Credit Analysts

Career Description: Analyze current credit data and financial statements of individuals or firms to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money. Prepare reports with this credit information for use in decision-making.

Industry: Business and Financial Operations

Other Job Titles for Credit Analysts:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Analyze credit data and financial statements to determine the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
• Prepare reports that include the degree of risk involved in extending credit or lending money.
• Evaluate customer records and recommend payment plans based on earnings, savings data, payment history, and purchase activity.
• Confer with credit association and other business representatives to exchange credit information.
• Complete loan applications, including credit analyses and summaries of loan requests, and submit to loan committees for approval.
• Generate financial ratios, using computer programs, to evaluate customers' financial status.
• Review individual or commercial customer files to identify and select delinquent accounts for collection.
• Compare liquidity, profitability, and credit histories of establishments being evaluated with those of similar establishments in the same industries and geographic locations.
• Consult with customers to resolve complaints and verify financial and credit transactions.
• Analyze financial data such as income growth, quality of management, and market share to determine expected profitability of loans.
• Establish and maintain tendering process, and conduct negotiations.
• Conduct special studies to develop and establish standard hour and related cost data or to effect cost reduction.
• Visit site and record information about access, drainage and topography, and availability of services such as water and electricity.
• Confer with officials of public health and law enforcement agencies to coordinate interdepartmental activities.
• Inventory personal effects recovered from bodies, such as jewelry or wallets.
• Coordinate the release of personal effects to authorized persons and facilitate the disposition of unclaimed corpses and personal effects.
• Arrange for the next of kin to be notified of deaths.
• Record the disposition of minor children, as well as details of arrangements made for their care.
• Collect wills, burial instructions, and other documentation needed for investigations and for handling of the remains.
• Witness and certify deaths that are the result of a judicial order.
• Consult with or serve as a technical liaison between business, industry, government, and union officials.
• Prepare research results for publication in form of journals, books, manuals, and film.
• Work with the Department of Labor and promote its use with employers.
• Speak at conferences and events to promote apprenticeships and related training programs.

Emerging Tasks

• Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• advise clients on financial matters
• analyze applicant's financial status
• analyze credit information gathered by investigation
• analyze financial data
• compile data for financial reports
• complete information on loan forms
• compute financial data
• evaluate customer records
• evaluate degree of financial risk
• gather relevant financial data
• investigate customer complaints
• make decisions
• make presentations on financial matters
• monitor credit extension decisions
• obtain financial information from individuals
• prepare financial reports
• provide customer service
• recommend customer payment plan
• review loan applications
• use accounting or bookkeeping software
• use computers to enter, access and retrieve financial data
• use spreadsheet software
• verify bank or financial transactions
• verify information for credit investigations
• read specifications
• understand construction specifications
• understand engineering data or reports
• understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
• use computers to enter, access and retrieve financial data
• use cost benefit analysis techniques
• use spreadsheet software
• use statistical cost estimation methods
• resolve worker or management conflicts
• understand government labor or employment regulations
• use cost benefit analysis techniques
• use government regulations
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use interviewing procedures
• use knowledge of employee classification system
• use public speaking techniques
• write administrative procedures services manual
• write employee orientation or training materials

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$26.24
• Average annual wage (2007) - $54,580.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 1.88%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 1,265
• Employment (2006): 67,132

• Accountants
• Assessors
• Cost Estimators
• Financial Analysts
• Insurance Underwriters
• Personal Financial Advisors
• Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
• Tax Preparers
• Tax Preparers
• Tax Preparers