2023 Credit Analysis Series

C&I lending is often a smaller part of a financial institution’s commercial loan portfolio, but it is also a segment that offers additional lending opportunities. However, far too often these loans are analyzed similarly to commercial real estate loans, even though C&I have unique characteristics, differing in purpose, collateral, and repayment source(s). It is important to understand the borrower’s industry, their cash-flow cycle, how accounting decisions can impact your analysis, and the type of information needed for proper assessment.

Because C&I businesses can change quickly, the way C&I loans are monitored must also be different from monitoring a CRE loan. Join us to learn the appropriate monitoring, including how the borrower’s degree of risk should be considered in designing an appropriate plan.

This presentation will cover the essentials of cash flow analysis. It will address the unique characteristics of analyzing commercial real estate (construction and permanent financing), C&I (short term, equipment, and real estate), and basic agricultural cash flow. You’ll learn about UCA and traditional EBITDA analysis and when each is most appropriate. The session will also cover the fundamentals of global cash flow, including the type of information needed to do a proper analysis of the borrowing entity as a whole, including family living expenses.

One of the most important concepts of analyzing cash flow is that today’s loans are paid with tomorrow’s cash. In addition to the basic techniques of cash flow analysis, you’ll learn about the items necessary to consider when assessing a borrower’s ability to sustain adequate cash flow over the term of the loan. The emphasis of this webinar will be on how to make the calculations and what should be considered when choosing the most appropriate type of analysis based on the borrower’s unique situation.

This presentation will build on the topics discussed in Cash Flow Analysis Part 1. Assessing repayment ability is far more than just calculating debt service coverage. Do you understand the impact a borrower’s balance sheet can have on cash and know the red flags watch? In addition, this webinar will cover external factors that can impact a borrower’s ability to maintain cash flow, including a section on stress testing to help assess repayment risk.

In addition, this training will address short-term and bridge loans. Although done infrequently, they can cause significant losses if not underwritten and managed appropriately. Regardless of loan purpose, a poorly structured loan can mask repayment problems and collateral coverage and is often a characteristic of charged-off loans.

The most frightening thing a lender can say is, “I’m not worried, we’ve got plenty of collateral.” Do you know how to appropriately analyze collateral coverage? This includes looking for the right elements in an appraisal (outside the mandated appraisal review), considerations for various types of collateral, and how to best monitor those values – including marketable securities, accounts receivable, inventory and equipment, and real estate.

This presentation will take a risk-based approach to collateral analysis, adjusting the depth of the analysis to match the strength of the borrower. Collateral only comes into play if cash flow fails. Analysis must be focused on collateral as a secondary or tertiary source of repayment and not as a crutch for poor business results (or poor underwriting).