Commercial Loan Officer 1

About the role

This position is responsible for originating and administering a portfolio of commercial loans with the overall objective of maintaining credit quality, increasing profitability, and producing loan and deposit growth. You will attend to the needs of commercial members to meet Blaze’s core purpose of improving lives and contribute to the team effort by performing other job-related duties as needed.

Responsibilities

• Sales and Business Development
  • Develop and maintain referral networks and community relationships through active networking, business development activities, and participation in industry and community events to grow the credit union's membership base, loan portfolio, deposits, and overall assets.
  • Proactively identify, solicit, and cultivate new business relationships by calling on prospective members and businesses to uncover lending, deposit, and treasury management opportunities.
  • Gather, review, and analyze personal and business financial statements, tax returns, credit reports, and other supporting documentation to assess prospective lending opportunities.
  • Evaluate financial information and member needs to determine creditworthiness, risk exposure, and alignment with the credit union's lending strategy and risk appetite.
  • Structure commercial lending solutions that effectively meet member needs while maintaining sound credit quality and profitability.
  • Independently underwrite and recommend commercial credit requests, demonstrating strong credit judgment and risk assessment skills.
  • Identify, analyze, and communicate potential risks within new and existing credit relationships and recommend appropriate risk mitigation strategies.
  • Present loan requests and credit recommendations to Loan Committee and other approval authorities as required.
  • Attend Loan Committee meetings and effectively address questions regarding assigned credit relationships, underwriting rationale, and risk considerations.
  • Handle incoming branch referrals.
• Portfolio Management
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing borrowers through regular contact and periodic account reviews to ensure member satisfaction, identify cross-sell opportunities, and monitor credit quality.
  • Perform ongoing portfolio management and credit monitoring activities to assess financial performance, collateral adequacy, covenant compliance, and overall risk exposure.
  • Conduct periodic reviews of higher-risk relationships requiring enhanced monitoring and oversight.
  • Monitor assigned loan relationships for signs of deteriorating credit quality and proactively recommend corrective actions when necessary.
  • Manage and administer high-risk credit relationships in accordance with established policies, procedures, and risk management standards.
  • Ensure loan renewals, modifications, and extensions are completed accurately and timely to prevent administrative past-due exceptions.
  • Complete annual credit reviews and risk-rating assessments within established deadlines and maintain accurate loan grading across the portfolio.
  • Maintain a high-quality commercial loan portfolio through proactive risk identification, monitoring, and portfolio management practices.
• Other Support
  • Provide support to branches on commercial deposits in order to grow the credit union’s membership base and assets.
  • Handle incoming calls and questions on loan and business-related issues.
  • Participate in special projects as assigned.
• Other Duties
  • Comply with applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Patriot Act, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
  • Exhibit Blaze’s Core Values: Better Lives, Thoughtfully Compassionate, Minnesota’s Best, and Give Back.
  • Regular and predictable attendance.
  • Perform other duties as assigned to support effective department operation.

Requirements

• Experience/Education/Certifications/Licenses
  • Minimum High School degree or equivalent.
  • Minimum 3 to 4 years of experience in commercial banking, preference given to lending experience.
• Demonstrated Knowledge
  • Credit Union consumer and commercial products, services, policies, and procedures.
  • Financial industry and related products to discuss them confidently with members.
  • Commercial loan pipeline.
  • Microsoft Office with advanced Excel ability.
  • Ability to analyze financial statements and global cash flows to determine potential solutions with previous experience using software or similar product.
  • Underwrite loans using a global cash flow approach.
  • Coordinate priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently with minimal supervision.
• Skills
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills.
  • Decision-making and problem-solving to provide service to members.
  • Organize multiple tasks and maintain a courteous demeanor in a busy, high-stress work environment.
  • Recognize and troubleshoot system problems and inefficiencies.
  • Proactively respond to members/staff to problem-solve based on guidelines; written communications are based on templates but can be modified.
• Physical Requirements
  • Ability to sit and stand; answer calls; operate a computer; interact with internal staff and the public on the phone.
  • Travel to designated offices.
  • Lift up to 20 lbs.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $78,490–$85,000.

Benefits

• Low-cost medical (as low as $20 a paycheck).
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• Quarterly bonuses.
• Generous vacation and sick time hours.
• Paid leave options.
• Up to 6% 401k contribution.
• Tuition reimbursement.