Commercial Banking Manager

Summary: This position is responsible for leading a team of Commercial Bankers in a specified region to successfully achieve loan and deposit production goals while managing the credit quality of the assigned loan portfolio. In addition, the Commercial Banking Manager is responsible for growing their assigned loan and deposit portfolio goals. Job responsibilities include preparing and recommending of loan requests including reviewing, analyzing, and recommending, documentation, and monitoring loan portfolios to ensure compliance with the Bank’s policies and guidelines.

Salary Range: The salary range budgeted for this position is $185,000/yr to $230,000/yr and represents the Company's good faith minimum and maximum range for this role at the time of posting. The compensation offered to a candidate may vary depending on several factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location.

The Company also offers various benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and a 401(K) match. Other rewards may include annual performance-based bonuses and wellness days.

Applicants must have current work authorization when accepting a First Foundation Inc. position. Currently, we cannot sponsor or take over the sponsorship of an Employment Visa.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Understand and comply with requirements of all laws and regulations applicable to the position
• Responsible for leading a team of commercial bankers and selling FFB products and services to build strong relationships with commercial and industrial customers including both deposit and loan products
• Responsible for recruiting, managing, and developing commercial bankers
• Partner with commercial deposit teams, retail branches, operations, and treasury management to cross-sell and service all bank clients
• Work with all bank and advisory departments to provide exceptional service to bank and advisory firm customers by referring business and accepting referrals
• Perform due diligence on commercial loan requests. This includes reviewing loan requests to ensure compliance with the Bank’s policies, guidelines, and procedures
• Perform credit analysis on commercial loan requests and review the analysis of the banking team’s commercial loans to ensure accuracy. This includes analysis of the business, industry, and financial statements to determine risk, structure loan requests appropriately, and price loan requests by type of loan and risk to the Bank
• Make decisions regarding commercial loan pricing, structure, and servicing within designated authority seeking secondary approval as directed
• Prepare pre-flight packages as directed by Chief Credit Officer (CCO), Chief Lending Officer (CLO), and Commercial Banking Executive (CBE)
• Actively partner with the Commercial Loan Underwriting team to complete, review, and endorse all commercial loan credit approval recommendations for both new and renewing loans
• Responsible for ensuring accurate commercial loan application packages are delivered to commercial loan underwriters and documentation processors
• Responsible for booked loan files and fully executed loan documents for boarding funded loans with commercial loan servicing
• Maintain commercial loan files in partnership with assigned commercial documentation analysts and commercial loan servicing to ensure documentation is organized and complete in electronic files for third-party reviewers
• Responsible for accurate data entry in commercial loan origination system to build customer, guarantor, and affiliated entity relationships in the loan system
• Responsible for providing details regarding business, industry, management, requested structure, and site inspections to provide commercial loan underwriters the necessary detail to properly underwrite and approve commercial loan requests
• Responsible for managing commercial loan documentation specialists as assigned to ensure accuracy in all commercial loan and deposit files as assigned. This includes scanning and uploading all customer, guarantor, affiliated entity, and loan documentation in the electronic filing system
• Responsible for ordering third-party reports (or partnering with assigned Commercial Documentation Analyst) as assigned in commercial work processes to ensure compliance with FFB policies, guidelines, procedures, and all regulatory compliance
• Partner with commercial loan underwriting and assigned Commercial Documentation Analyst to ensure financial ticklers and covenants are accurate and supporting documentation is collected from customers on time
• Responsible for covenant and portfolio management to ensure accuracy in commercial loan risk ratings
• Develop a calling program individually and with an assigned team of bankers to build loan and deposit portfolios and expand commercial and industrial relationships
• Review and resolve a variety of customer problems/issues regarding bank products and services including (but not limited to); deposits, treasury management, online banking, and loan-related services
• Must maintain a complete understanding of the Bank’s loan documentation policies, procedures, and guidelines
• Review findings and decisions with the Chief Underwriter, draft the loan write-up including any conditions that underwriting is imposing on the closing or funding of the loan, review the write-up with the Chief Underwriter, and distribute to processing and servicing members
• Perform related work as required or as delegated by management
• Participate in the training/cross-training of department employees as directed
• Promote and provide excellent customer service by effectively communicating and cooperating with all internal and external customers
• Provide support in the acquisition of new clientele and the maintenance of existing relationships
• Understand and can speak knowledgeably about the various loan programs, loan procedures, and loan forms.
• Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and excellent client service are an important responsibility of First Foundation Bank Officers. Commercial Bankers are encouraged to seek out, promote, and participate in CRA-related opportunities
• Perform other duties as assigned
  
  

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position has direct supervisory responsibilities

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Education And/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field required; or a combination of education and experience
• Minimum 10 years of experience in commercial loan and deposit relationship management, and team leadership
• Experience leading/managing commercial lending teams to successfully grow commercial loan and deposit balances while managing portfolio risk
  
  

Skills

• Strong individual business development and lead generation skills with experience in commercial lending and commercial deposit management
• Consultative relationship-building skills (listening, questioning, negotiating, closing, and networking) to provide a knowledgeable commercial banker and trusted advisor experience for commercial client relationships
• Strong analytical skills and experience analyzing, underwriting, structuring, and approving commercial loan requests
• Proven written and verbal communication skills
• Knowledge of commercial and consumer loan documentation, including loans secured by; real property, UCC Filings, titled vehicles, and equipment, pledged assets, and contracts. The applicant is required to have working knowledge and experience with business entity documentation including partnership agreements, trust agreements, corporate documentation, and limited liability companies
• Expertise in dealing with borrowers, escrow, and title and have strong customer service ethics and team-building skills
• Must be able to prioritize, organize, and produce in a high-volume, deadline-driven production workgroup
• Detail-oriented and self-motivated with the ability to work independently
• Proficient in Windows applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
  
  

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands and fingers, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to walk. The employee is occasionally required to stand; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

First Foundation is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, status as a qualified individual with a disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.