Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Investigator

Job Description

The Community Reinvestment Investigator is responsible to implement the Bank's Community Reinvestment Act Program as designed by the CRA Officer, and to coordinate Community Reinvestment activities throughout the regional areas of responsibility. The Community Reinvestment Investigatory is also responsible to understand various regulations; Community Reinvestment Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Service members Civil Relief Act, Truth in Lending and Unfair Deceptive Abusive Acts or Practices.

This role can be based in Warren, PA; Columbus, OH; Bellevue, PA; Independence, OH; Fishers, IN; or State College, PA. Other locations across our footprint may also be considered.

Essential Functions

• Develop relationships with community organizations, and with commercial lenders to improve community development lending
• Manage day to day interactions and relationships with business units
• Work with appropriate members of management regarding regulatory compliance
• Prepare reports for CRA Officer to monitor the Bank’s current level of CRA performance, including grants, low to moderate income lending performance, consumer complaints regarding CRA activities, and analyze reports regarding the Bank’s CRA requirements
• Assist in management of CRA performance examinations with regulators
• Ensure document and data integrity
• Prepare management reports
• Develop tools and processes that enhance compliance efficiency, and maps and identifying penetration of Bank’s lending portfolio
• Ensure compliance within subsidiaries and affiliates
• Identify and resolve compliance issues
• Communicate guidance to appropriate business units
• Plan and schedule regular monitoring reviews
• Coordinate and assure training initiatives meet goals
• Track ongoing projects to include deliverables and milestones
• Perform annual self-assessment performance reports
• Analyze performance reports to enhance CRA performance
• Work with Testing and Training Compliance Manager and Business Unit Compliance Specialist to implement and complete risk assessments
• Attend compliance training events to stay current with regulations
• Identify risk and test controls designed to minimize risks
• Communicate results to Compliance Department, Business Unit Compliance Specialist, and Business Unit Management
• Research and improve report data
• Recommend improvements to procedures
• Maximize technology tools available, and benefits to Bank
• Minimize departmental non-payroll costs and risk
• Ensure compliance with Northwest’s policies and procedures, and Federal/State regulations
• Navigate Microsoft Office Software, computer applications, and software specific to the department in order to maximize technology tools and gain efficiency
• Work as part of a team
• Work with on-site equipment
  
  

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Ability to establish effective working relationships among team members and participate in solving problems and making decisions
• Ability to present and express ideas and information clearly and concisely in a manner appropriate to the audience, whether oral or written
• Ability to actively listen to what others are saying to achieve understanding, sharing information with others and facilitating the open exchange of ideas and information
• Ability to establish courses of action for self to accomplish specific goals, develop and use tracking systems for monitoring own work progress, and effectively use resources such as time and information
• Ability to make right decisions based on perceptive and analytical processes, practicing good judgment in gray areas
• Strong Retail Lending background
• Awareness of Commercial Lending
• Ability to interpret compliance regulations and apply them to business requirements and workflows
  
  

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 the essential functions.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in business management preferred or equivalent on the job training preferred
  
  

Work Experience

• 5 - 6 years community banking experience preferred
• Strong sales and customer service experience preferred
  
  

Licenses/Certifications

• CRCM certification or professional equivalent required
• If an individual has 3 years of experience within a compliance role within the Company when being placed in this position, he or she will have 3 months to acquire their CRCM certification
• New hires or individuals with less than 3 years of experience will have up to 39 months within a compliance role within the Company to acquire their CRCM certification

Northwest is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.