk Managers, Branch Managers, Call Center Managers, Loan & Deposit Operation Managers, Marketing Staff, and Product Development Specialists

Presenter
Susan Costonis is a compliance consultant and trainer. She specializes in compliance management along with deposit and lending regulatory training.

Susan has successfully managed compliance programs and exams for institutions that ranged from a community bank to large multi-state bank holding companies. She has been a compliance officer for institutions supervised by the OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve. Susan has been a Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager since 1998, completed the ABA Graduate Compliance School, and graduated from the University of Akron and the Graduate Banking School of the University of Colorado. She regularly presents to financial institution audiences in several states and “translates” complex regulations into simple concepts by using humor and real life examples.

Registration Options
Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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Quarterly Compliance Briefing: Winter 2021

Keeping up with changes and deadlines in the compliance area gets more complex every year. Now, we can assist you with that task.

Carl Pry, a well known and highly respected compliance expert and recipient of the 2015 ABA Distinguished Service Award will be presenting a quarterly update that will address new items to be aware of, deadlines and what’s on the horizon. In a simple language webinar format that you can view from your office, Carl will make sure you have the information you need to keep your financial institution in compliance.

Attendees love the handouts that Carl provides each quarter including links to all relevant source documents and resources.

The “Quarterly Compliance Briefing: Winter 2021” webinar has been approved for 2.5 CRCM credits. This statement is not an endorsement of this program or its sponsor. Credits are redeemable for Live attendance only. Certification holders must report these credits at https://aba.csod.com.

Covered Topics
Covered topics coming soon.

This is Part IV of a four-part series. You can attend all the sessions to obtain the most comprehensive information or any part in the series independently.

Who Should Attend?
Anyone in the institution having compliance responsibilities – when you think about this, it could be just about anyone in the institution. This may include members of senior management, operations personnel, lending personnel, underwriters, customer service representatives, back-room personnel, and of course compliance officers, auditors, and attorneys, and anyone else in the institution that might benefit from this valuable information.

Presenter
Deborah Crawford is the President of Gettechnical Inc., a Virginia based training company. She specializes in the deposit side of the financial institution and is an instructor on IRAs, BSA, Deposit Regulations and opening account procedures. She was formerly with Hibernia National Bank (now Capital One) and has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University. She has 30+ years of combined teaching and banking experience.

Registration Options
Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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Notary Public

Being a notary public is a responsibility assumed by many financial institution employees. Unfortunately, most do not understand the personal liability when agreeing to serve in this capacity. Notaries and others will learn best practices for dealing with issues unique to the financial industry. Help your team know their responsibilities, plus learn basic laws, liability and reviews of various notarial acts.

This Two-Hour Course Will Address
Basic Notary Public laws
Responsibilities of a Notary Public
Conflicts of interest
What happens when the law and the employer don’t agree
Different types of notarial acts
Notarial liability and why notaries are sued
Who Should Attend?
Bank legal counsel, managers, supervisors and notaries, as well as potential new notaries.

Presenter
Terri D. Thomas, JD is the Director of the Kansas Bankers Association Legal Department, which specializes in providing compliance and legal assistance to Kansas banks.

Terri has worked with financial institutions for over thirty-nine years in various capacities. Most notably, she served for fourteen years as in-house legal counsel and trust officer for Bank of America and its Kansas predecessors. She has also served as a trust department manager and branch manager.

Receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Kansas State University in 1985, Terri continued her education at Washburn University School of Law and obtained her Juris Doctor in 1988. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas and the University of Kansas School of Law in Lawrence, Kansas, and is a frequent seminar presenter for financial associations in the Midwest.

Registration Options
Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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Residential Construction Lending

Community Banks are often faced with construction loan requests that are underwritten by Consumer and Commercial Lenders who apply the same underwriting standards used for retail and commercial loans to Residential Construction Loans. The problem with this approach is that Construction Lending is a highly specialized form of lending requiring a different approach. It is actually Asset-Based Lending, whereby funds are advanced based on the successful completion of various phases of the project and other requirements being met.

Many problems can occur during construction that can leave lenders highly exposed unless they are underwritten properly. Understanding the risks in this type of lending is paramount for bankers. This course is designed to provide fundamental and proven techniques to minimize these risks.

Common types of borrowers of Residential Construction Loans are:

Individuals constructing their single family residences (Owner/Occupant)
Developers who transform raw land into improved property suitable for construction and
Builders of 1-4 family residences
We will examine the characteristics and risks inherent with these borrowers; how to underwrite them and the real estate project under construction. Our primary focus will be on financing the construction of single-family residential housing.

Covered Topics
Prerequisites for Successful Construction Lending
Analyzing and Underwriting the Owner/Occupant
Analyzing and Underwriting the Builder/Developer
Overview of the Actual Development and Building of a Residential Unit
Structuring the Construction Loan
Managing Construction Loan Advances
Financing Land Acquisition and Land Development
Construction Lending Documentation
Problem Areas in Construction Lending

Who Should Attend?
Loan Officers, Senior Credit Officers, Senior Loan Officers, Loan Administrators, Loan Review Officers, Compliance Officers, Branch Managers, Credit Analysts and Underwriters

Presenter
Jeffery W. Johnson started his career with SunTrust Bank in Atlanta as a Management Trainee and progressed to Vice President and Senior Lender of SouthTrust Bank and Senior Vice President and Commercial Banking Division Manager for Citizens Trust Bank of Atlanta.

Most of his career has been spent in Credit Administration, Lending, Business Development, Loan Review, Management and Training & Development. He has managed loan portfolios representing a cross section of loan types including: Large Corporate, High Net Worth Individual, Middle Market Companies, Small Business, Real Estate and Non-Profit Organizations.

Mr. Johnson is now a training professional in the financial industry by leading various seminars covering important topics relating to issues in financial institutions. He teaches actively for fifteen state banking associations in the United States, Risk Management Association (RMA) and individual financial institutions nationwide. He co-authored a training course entitled “Lending to Service and Other Professional Organizations” for RMA in 2001.

Mr. Johnson earned a B.A. Degree in Accounting from Morehouse College in Atlanta; a MBA in Finance from John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio; Banking diploma from Prochnow School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin and a Graduate Certificate in Bank Management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Registration Options
Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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Understanding Revocable and Irrevocable Trust Documents

Financial institutions are required to complete transactions for customers who have created revocable and irrevocable trusts. To protect your financial institution’s interests when using these documents, it is imperative to understand the basic do’s and don’ts. This presentation will provide financial institution personnel with best practices to use when dealing with these complex legal documents.

Covered Topics
What are the differences between revocable and irrevocable trusts?
What does it mean when a trust is called a “living trust” versus a “testamentary trust?”
How does the financial institution establish the relationship, including changing titles and performing transactions (loans or deposits)?
How many co-trustees does it take to bind the trust?
When can a successor trustee do business for the trust?
Can a power of attorney be used with a trust document?
Can a trust own a safe deposit box?
Can a trust co-own an account with another trust (or person)?
Who Should Attend?
Financial institution employees involved with opening new accounts, deposit or loan documentation and operations.

Presenter
Richard Hamm has been training bankers for 30+ years, designing and delivering courses specializing in commercial lending and credit, including portfolio and risk management, commercial real estate (CRE) and appraisals, plus selling and negotiating skills, and director training.

His clients include National associations such as the American Bankers Association (ABA) and the Risk Management Association (RMA), regional banking schools such as the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado, the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) and other major schools, state banking and community banking associations in ten states, and individual banks

He is based in Huntsville, AL and has owned/operated Advantage Consulting & Training for 15+ years, after a 22-year banking career including senior positions in lending and credit, plus president during the formation of a community bank. He has BS and MBA degrees from the University of Alabama.

Registration Options
Live Plus Five (days) – $265
OnDemand Recording – $295
CD-ROM – $345
Live Plus Six (months) – $365
Premier Package – $395

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GSB – Developing and Analyzing Key Financial Ratios

This program covers how to calculate and analyze the basic set of financial statement (or tax return) ratios for operating businesses. Preliminary steps (covered in related programs) include understanding the types of financial statements and level of accountant involvement, distinguishing between cash and accrual accounting methods, and the unique format and features of business tax returns. We now turn to the four primary sets of ratios: (1) liquidity, (2) leverage, (3) profitability, (4) efficiency, and (5) debt coverage. Using a comprehensive case, calculations are demonstrated, as wells as major issues, strengths and limitations of the various ratios. Participants will work from a ratios reference guide that is intended to be a resource for future statement spreading.

Covered Topics

Basic guidelines for classifying and spreading the data
Identify the key components of a balance sheet
Calculate liquidity and leverage ratios for an example business and interpret the results
Identify situations with positive or negative working capital
Describe common-sizing of the balance sheet
Identify the key components of an income statement
Calculate profitability and traditional cash flow measures for an example business and interpret the results
Calculate efficiency and debt coverage ratios for an example business and interpret the results
Explain the use of industry and comparative data within financial analysis

Target Audience
Credit analysts, portfolio managers, assistant relationship managers, community bankers, small business lenders, commercial lenders, consumer lenders, branch managers that lend to business owners, private bankers, special assets officers, loan review specialists and others involved in business and commercial lending

Presenter
Richard Hamm, Advantage Consulting & Training

Registration Option

Live presentation $275

Recording available through Mar. 14, 2022

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GSB – Improving Commercial Loan Pricing and Profitability

With intense competition to capture loans, now more than ever it is important to have a strategic approach to loan pricing. This includes adequately covering your bank’s costs and meeting profit objectives. It also includes differentiating loan interest rates to reflect relative risk, plus knowing that you CAN win the borrower’s business on a basis other than the lowest price. So, improving your banks loan pricing and profitability has three key steps:

Understanding how your bank’s financial structure and performance creates advantages and disadvantages. It all starts with the loan-to-deposit ratio, then extends to the various metrics that drive calculating the profitability of loans, in terms of return on equity (ROE).
Knowing these key variables, the next element is scouting the competition. Uncertain times bring confusion to a competitive market. We’ll cover several ways to do this. No more complaining that the competition did something foolish, because usually they did not.
Sharpening your bidding skills comes next. Most pricing situations effectively are bid situations, whether you know it or not. We’ll cover several strategies to use.

Covered Topics

The key variables that determine loan profitability, plus a simple calculation example
Using each variable to uncover possible advantages and disadvantages your bank may encounter with your competitors
Understanding that it is not a “level playing field” when you compare to non-bank competitors
Obtaining premiums (yes, you can)
Options, options, options are your friend
Being proactive
Keeping the economic cycle in mind

Target Audience
Credit analysts, portfolio managers, assistant relationship managers, community bankers, small business lenders, commercial lenders, consumer lenders, branch managers that lend to business owners, private bankers, special assets officers, loan review specialists and others involved in business and commercial lending

Presenter
Richard Hamm, Advantage Consulting & Training

Registration Option

Live presentation $275

Recording available through Mar. 14, 2022

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GSB – Five Keys to Better Credit Memos and Loan Packages

It has been said that nothing exposes the intellectual abilities of a loan officer like a credit write-up, because writing is a reflection of thinking. And not just for loan officers, but for credit analysts, portfolio managers and others that deal with business and commercial loans.

Many facets of lending are difficult to explain, especially when put into writing. This program is centered around basic writing principles, but applied to lending. It explores the process using five Ps. Within the thought process and planning, there are two Ps: (1) Purpose and (2) preparation. Within “getting it done” there are three more Ps: (3) Putting it all together, (4) Polish and (5) Pizzazz:

Purpose
Identifying what you want the reader to do
Determining your (almost always) multiple audiences
Preparation
Recognizing the eight qualities of effective writing
Communicating efficiently using “cover pages”
Determining what supporting evidence is needed in the memorandum
Finding the best format
Putting it all together
Identifying the unique issues in communicating data and quantitative information
Outlining prior to drafting
Data tables are not analysis
Polish
Before and after example
Using white space and formatting conventions
Lender liability issues
Pizzazz
Getting the reader’s attention
Making sure that the reader does not miss key points
Every package tells a story

Target Audience
Credit analysts, portfolio managers, assistant relationship managers, community bankers, small business lenders, commercial lenders, consumer lenders, branch managers that lend to business owners, private bankers, special assets officers, loan review specialists and others involved in business and commercial lending owners, private bankers, special assets officers, loan review specialists and others involved in business and commercial lending

Presenter
Richard Hamm, Advantage Consulting & Training

Registration Option

Live presentation $275

Recording available through Mar. 14, 2022

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