Bank examinations: 9 ways to prepare
1. Keep files up-to-date and organized
This includes appraisals, guarantor information, and financial statements dated within the parameters established in your financial institution’s policies and procedures.
2. Review your risk ratings
Review and update your risk ratings regularly to ensure changes in loan or borrowing conditions are reflected appropriately. Risk rating software may prove especially helpful for this process.
3. Review your ALLL process
Ensure loss rates and qualitative factors are up to date and that current weights reflect current risk conditions.
4. Keep the board informed
A financial institution’s board should:
-Be cognizant of all problem areas in a portfolio
-Be involved in loan workouts
-Have action plans for all problem loans updated during a quarterly review
5. Know your guarantor
Loan guarantors are often forgotten as potentially viable sources of loan recovery. It’s important you are well informed about loan guarantors since they act as a safety net on loans.
6. Take time to inspect common problem areas
Both loan participations and mergers and acquisitions tend to be problem areas during examinations. Be sure to have up-to-date information in these areas as well as a good assessment of their risk effects on the portfolio.
7. Be honest during the process
If you aren’t completely honest, the examiner will be left wondering what else you are hiding. This will only lead to more headaches down the road.
8. Emotion does not win arguments, facts do
During an examination, the examiners are looking for cold, hard facts. They need to first and foremost see documentation on your process and methodologies.
9. Be prepared for changes
Given the implementation of Basel III over the next 5-10 years and constantly changing regulations, it’s important to keep the pulse on the latest regulatory requirements in the industry.
