Financial Examiners

Financial careers need you to have strong mathematical, computational, research and analysis skills and if you have inclination towards these traits then a career as a financial examiner may be a good choice. Financial examiners generally have an accounting background and can evaluate tax returns, balance sheets, loan documentation, and operating income and expense accounts for authenticity. Approximately one-third of financial examiners are employed by federal or state governments, while others work for financial institutions and security and commodity exchanges.

Financial examiners typically work in one of two main areas: risk scoping or consumer compliance.

Those working in risk scoping evaluate the health of financial institutions.
Financial examiners working in consumer compliance monitor lending activity to ensure that borrowers are treated fairly.

Role of Financial Examiners

Monitor the financial condition of banks and other financial institutions
Review balance sheets, operating income and expense accounts, and loan
Develop, present and discuss their findings, and make recommendations for corrective actions.
Develop and implement supervision strategies for regulated entities.
Prepare reports that detail an institution’s safety and soundness
Recommend solutions to questionable financial conditions
Train other examiners in the financial examination process
Review and analyze new regulations and policies to determine their impact on the organization
Establish guidelines for procedures and policies that comply with new and revised regulations

Skills of Financial Examiners

Analytical skills: Financial examiners need strong analytical skills to evaluate risks for the financial entities.

Detail oriented: Financial examiners must have an eye for details to review bank’s balance sheet to identify risky assets.

Math skills: Financial examiners need good basic math skills to monitor a bank’s balance sheet and see if the bank’s available cash is dangerously low.

Communication skills: Financial examiners regularly write reports and present them before companies and government so the communication skills are very important.