Overview:

The Commercial Credit Lead plays a vital role in assessing and managing credit risk for commercial clients at M&T Bank. This individual contributor client facing position involves analyzing financial statement, structuring credit solutions, negotiating legal documents, and obtaining credit approval while ensuring compliance with credit policies and regulatory requirements. The Commercial Credit Lead manages a transaction team and collaborates closely with relationship managers (RM), risk officers, and other stakeholders to facilitate sound credit decisions and maintain portfolio quality.

Primary Responsibilities:

• 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. This analysis may include recommending adding or removing conditions.
• 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. A CCM program includes but is not limited to annual reviews (and PLRs and Guarantor Assessments), interim update memos, a covenant monitoring program, problem loan management, early warning indicators, and other forms of credit surveillance. Review all pertinent credit and financial information, including but not limited to financial statements, tax returns, due diligence reports, credit bureaus, appraisals, internal credit information, industry research and peer data. Determine the need for more thorough investigation or additional information, and coordinate gathering of such information.
• 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.
• Make appropriate structure recommendations based on an analysis and evaluation of scenarios including the company's case, bank's base case and a downside case.
• As part of managing the ongoing credit risk of existing portfolios, identify suspicious activity and activity that may be contrary to customer's interest.
• Partner proactively with relationship managers, 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.
• Propose the structure of loan requests, where appropriate, to include suggestions on terms, conditions, collateral, and guarantors.
• Displays deep understanding of financial regulatory environment as it applies to underwriting most forms of commercial credit transactions.
• 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:

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.

The 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 an Associate and/or an Analyst.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

Input into development of and training of junior/newly hired Analysts and Associates.

Education and Experience Required:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or related field and 7 years’ experience in complex credit underwriting, specialty underwriting, or other complex financial analysis role. In lieu of degree, a combined minimum 11 years’ higher education and work experience, to include 7 years’ experience in complex credit underwriting, specialty underwriting, or other complex financial analysis role.

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.

Proficient with legal documentation including experience and skill in negotiating legal documentation and the ability to structure transactions independently.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

Attention to detail and high level of accuracy.

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

Strong organizational and time management skills.

Customer focused with strong interpersonal and relationship building skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Education and Experience Preferred:

Experience with Capital IQ, FactSet, and Bloomberg.

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