Commercial Credit Analyst 3

Job Description

Job Description

Overview

At Community Financial System, Inc. (CFSI), we are dedicated to providing our customers with friendly, personalized, high-quality financial services and products. Our retail division, Community Bank, N.A., operates more than 200 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Beyond retail banking, we also offer commercial banking, wealth management, investment management, insurance and risk management, and benefit plan administration.

Just as our employees are committed to helping our customers manage their finances, we’re committed to our employees. After all, they make it happen for our customers every day.

To ensure our people can enjoy long and successful careers here at CFSI, we offer competitive compensation, great benefits, and professional development and advancement opportunities. As an equal-opportunity workplace and affirmative-action employer, we celebrate and support a diverse workplace for the benefit of all: our employees, customers and communities.

Responsibilities

The Credit Analyst III is an advanced individual-contributor role responsible for analyzing and underwriting more complex commercial loan relationships. This role operates with a high level of independence on assigned credits and produces near-final analytical work product, while recognizing that final conclusions, priorities, and escalation decisions reside with Senior Credit Analysts, Credit Officers, or credit management. This role supports sound credit decision-making through strong analysis, documentation, and risk awareness. 

Essential Responsibilities: 

Advanced Credit Analysis & Underwriting 

• Independently analyze and underwrite complex commercial credit relationships, including multi-entity structures, multiple guarantors, and layered debt. 
• Prepare comprehensive, well-documented credit memoranda for new credit requests, renewals, modifications, and annual reviews. 
• Perform advanced financial analysis, including global cash flow, trend analysis, and stress or sensitivity considerations. 
• Identify key credit risks, structural weaknesses, and mitigating factors, clearly documenting assumptions and conclusions. 
• Recommend appropriate loan structures, covenants, collateral, and guarantor support consistent with credit policy. 

Transaction & Relationship Support 

• Support Credit Officers and relationship managers on complex transactions through timely and accurate credit analysis. 
• Monitor assigned loan relationships for covenant compliance, financial reporting, and emerging risk indicators. 
• Participate in deal-structuring discussions and internal credit reviews as requested. 
• Accompany relationship managers on customer calls, as appropriate, to support financial discussions, clarify credit information, and gain understanding of borrower operations. 

Credit Quality, Escalation & Boundaries 

• Apply credit policies, underwriting standards, and documentation requirements consistently. 
• Assist with risk rating assignments and ongoing evaluation of rating appropriateness. 
• Identify situations requiring escalation due to complexity, elevated risk, or structural concerns. 
• Coordinate with Senior Credit Analysts or credit management on credits requiring additional oversight or direction. 
• Ensure credit analyses and files are complete, accurate, and defensible. 

Problem Credit Support 

• Provide analytical support for criticized and higher-risk commercial credits. 
• Assist with renewals, restructures, modifications, and exit strategy analysis under direction of credit leadership. 
• Support monitoring and action plans for problem relationships. 

Professional Contribution 

• Contribute to analytical consistency, accuracy, and sound credit practices within the credit function. 
• Participate in portfolio analysis, process improvement efforts, and credit-related initiatives. 
• Undertake special projects related to the job function, as determined by credit management. 
• Maintain current knowledge of commercial credit practices, borrower industries, and financial analysis techniques. 

Ancillary Duties: 

As an integral member of the Credit Department, this position is also responsible to provide assistance wherever necessary to help the Credit Department and the Bank in achieving their goals.

Qualifications

Education, Training and Requirements: 

• BS or BA degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics or a related field plus specialized education in credit analysis and commercial lending.   

Skills: 

• Proficient reading, writing, grammar and mathematics skills; proficient interpersonal relations and communications skills; a thorough knowledge of:  financial statement analysis, loan structuring, current laws/regulations applicable to commercial lending, and loan policies and procedures of the Bank; demonstrated management, supervisory and training skills.  Well-developed project management skills; accomplish stated goals, and must be able to work productively with varying levels of management and staff.  Requires a high degree of initiative and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Demonstrated experience evaluating complex, cash-flow-based commercial credit relationships. High proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word.    

Experience: 

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in commercial credit analysis, underwriting, or a related banking role.