WHO WE ARE

City First Bank N.A. is a mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) principally focused on a transformative impact in underserved, urban markets with the highest needs to drive equitable economic development. Our lending activities are purely commercial and focused on the following segments: Multifamily Affordable Housing, Not-for-Profit Finance, and Small Business Finance. As a depository and commercial lending provider with over $1.2 billion in bank assets as of September 30, 2022, our unified organization has over 100 employees in Washington DC and Los Angeles/Inglewood, CA.

ROLE SUMMARY

This position provides executive administrative support to the Commercial Regional Executive (CRE), Commercial Relationship Managers (RM’s), and other Commercial Banking teammates. The position also requires a demonstrated ability to work across multiple areas of the bank while providing competent, courteous, and professional customer service to external and internal customers. The successful individual in this position thrives on high-quality service, takes initiative using their accumulated knowledge and experience, problem-solving, and has an eagerness to adapt and develop new banking skills.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• This position is primarily responsible for providing executive administrative support to the CRE or Team Leader and will provide reports needed for regular sales and management meetings.
• Analyze loan origination and fee reports to generate Relationship Manager sales production and goals.
• Work as liaison between the Commercial Banking Group, Loan Administration & Operations team, and Credit Administration.
• As appropriate, co-manage relationships by analyzing financial data to determine the merits of specific loan requests, and recommend structure as well as the proactive management of the client relationship.
• Partner with the Relationship Manager as the point of contact for the client; acting as a liaison to the Credit Department, the Commercial support staff, and other internal business partners.
• Coordinates with the credit department and performs in-depth financial analyses and credit investigations to make recommendations for next steps as it relates to extensions, renewals, reviews, and other loan requests.
• Will review all pending direct loan application packages for completion and follow-up on missing documents.
• Monitor loan repayment activities and financial condition of borrowing clients and take necessary action to collect past due accounts and ongoing repayment ability of all other accounts. May assume overall responsibility for the credit quality of the loan portfolio.
• Order appraisals and environmental reports for direct loans.
• Will organize meetings and meeting materials for the Commercial Banking Group at the direction of the CRE.
• Complete CRM profile setup requests in Abrigo and manage the weekly CBG pipeline.
• Provide customer service support for all RM’s through day-to-day interaction with borrowers.
• Visits customers independently and with commercial loan officers to maintain strong business relationships and perform periodic inspections at customer sites to audit accounts and ensure adherence to loan agreements and terms.
• Function as the liaison between the customer and the Relationship Managers, responding to questions and resolving problems by coordinating with internal partners. Deliver high-quality service, while ensuring accuracy and timeliness of delivery.
• Coordinate the opening of new deposit accounts related to approved loans between the Commercial RM’s and Branch Managers.
• Provides executive administrative support to the CRE, Team Leader, and/or RM’s.

Sales and Service

• May provide advice and counsel to clients regarding trends and conditions of the business environment, capital markets, and general banking trends.
• May be asked to customize and structure recommendations/function as a trusted advisor for our clients for their growth and expansion as it relates to bank products and services.
• Coordinates with appropriate business partners and/or Relationship Managers to identify customers for expansion and retention opportunities, focusing on value-added expertise.

Other Duties

• Participates in community and business functions/groups to ensure a positive image for the bank within the region's marketplace.
• Assists the CRE with monthly management and Board reporting activities including research of items that present anomalies to the portfolio.

Leadership and Supervision

• Creates an atmosphere within the organization that attains and maintains a high level of morale and embraces our Vision, Values, Mission, and Team Expectations while providing "best in class" customer service to internal and external clients.
• Contributes to the development and implementation of annual department goals.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Required Education/Experience:

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field is required; 3 additional years of commercial credit underwriting and analysis experience may be substituted for a bachelor's degree.
• 5+ years of commercial credit, financial statement analysis, portfolio management, and customer service experience are required.
• Knowledge of bank lending regulations, procedures, and policies.
• Knowledge of bank reporting requirements and CRM systems.
• Experience with brokers and loan referral sources.

Preferred Education/Experience:

• Completion of formal or in-house credit training.

CERTIFICATIONS

• Not applicable

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Required Knowledge & Skills:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and CRM systems and a hands-on working knowledge of a bank core system, e.g., FIS, Horizon, etc.
• Familiarity with Bank security and safety practices.
• Good time management and organizational skills; ability to multi-task effectively.
• Good communication skills, both written and oral.
• Good interpersonal skills: an effective team player.