Commercial Credit Expert Underwriting / Portfolio Manager - Corporate Banking

Commercial Credit Expert

The Commercial Credit Expert is responsible for leading a team of credit professionals in evaluating, underwriting, and managing a portfolio of commercial credit relationships. The Commercial Credit Expert serves as the subject matter expert handling the most complex credit transactions on the team. This client facing role involves ensuring adherence to credit policies, maintaining portfolio quality, timely and accurate risk ratings, and collaborating with relationship managers (RM) to support business growth. The position requires strong leadership skills, in-depth credit knowledge, and the ability to make informed decisions to manage and mitigate portfolio risk.

Primary responsibilities :

• Lead the diligence, structuring, and legal documentation creation / negotiation of loan requests for commercial clients.
• Displays deep understanding of financial regulatory environment as it applies to underwriting most forms of commercial credit transactions.
• Facilitate the credit needs of customers by underwriting new requests and material modifications from deal screen through approval and for the life of the loan.
• Manage the ongoing credit risk of existing loan portfolios through continuous credit monitoring (CCM) activities enabling the timely identification of emerging credit risk so that appropriate actions can be taken to manage the risk, minimize losses and assign an accurate risk rating.
• Analyze financial information and related materials and complete the credit analyses for the Bank's commercial transactions. Written analyses to include an independent credit quality assessment with well-supported risk rating, identification of and description of credit risks and mitigants, industry concerns, market trends, financial trends, and other pertinent credit issues of respective deals.
• Partner proactively with RMs, and be intimately involved throughout the deal process, from deal screen through approval and for the life of the loan to maintain timely and accurate risk ratings for a portfolio of commercial credits.
• Spread financial statements and prepare financial models designed to sensitize various conditions impacting the proposed transaction.
• Prepare cash flow, collateral schedules, covenant sensitivity calculations, financial models, and guarantor statement analysis as appropriate.
• Attend client / prospect calls with RMs to gain a thorough understanding of the client / prospect and their business to effectively analyze and underwrite the proposed transaction. Based on underwriting parameters, recommend the risk rating.
• Prepare summary, present facts, and offers opinions concerning creditworthiness.
• Ensure credit policy compliance by verifying adherence of underwriting to the Commercial Credit Policy, and evaluating any risk associated with non-compliance.
• Present analysis or address questions during credit request discussions or committee presentations.
• Understand and adhere to the Company's risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company's Risk Appetite. Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
• Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
• Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
• Complete other related duties as assigned.

Scope of responsibilities :

Corporate / Institutional designation includes the following segments : FIG, Fund Banking, Institutional / REIT, Large Corporate and Leveraged Lending.

Commercial Credit is responsible for the credit delivery of the Bank's commercial clients. Credit assessments range from initial analyses of new relationships to the Bank to material modifications or restructurings of long-term relationships and ongoing monitoring through the life of the loan. Commercial Credit is also responsible for ensuring the accurate completion of the Bank's risk rating scorecards and financial statement spreads. The work completed in this capacity is used to make credit decisions for new or renewed or amended credit transactions.

Position is considered the subject matter expert in all facets of the commercial credit transaction from origination to ongoing monitoring.

Position interacts with commercial banking RMs and sales leadership throughout the bank's footprint and industry verticals, as well as other internal personnel, on credit approvals for the largest, most complex, and / or specialized loans.

Customer interaction is expected.

Works independently with minimal supervision.

Ability to efficiently lead the transaction execution team comprised of Associate(s) and / or Analyst(s).

Supervisory / managerial responsibilities :

Manages / leads transaction deal teams comprised of more junior individual contributors.

Education and experience required :

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related discipline with a minimum of 10 years' related transaction / credit experience, or in lieu of degree, a combined minimum of 14 years' higher education and work experience including a minimum of 10 years' related transaction / credit experience.

Excellent analytical skills with a high level of proficiency in financial modeling and analysis of credit transactions / structures.

Ability to calculate and interpret financial ratios, analyze data, and complete trend analysis to understand and minimize credit risks.

Highly efficient with legal documentation including significant experience and skill in negotiating legal documentation and the leading transactions structuring.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong organizational and time management skills.

Attention to detail and high level of accuracy.

Ability to work independently and as a part of a team.

Customer focused with strong interpersonal skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Education and experience preferred :

MBA / Advanced Degree or a CPA.

Experience with Capital IQ, FactSet, and Bloomberg.

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $179,370.55 - $298,950.92 Annual (USD). The successful candidate's particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.