Loan Operations Manager

Come join our growing team, making a difference in our communities!

Foresight Financial Group Inc.(FFG), in Northern Illinois, is a community multi-bank financial holding company of approximately $1.

5b in assets and is seeking an experienced loan operations leader for the Loan Operations Manager position.

Community Building through Community Banking' is why our company exists. Our culture is driven by our collective shared values which focus on strong personalized relationships, supreme service and the pursuit of excellence in all areas of internal and external client engagements.

The holding company Loan Operations Manager serves on the Shared Services team, reporting to the SVP, Director of Corporate Operations.

This position works closely with the bank teams to establish and support the unified team responsible for commercial and retail loan documentation preparation and loan operations of the company.

This critical position provides leadership and guidance throughout the company that is fostered by strong relationships, outstanding communication skills, and unparalleled focus on our customer experience.

Initially, the Loan Operations Manager will serve as Project Manager responsible for achieving the objective of consolidating the loan operations functions across the group at the holding company in order to create efficiencies and further strengthen regulatory compliance.

Once established, they will oversee the loan operations team that provides shared services to our subsidiary banks and seek to leverage our collective strengths to satisfy customers, empower employees and enhance value for the communities and shareholders we serve.

The ideal candidate has a minimum 5-10 years in a leadership role in loan operations at a bank. Advanced working knowledge of loan operations banking applications, standards and regulatory requirements needed.

Experience leading successful teams a must; managing remote staff a plus. The candidate must have demonstrated success as a skilled project manager and a depth of knowledge in project management tools and methodology.

Must be an outstanding communicator and ability to build trust through honing relationships internally and externally.

Following initial onboarding and training, the Loan Operations Manager position is eligible for our Flexible Work Arrangement Program, including remote work with the ability to attend in person meetings at our corporate office in Winnebago, IL or any of our subsidiary locations, as needed.

Position Summary :

The Loan Operations Manager is a working Manager who provides oversight and is responsible for providing leadership, direction and mentoring of Loan Operations and Loan Documentation Preparation staff to ensure quality customer service to the Foresight Financial Group Banks.

Provide accurate and timely processing of assigned tasks and ensure that exceptional support is provided to the banks for all loan operations services.

Ensure regulatory compliance and adherence to loan policies, procedures and key controls.

Primary Responsibilities :

• Oversees the full range of managerial duties for all loan administrative functions including overseeing activities of assigned staff by supervising daily activities, effective delegations of assignments, developing work schedules.
• Responsible for the development and training, in conjunction with Training and Development, of loan operations staff by providing continual performance feedback, conducting regular department meetings, and ongoing training, including core systems, ancillary systems, loan platform, document imaging, to ensure regulatory compliance and adherence to policies and procedures.
• Manages staff responsible for preparing accurate early and closing documents for a variety of commercial, consumer and real estate loans and ensuring all required approvals, authorizations, documents, and forms are present before sending documents to the lender.
• Manage the staff processing of all new and renewed loans including the following : loan opening process to ensure accuracy of supporting documentation for proper loan underwriting;

post-closing loan review, process loan documents and prepare tickets or wire transfers, pay fees, record / release mortgages, file UCCs and place auto title liens as needed.

Upload and maintenance loans, scan documents to the appropriate areas, and ensure quality control on loans uploaded occurs.

• Ensure adverse actions occur per regulations.
• In partnership with the lender and Chief Credit Officer, reviews all attorney prepared documentation prior to closing.
• Collaborates with the corporate credit team on updating the system with risk grade changes and non-accrual status.
• Oversee the staff responsible for external participation processing procedures.
• Verify the accuracy of dealer trials for external participations and internal participations, as needed.
• Responsible for management of loan operations general ledger account balancing.
• Performs management functions including performance management and interviewing candidates for employment; supervises the daily activities of the department including, but not limited to, effective delegation of assignments, developing work schedules and providing necessary training.
• Submits support tickets through BASE when necessary to timely resolve issues needing system support or verification.
• Serves as subject matter expert in all loan systems and applications.
• Responsible for staying up to date on upgrades and releases of all loan related software and systems, including the Laser Pro release notes.
• Communicates any technical changes to staff.
• In conjunction with BASE, manages the implementation of all new Loan Operations and loan-related products, software and systems as needed.
• Creates, updates, and implements operational policy, procedures, and processes to provide loan operations staff with clear and concise written guidelines to function efficiently while ensuring effective internal controls are followed to minimize potential for loss.
• Ensures compliance with all Bank policies and procedures, particularly loan regulations, and all applicable state and federal banking laws, rules and regulations including Bank Secrecy Act and Anti Money Laundering to assist management in monitoring for suspicious activity, money laundering, or other illegal customer activity.
• Oversees and manages the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) Coordinator responsible for maintaining the HMDA LAR, annual submission of the Bank's HMDA LAR, and ongoing training and support for loan department staff with regards to HMDA.
• Prepares for audits and exams under the direction of the applicable Compliance Officer by assisting with initial request lists and on-site data and information gathering related to loan operations and compliance.
• Responsible for TRID compliance and ongoing education, in conjunction with Training and Development, of consumer loan regulation including staff training and development of written procedures to ensure compliance.
• Provides recommendations to the Director of Corporate Operations to create efficiencies in Loan Operations processes and procedures.
• Consistently applies decision making techniques pertaining to inquiries, approvals, and requests as they apply to existing policies and procedures, keeping within assigned approval limits and using these instances as learning tools for employee development.
• Leads business continuity planning, testing and documentation for Loan Operations.
• Assumes responsibility for various department functions in the absence of staff members or in overload situations.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.

Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Competencies :

Customer Service : Advanced ability to fulfill the needs of internal and external customers by anticipating their needs and delivering timely and accurate communication and follow through.

Leadership : Knowledge and skills in leading a department through empowerment, collaboration, communication, team building and mentoring.

Project Management : Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, managing time and resources to ensure work is completed efficiently and within established timeframes.

Must be capable of managing business relationships involving internal partners within the context of specific assignments.

Communicator : Effective written and oral communication skills.

Analytical Thinking : Strong analytical skills including the ability to address situations by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Technical : Advanced working knowledge from user perspective of loan operations banking applications. Sophisticated knowledge of Jack Henry and ancillary systems, banking products, services, policies, and procedures.

Advanced knowledge of banking regulations including but not limited to state and federal regulations and statutes and the relative external and internal governance thereof.

Fluency in Microsoft 365 and Office.

Qualifications :

HS Diploma or equivalent required. The ideal candidate has a minimum 5-10 years in a leadership role in loan operations at a bank.

Advanced working knowledge of loan operations banking applications, standards and regulatory requirements needed. Experience leading successful teams a must;

managing remote staff a plus. The candidate must have demonstrated success as a skilled project manager and a depth of knowledge in project management tools and methodology.

Must be an outstanding communicator and ability to build trust through honing relationships internally and externally.