Credit Officer Ag Lending

About the Role

Compeer Financial is a member-owned cooperative located in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, providing financial services to support agriculture and rural communities. This position offers a hybrid work option (up to 50% work from home) and is based out of the Fond du Lac, WI or Sun Prairie, WI office.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyzes new credit requests, makes loan servicing decisions for existing clients, and performs other essential credit duties.
• Completes financial analysis and underwriting on a variety of crop and livestock industries.
• Makes credit decisions consistent with established credit policies, procedures, and best practices.
• Approves or denies requests within delegated authority, spending the majority of time on loan analysis and communicating decisions.
• Works with clients and Financial Officers to discuss loan packages and provide financial counseling.
• Visits clients as needed.
• Analyzes financial and supporting documentation for lending and servicing requests.
• Identifies, communicates, and assists in collecting required financial information.
• Approves, declines, or escalates credit decisions.
• Determines appropriate level of analysis and due diligence based on credit risk.
• Determines appropriate account classification and probability of default rating.
• Communicates credit decisions, terms, conditions, and findings through formal narrative write-ups.
• Establishes loan conditions and closing requirements.
• Answers questions and provides direction on credit-related issues.
• Facilitates negotiation of credit agreements.
• Creates innovative credit packages.
• Proactively monitors lending portfolio and loan performance.
• Works directly with sales teams or clients to develop plans to cure loan delinquencies.
• Determines how to structure stressed credits.
• Coordinates with sales and RAU teams to develop servicing plans for higher risk client relationships.
• Monitors database exception reports for accuracy.
• Works closely with sales and operations teams to balance credit risk with portfolio growth.
• Meets with clients to provide quantitative assessments of financial performance.
• Prepares and presents financial peer reports, industry benchmark analysis, and financial counseling tools to clients.
• Assists clients in understanding their financial position and setting future goals.
• Keeps knowledge up-to-date with industry trends and procedures.
• Builds and maintains knowledge and skills within crop and livestock industries.
• Participates in industry updates and webinars.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• MS Office applications
• Customer relationship management (CRM) programs
• Internal underwriting systems
• Database systems

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Ag business, finance, economics, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Basic to solid interpersonal, collaboration, communication, team building, problem solving, analytical, organizational, and time management skills.
• Basic to solid computer skills.
• Basic to solid decision making, negotiating, and influencing skills.
• Flexible and adaptable to changing situations.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Entry-level experience in credit analysis in a financial institution, preferred.
• Basic to solid knowledge of agricultural businesses and operations, crop insurance and livestock industries and associated production practices, preferred.
• Basic to solid knowledge of loan products, services, and credit operations, preferred.
• Basic to solid understanding of credit processing and servicing activities, accounting principles and practices, credit analysis procedures, credit administration, monitoring and reporting, preferred.