Advanced C&I Lending: Optimize & Expand Your Portfolio

As commercial real estate concentrations continue to rise across community financial institution portfolios, they must begin strategically pivoting toward a more balanced and resilient approach — starting with commercial and industrial (C&I) lending. This advanced training session is designed to help lenders, analysts, and executives shift their mindset from collateral-heavy CRE deals to cash flow-based business lending. You’ll learn the key differences between C&I and CRE underwriting, how to assess borrower viability without relying on hard assets, and what it takes to build confidence across your institution to embrace C&I growth.

The session will guide participants through practical strategies for identifying market expansion opportunities using regional economic data and business demographics. It will explore how to structure competitive and flexible loan packages that attract quality borrowers while balancing risk and profitability. Beyond origination, the webinar will cover advanced credit risk monitoring techniques, stress testing, and early warning indicators to strengthen portfolio performance. You'll discover how to build deeper, stickier business relationships through consultative lending and value-added services. The session will wrap up by showing you how to use data analytics and targeted marketing to drive outreach and position your institution as a trusted, long-term financial partner in your community.