Senior Compliance Analyst

Senior Compliance Analyst

Westamerica is among the largest commercial banks headquartered in California. We are looking for outstanding people to join our winning team. We reached our current strength because our employees, customers, and shareholders believe in the same fundamental goals: Delivering a wide variety of financial services with a superior customer service guarantee.

Weekly Hours: 40

Job Summary

The Senior Compliance Analyst is responsible for supporting Westamerica's Compliance Management System daily activities ensuring that bank activities comply at all times with appropriate laws and regulations. Ensures that all required deposit and lending related compliance policies are in force and reviewed periodically for adequacy. Directs and coordinates procedural updates related to compliance issues, participates in business line project and meetings to provide compliance support, manages deposit and lending related compliance issues and responds to compliance inquiries. Reports compliance issues to the Risk Officer and Senior Management.

Essential Functions

1. Research regulatory issues, respond to compliance questions, and provide guidance to business units using regulatory reference materials, regulatory agencies, and profession associations and organizations as appropriate.
2. Ensure assigned business units comply with applicable deposit and lending laws, regulations, rules, and have appropriate operating controls to mitigate risk/ Assists the business units with developing and revising compliance-related practices, procedures and controls where needed.
3. Coordinates the deposit and lending aspects of the compliance management system that ensures proper policies, procedures, risk mitigation activities, and operating controls are followed. Identifies and reports compliance issues and gaps in policies, procedures, and operating controls to leadership to ensure risk is mitigated. Work with business unit partners to resolve and track identified issues to resolution.
4. Maintain a strong working knowledge of all deposit and lending related regulatory compliance laws, regulations, regulatory guidance, and industry best practices by reviewing industry publications, receiving/attending compliance training, and networking with professional advisors, experts and peers.
5. Reviews product and service disclosures and advertising materials for compliance with applicable rules.
6. Execute quarterly compliance analysis.
7. Participates in the oversight of regulatory compliance audits and/or examinations.
8. Helps develop, coordinate and facilitate training programs, sessions, and seminars to educate business unit partners about compliance requirements and procedures. Provides and/or assists with conducting compliance training to managers and employees as needed.
9. Participates as a member of the Regulatory Compliance Committee (RCC) and is a member of the Consumer Compliant Committee (CCC).
10. Facilities and provides guidance during the compliance risk assessment process.

Minimum Knowledge, Work Experience, and Skills Needed to Perform Job Functions

Excellent oral, technical, writing, training, interpersonal, analytical, organizational, leadership, and presentation skills. Has progressively more responsible work experience in a financial institution implementing, monitoring, coordinating, or auditing compliance activities.

Physical Demands: Travel to CRA outreach events, training seminars and Bank branches. Extended periods of telephone use. Extensive PC work. Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.

Mental Demands: Read, interpret, analyze laws and regulations that apply to the designated line of business deposit or electronic banking products, Consumer Lending and other areas including, but not limited to, Regulation B, C, D, E, G, J, P, V, X, Z, BB, CC < DD and E-Sign Act, Fair Lending, California Consumer Privacy Act, Fair debt Collections Practices Act. Unclaimed property, garnishment, or deposit insurance. Prioritize assignments; ensure resolution of issues within appropriate time frame to minimize compliance-related risks. Combine knowledge and judgment to identify solutions to complex compliance issues.

Equipment Used to Perform Functions: PC, calculator, telephone, scanner, copier, printer, Microsoft Office

Decision Making: Identifying most appropriate means to ensure revisions are made to documents affected by regulatory changes, employees are trained appropriately on compliance issues, and the Risk Officer and Senior Management are well-informed about the status of compliance.

Contacts: Internal: Regularly consults and provides support and coordination to bank personnel on compliance issues. Regularly advised the Risk Officer and Senior Management on compliance issues. External: Periodic contact with examiners of State and Federal bank regulatory agencies; manages regulatory examinations. Periodic contact with consultants, vendor partners who assist with monitoring or compliance audits. Maintains networking communications with compliance professionals to remain current on developing trends within the profession.

EOE