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What does a commercial loan officer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a commercial loan officer do

Commercial loan officers are financial professionals who are responsible for assessing and processing business loan applications at financial institutions. These loan officers must advise clients about their suitable loan and credit options while consulting with managers on credit policies, credit lines, and procedures. They are required to obtain and assess the financial information of applicants that includes their financial statements and credit histories. Commercial loan officers must also collaborate with other financial institutions to set up loan packages for extensive loans.

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Commercial loan officer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real commercial loan officer resumes:

  • Create and manage mortgage loan department along with commercial consumer, SBA and real estate lending producing additional revenue stream.
  • Manage a multifacete commercial real estate investment firm.
  • Mortgage underwriter for FHA direct endorsement, VA authorize & FNMA delegate programs.
  • Sign and issue payroll checks to contractors hire to complete REO projects.
  • Secure new loans, investment accounts, treasury management products and depository accounts.
  • Compile figures for sales amount prior to selling real estate own (REO).
  • Originate mortgage loans for consumers, open satellite branch to accommodate VA refinance programs.
  • Require knowledge of FHA, VA, USDA, and conforming and non-conforming conventional loan standards.
  • Consult and engage legal counsel to assist in loan collections, loan workout plans, foreclosure of real estate and lawsuits.
  • Issue and evaluate borrower assistance packets to apply appropriate foreclosure prevention according to the investor, insurer, and/or government guidelines.
  • Coordinate and arrange appointments and escrow signings.
  • Processed/Perform preliminary underwriting of FNMA & FHLMC eligible loans.
  • Facilitate financing on start-up and existing businesses through SBA financing.
  • Review all litigation invoice submissions for accuracy and any erroneous billings.
  • Specialize in refinancing VA mortgages for military active duty and veterans.

Commercial loan officer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Commercial Loan Officers are proficient in Customer Service, Loan Portfolio, and Financial Statements. They’re also known for soft skills such as Initiative, Interpersonal skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Commercial Loan Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 9%

    Ensured exceptional customer service by maintaining thorough knowledge of lending programs, policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.

  • Loan Portfolio, 8%

    Administered Commercial Loan Credit Department with responsibility for evaluating quality of commercial loan portfolio of all business and real-estate loans.

  • Financial Statements, 6%

    Performed financial analysis using the Financial Statements provided by the business entities and other related business data to determine cash flow.

  • Business Development, 6%

    Acquired and serviced commercial/business loans, commercial real estate loans and bank services in accordance with individually established business development goals.

  • Commercial Loans, 4%

    Shared responsibility for insuring profitability, efficiency and effectiveness of commercial loans through processing transactions and maintaining account relationships

  • Bank Products, 4%

    Developed and maintained relationships with customers and identified cross-sell opportunities of bank products and services.

Most commercial loan officers use their skills in "customer service," "loan portfolio," and "financial statements" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential commercial loan officer responsibilities here:

Initiative. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a commercial loan officer to have is initiative. Their role and responsibilities require that "loan officers may act as salespeople in promoting their lending institution, so they must contact people and businesses to determine their need for a loan." Commercial loan officers often use initiative in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "spearheaded initiatives that positioned the institution's sba program as "preferred lender" in industry. "

Interpersonal skills. Many commercial loan officer duties rely on interpersonal skills. "loan officers must be able to guide customers through the application process and answer their questions.," so a commercial loan officer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways commercial loan officer responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "acquired refined and exceptional interpersonal and rapport-building skills with an emphasis on forging strong business relationships. "

Detail oriented. This is an important skill for commercial loan officers to perform their duties. For an example of how commercial loan officer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "information on an application affects the potential profitability of a loan, so loan officers must pay attention to details." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a commercial loan officer: "performed financial and credit analysis of accounts with detailed review of financial statements. ".

Most common commercial loan officer skills

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Compare different commercial loan officers

Commercial loan officer vs. Mortgage banker

A Mortgage Banker is specialized in offering financing to buy homes or refinance previous mortgages. They work as part of a banks loan department.

If we compare the average commercial loan officer annual salary with that of a mortgage banker, we find that mortgage bankers typically earn a $43,545 lower salary than commercial loan officers make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between commercial loan officers and mortgage bankers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like customer service, financial statements, and business development.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between commercial loan officers and mortgage banker. For instance, commercial loan officer responsibilities require skills such as "loan portfolio," "loan documentation," "bank policies," and "sba." Whereas a mortgage banker is skilled in "nmls," "federal regulations," "credit data," and "residential mortgage loans." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Mortgage bankers tend to reach lower levels of education than commercial loan officers. In fact, mortgage bankers are 5.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Commercial loan officer vs. Senior credit analyst

A senior credit analyst is responsible for reviewing the loan applications of an individual and organization, determining their eligibility by evaluating their credit scores and financial history. Senior credit analysts assess the applicant's capability to pay according to terms and conditions and loan payment plans. They submit recommendation reports of qualified applicants for further investigation and have them submit additional documents as needed. A senior credit analyst decides on credit limits and may provide the applicants' loan and credit alternatives, requiring them to have excellent knowledge of the financial industry and loan options.

Senior credit analyst positions earn higher pay than commercial loan officer roles. They earn a $15,488 higher salary than commercial loan officers per year.A few skills overlap for commercial loan officers and senior credit analysts. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "customer service," "loan portfolio," and "commercial loans. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, commercial loan officer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "financial statements," "business development," "bank products," and "loan documentation." Meanwhile, a senior credit analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "real estate," "risk management," "excellent interpersonal," and "credit limits." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Senior credit analysts earn a higher average salary than commercial loan officers. But senior credit analysts earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $90,023. Additionally, commercial loan officers earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $54,859 annually.In general, senior credit analysts achieve similar levels of education than commercial loan officers. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Commercial loan officer vs. Mortgage consultant

A mortgage consultant is an individual who helps customers and businesses identify the best option for mortgage deals based on their financial resources. To maintain an excellent relationship with clients, mortgage consultants must possess a broad knowledge of the company's products to answer all the clients' queries and concerns. They help clients gather and analyze documents that are required for loan approval and create accurate mortgage information. They also develop relationships with banks and real estate agents to help promote bank mortgages for clients.

On average, mortgage consultants earn lower salaries than commercial loan officers, with a $31,942 difference per year.commercial loan officers and mortgage consultants both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "business development," and "commercial loans," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, commercial loan officers are more likely to have skills like "loan portfolio," "financial statements," "loan documentation," and "bank policies." But a mortgage consultant is more likely to have skills like "nmls," "financial services," "loan products," and "credit history."

Mortgage consultants earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $36,576. Commercial loan officers earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $54,859.When it comes to education, mortgage consultants tend to earn lower degree levels compared to commercial loan officers. In fact, they're 6.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Commercial loan officer vs. Closer

The duties of a closer depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to ensure that they understand and adhere to all terms of the agreement, completing all requirements and necessary documents, and maintaining records of all transactions. A closer must also monitor the regular payments of clients to ensure their compliance with the agreement, answer any inquiries, perform follow-up calls, and address any issues or concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.

Closers tend to earn a lower pay than commercial loan officers by an average of $41,585 per year.While their salaries may vary, commercial loan officers and closers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "bank secrecy act," and "loan packages. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A commercial loan officer uses "loan portfolio," "financial statements," "business development," and "commercial loans." Closers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "cleanliness," "punctuality," "dependability," and "food orders. "The average resume of closers showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to commercial loan officers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 10.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.

Types of commercial loan officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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