Head of CRE Credit - Amerant Bank

Lead a team of credit underwriting and portfolio managers to provide the bank with a sound, independent and objective assessment and monitoring of risks associated with the commercial real estate (CRE) and acquisition, development and construction (ADC) loan portfolio, including evaluating and managing the creditworthiness of clients by analyzing financial statements and making informed lending decisions on credit requests, as well as monitoring the credit quality of the portfolio.

Responsibilities:

• Manage a team of credit underwriting/portfolio managers and provide guidance to produce timely and accurate credit recommendations to credit requests, including new and existing loans, increases and modifications, annual reviews and covenant compliance, while maintaining proper adherence to credit policy and banking regulations.
• Provide reports to management on work pipeline, production and turn-around times, including assignment and monitoring of work performed to ensure quality and turnaround time is being met.
• Scope: commercial real estate, acquisition, development and construction (ADC) loans, as well as note-on-note financing with underlying CRE properties as collateral. Also includes large and complex structures. Property types include multifamily, retail, industrial, office, hotels, marinas, fractured condos, and other special-purpose properties.
• Financial analysis: thoroughly reviewing financial statements (income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, tax returns, rent rolls, budget plan, site approvals) of potential and existing borrowers and guarantors to understand their financial condition and operating performance. This requires a comprehensive understanding of financial statement analysis, including stress-testing & sensitivity analysis under different scenarios and making projections using key drivers and assumptions to understand future cash flows and repayment capacity.
• Credit risk assessment: evaluating the likelihood of a borrower defaulting on a loan based on their financial health, industry trends, and economic factors to reach a credit recommendation for loan structure based on strengths and weaknesses, and assigning a risk rating.
• Loan structuring: collaborating with relationship managers to design suitable loan structures (e.g., lines of credit, term loans, covenants) based on the client's needs and creditworthiness.
• Customer interaction: communicate with, and visit, potential and existing clients to gather necessary financial information, discuss credit terms, and address inquiries. Site visit is a requirement.
• Credit reports: preparing comprehensive pre-screen and credit memos detailing the analysis of a company's financial situation, including strengths, weaknesses, and potential risks, to present to pre-screen, lending authority or credit committee, as appropriate.
• Legal documentation review: review term sheet and legal documentation to ensure conformity with approved terms.
• Industry knowledge: staying updated on industry trends, best practices, regulations, and economic conditions impacting specific sectors to accurately assess credit risk.
• Training: assist in the training process of new credit underwriting and portfolio managers, and interns. Specifically, assist the trainees in the following: adopting the operating procedures of the department, the various templates used, and credit criteria applied to the different types of analysis.
• Credit policy: clear understanding of the Bank’s credit programs and policy and its adherence.
• Compliance: ensure preventive measures are carried out to fully comply with current rules, regulations and internal policies on BSA, USA Patriot Act, OFAC and other AML related issues.
• Any other duties as assigned by the Chief Credit Officer or supervisor.

Minimum Education and/or Certifications Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting or finance required. Master’s degree preferred OR 10+ years of CRE credit analysis and/or CRE portfolio management experience in lieu of education. Formal credit training required.

Minimum Work Experience Requirements:

10+ years of professional experience in CRE lending and/or credit analysis and portfolio management. Knowledgeable of banking products and documentation.

Technical and/or Other Essential Knowledge:

Thorough understanding of the Bank’s credit procedures, programs and policy. Accounting and credit principles. Proficiency in Microsoft Suite is required. Salesforce, nCino, FIS IBS experience is a plus. Sound time management and organizational skills required. Well organized and systematic. Must possess strong communication skills.