How To Become A Business Banker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a business banker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Business bankers help entrepreneurs secure the financing they need to start, maintain, or save their businesses. They are usually the first point of contact for anyone seeking to secure a business loan and are usually in charge of deciding if a client's business plan is feasible or not. Thus, they are oftentimes the ones denying or approving business loan applications.

Other job responsibilities of a business banker usually include analyzing loan applications, reviewing clients' financial histories, addressing client concerns, and recommending alternatives when needed. That said, they must have extensive knowledge about business financing, banking protocols, and key financial and insurance matters.

If you want to become a business banker, you need to have a degree in finance, accounting, or other related fields to qualify for most financial institutions. Furthermore, you will need to have good communication, customer service, and, most importantly, decision-making. The job of a business banker can be a lucrative one.

On average, the income for this job is around $31 an hour or roughly $64,000 a year, not including the commissions that can come with successful deals.

ScoreBusiness BankerUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $69,423

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.08%

Black or African American 5.39%

Hispanic or Latino 11.13%

Unknown 4.11%

White 67.08%

Gender

female 36.68%

male 63.32%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a business banker

Explore business banker education requirements

Most common business banker degrees

Bachelor's

66.4 %

Associate

14.2 %

Master's

9.1 %

Start to develop specific business banker skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	7.17%
Financial Products	6.91%
Financial Services	6.58%
Financial Statements	5.75%
Business Development	5.38%

Complete relevant business banker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New business bankers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a business banker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real business banker resumes.

Research business banker duties and responsibilities

Facilitate the origination process; manage re-looks with corporate small business lending group.
Manage a portfolio in various stages of workout including liquidation, refinancing, restructure, rehabilitation, bankruptcy and litigation.
Develop relationships with high-value commercial clients by prospecting and cross-selling banking product portfolio.
Collaborate regularly with business partners to ensure optimal productivity and identify cross-selling opportunities for stock/mutual funds and life insurances.

Prepare your business banker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your business banker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a business banker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable business banker resume templates

Build a professional business banker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your business banker resume.