Generally, a commercial credit analyst is responsible for assessing a loan applicant’s creditworthiness. Commercial credit analysts are typically employed by commercial and investment banks, credit card issuing institutions, credit rating agencies and investment companies. 

A commercial credit analyst is responsible for gathering and analysing financial data about clients, including paying habits or history, earnings and savings information, and purchase activities. 

A job as a commercial credit analyst, sometimes referred to as a risk analyst, is well suited for someone who enjoys analysing numbers to help a business prosper. Their focus is to determine the ability of a business to repay its loans by analysing the company’s financial statements. 

Also when someone applies to a bank or commercial credit union for a loan, the bank has to decide if the borrower’s credit is good enough. Part of that job falls to a commercial credit analyst. An analyst’s job is to go over an applicant’s financial and credit records to evaluate their credit-worthiness. 

To become a commercial credit analyst you should have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or business administration. Employers have a preference for credit analysts with a professional designation, such as a Chartered Financial Analyst or a master’s degree in the field. 

The largest number of analysts work not for a bank or a commercial credit union but for non-depository lenders such as credit card companies. Some work for car dealers, who underwrite a lot of loans. A growing number work for companies that offer credit analyst services to banks and other lenders, rather than keeping them on staff. This reflects that with a growing demand for analysts, the market for hiring them is increasingly competitive. 

The experience in analysing and understanding customers’ credit worthiness can lead to a bank or commercial credit union analyst moving up to a higher position. This could include becoming an underwriter or credit associate with a greater say in deciding how the company issues credit. Another option is to become a relationship manager, specialising in handling customers and recruiting new clients. 

These subjects are necessary to function as a credit analyst because they aid in risk assessment. Educational subjects like industry and ratio analysis are necessary because part of assessing the risk for a company includes assessing its environment.