AccountancyISCO 3312

Loan officer

A loan officer is a person who assesses and approves loan applications from individuals and businesses, and who sees that the transaction between the lending organisation, the borrower and, where there is one, the seller is carried through to completion. Loan officers specialise in consumer lending, in mortgage lending or in commercial credit.

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Rate 5 of the 16 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

analyse loans

interview bank loanees

decide on loan applications

analyse business plans

interpret financial statements

About loan officer

Assessment is the core of the role. The officer gathers the financial information an application rests on, analyses the loan, analyses the financial risk, and reads business plans where a company rather than a household is borrowing. Actuarial science and a knowledge of banking activity inform how an exposure is quantified; core banking software is where the case is built.

Deciding is the point of it. An application is approved or it is not, and both answers have a cost: a loan granted to a borrower who cannot repay, and a loan refused to one who could. The officer has to be able to say what the decision rested on.

The role does not end at the signature. The officer sees the transaction through to completion and works within the credit monitoring processes that follow a loan after it is drawn.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (16)

banking activitiesbanking activitiesThe broad and continuously growing banking activities and financial products managed by banks ranging from personal banking, corporate banking, investment banking, private banking, up to insurance, fo...core banking softwarecore banking softwareThe selection of software for core banking activities management (e.g. deposits, payments, loans, bank transactions, customer data) and other functions related to banking.actuarial scienceactuarial scienceThe rules of applying mathematical and statistical techniques to determine potential or existing risks in various industries, such as finance or insurance.credit control processescredit control processesThe various techniques and procedures applied to ensure that credit is given to the suitable customers and that they pay on time.analyse loansanalyse loansExamine and analyse the loans provided to organisations and individuals through different forms of credit such as overdraft protection, export packing credit, term loan, and purchase of commercial bil...interview bank loaneesinterview bank loaneesPerform interviews with candidates requesting a bank loan for different purposes. Pose questions in order to test the goodwill and the financial means of candidates for paying back the loan.decide on loan applicationsdecide on loan applicationsTake into account the risk assessment and analysis and perform the final reviewing of the loan application in order to approve or deny the loan, and set in motion the necessary procedures following th...analyse business plansanalyse business plansAnalyse the formal statements from businesses which outline their business goals and the strategies they set in place to meet them, in order to assess the feasibility of the plan and verify the busine...interpret financial statementsinterpret financial statementsRead, understand, and interpret the key lines and indicators in financial statements. Extract the most important information from financial statements depending on the needs and integrate this informa...examine credit ratingsexamine credit ratingsInvestigate and look for information on the creditworthiness of companies and corporations, provided by credit rating agencies in order to determine the likelihood of default by the debtor.obtain financial informationobtain financial informationGather information on securities, market conditions, governmental regulations and the financial situation, goals and needs of clients or companies.maintain credit history of clientsmaintain credit history of clientsCreate and maintain the credit history of clients with relevant transactions, supporting documents, and details of their financial activities. Keep these documents updated in case of analysis and disc...monitor loan portfoliomonitor loan portfolioControl the ongoing credit commitments in order to detect anomalies related to the schedules, refinancing, approval limits etc., and to identify improper disbursements.consult credit scoreconsult credit scoreAnalyse the credit files of an individual, such as credit reports which outlines a person's credit history, in order to assess their creditworthiness and all the risks that would be involved in granti...inform on interest ratesinform on interest ratesInform prospective borrowers on the rate at which compensation fees for use of assets, such as borrowed money, is paid to the lender, and at which percentage of the loan the interest stands.analyse financial riskanalyse financial riskIdentify and analyse risks that could impact an organisation or individual financially, such as credit and market risks, and propose solutions to cover against those risks.

Optional (22) — show

customer servicecustomer serviceProcesses and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer's or service user's satisfaction.debt classificationdebt classificationThe different classifications of debt such as public and publicly guaranteed debt, private non-guaranteed credits, central bank deposits, etc.foreclosureforeclosureThe legal system surrounding the recovery of a loan or debt which a debtor or borrower has not completed the payments of and of which payments have been neglected by enforcing the sale of assets which...securitiessecuritiesThe financial instruments traded in financial markets representing both the right of property over the owner and at the same time, the obligation of payment over the issuer. The aim of securities whic...mortgage loansmortgage loansThe financial system of acquiring money by property owners or prospective property owners, in which the loan is secured on the property itself so that the property can be repossessed by the lender in ...property lawproperty lawThe law and legislation that regulates all the different ways to handle property, such as the types of property, how to handle property disputes and property contract rules.debt systemsdebt systemsThe processes needed to obtain goods or services before payment and when a sum of money is owed or overdue.business loansbusiness loansLoans which are intended for business purposes and which can either be secured or unsecured depending on whether a collateral is involved. The different types of business loans such as bank loans, mez...tax legislationtax legislationTax legislation applicable to a specific area of specialisation, such as import tax, government tax, etc.apply credit risk policyapply credit risk policyImplement company policies and procedures in the credit risk management process. Permanently keep company's credit risk at a manageable level and take measures to avoid credit failure.collect property financial informationcollect property financial informationCollect information concerning the previous transactions involving the property, such as the prices at which the property had been previously sold and the costs that went into renovations and repairs,...advise on risk managementadvise on risk managementProvide advice on risk management policies and prevention strategies and their implementation, being aware of different kinds of risks to a specific organisation.maintain client debt recordsmaintain client debt recordsPreserve a list with the debt records of clients and update it regularly.protect client interestsprotect client interestsProtect the interests and needs of a client by taking necessary actions, and researching all possibilities, to ensure that the client obtains their favoured outcome.assist in loan applicationsassist in loan applicationsAssist clients with filling out and managing their applications for loans by providing them with practical assistance, such as provision of relevant documentation and instruction on the process, and o...synthesise financial informationsynthesise financial informationCollect, revise and put together financial information coming from different sources or departments in order to create a document with unified financial accounts or plans.examine mortgage loan documentsexamine mortgage loan documentsExamine documents from mortgage borrowers or from financial institutions, such as banks or credit unions, relating to a loan secured on a property in order to examine the payment history of the loan, ...check accounting recordscheck accounting recordsRevise the accounting records of the quarter and year and ensure that the accounting information reflects with accuracy the financial transactions of the company.provide support in financial calculationprovide support in financial calculationProvide colleagues, clients or other parties with financial support for complex files or calculations.advise on financial mattersadvise on financial mattersConsult, advise, and propose solutions with regards to financial management such as acquiring new assets, incurring in investments, and tax efficiency methods.manage loan applicationsmanage loan applicationsManage the application process for loans from the process of interviewing the applicant and reviewing the documentation, assessing the risks, and accepting or denying the loan and ensuring compliance ...assess customer credibilityassess customer credibilityCommunicate with customers to assess whether their true intentions are in line with what they claim in order to eliminate any risks from a potential agreement with the customer.

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

mortgage broker9 shared essential skills credit adviser6 shared essential skills insurance rating analyst6 shared essential skills mortgage loan underwriter6 shared essential skills credit analyst5 shared essential skills investment manager5 shared essential skills corporate investment banker4 shared essential skills financial planner4 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What does a loan officer do?

Loan officers assess and authorise the approval of loan applications for individuals and businesses. They ensure complete transactions between loan organisations, borrowers, and sellers. Loan officers are specialists in consumer, mortgage, or commercial lending.

What skills does a loan officer need?

A loan officer needs 16 essential skills, including banking activities, core banking software, actuarial science, credit control processes, analyse loans.

Will AI replace loan officer jobs?

The AI disruption score for loan officer is 71/100 (high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: maintain credit history of clients, maintain client debt records, check accounting records. Most resilient: protect client interests, actuarial science, advise on risk management.

AI Replacement Risk

71/ 100

High Risk

Low riskHigh risk

Skills most at risk from AI

maintain credit history of clients maintain client debt records check accounting records

Skills resilient to automation

protect client interests actuarial science advise on risk management

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Quick Facts

SectorAccountancy

ISCO GroupBusiness and administration associate professionals

Essential Skills16

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