Credit Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Credit analysis is the method by which one calculates the creditworthiness of a business or organization. In other words, it is the evaluation of the ability of a company to honor its financial obligations. The audited financial statements of a large company might be analyzed when it issues or has issued bonds. Or, a bank may analyze the financial statements of a small business before making or renewing a commercial loan. The term refers to either case, whether the business is large or small.

Credit analysts gather and evaluate customer data. Credit makes the entire modern economy function from day to day. Without the objective recommendations of credit analysts, banks and insurers would not be able to extend lines of credit to businesses or individuals seeking loans for homes, cars and occasionally employee payrolls as well.(or)

Credit Analysis entails researching and analyzing the debt profile and debt servicing abilities of individuals, companies or even sovereigns (i.e. countries). A Credit Analyst therefore, is someone who finds out the creditworthiness of an entity (either an individual or company or country) depending on the demands of the situation.

In the case of issuing loans, companies / individual borrowers are appraised to see if they have the ability to service the debt and also if it is safe to give out the loan. In the case of a credit card application, income streams and previous defaults etc. will be analyzed. In the case of countries, although more complex to analyze, the end result is the same – an assessment of risk – also called a ‘Credit Rating’.

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

After the data has been gathered, a credit analyst evaluates the data and recommends a course of action for the customer.

For example, a credit analyst who works with a bank or organization that issues credit cards collects data about clients who have defaulted in their payments. After analyzing the data, the analyst might recommend closing the card or reducing the credit line. Credit analysts are not limited to clients who have defaulted in their payments. A credit analyst can also be responsible for potential customers seeking new credit or customers who are being considered for credit line extensions.

The objective of credit analysis is to seem at each the receiver and therefore the lending facility being projected and to assign a risk rating. The risk rating is derived by estimating the probability of default by the borrower at a given confidence level over the life of the facility, and by estimating the amount of loss that the lender would suffer in the event of default.

When a loan is charged with high interest rate illegally then it is referred as ‘Usury’. Usury rates are generally set by State Law.

Cost of debt refers to the effective rate a corporation pays on its current debt. In most cases, this phrase refers to after-tax cost of debt, however it conjointly refers to a company’s cost of debt before taking taxes into account. The distinction in cost of debt before and when taxes lies within the indisputable fact that interest expenses are deductible.  When any company borrows funds, from a financial institution (bank) or other resources the interest paid on that amount is known as ‘cost of debt’.

Capacity to repay is the most critical of the five factors, it is the primary source of repayment – cash. The prospective lender will want to know exactly how you intend to repay the loan. The lender will consider the cash flow from the business, the timing of the repayment, and the probability of successful repayment of the loan. Payment history on existing credit relationships – personal or commercial- is considered an indicator of future payment performance. Potential lenders also will want to know about other possible sources of repayment.

Capital is the money you personally have invested in the business and is an indication of how much you have at risk should the business fail. Interested lenders and investors will expect you to have contributed from your own assets and to have undertaken personal financial risk to establish the business before asking them to commit any funding.

Collateral, or guarantees, are additional forms of security you can provide the lender. Giving a lender collateral means that you pledge an asset you own, such as your home, to the lender with the agreement that it will be the repayment source in case you can’t repay the loan. A guarantee, on the other hand, is just that – someone else signs a guarantee document promising to repay the loan if you can’t. Some lenders may require such a guarantee in addition to collateral as security for a loan.

Conditions describe the intended purpose of the loan. Will the money be used for working capital, additional equipment or inventory? The lender will also consider local economic conditions and the overall climate, both within your industry and in other industries that could affect your business.

Character is the general impression you make on the prospective lender or investor. The lender will form a subjective opinion as to whether or not you are sufficiently trustworthy to repay the loan or generate a return on funds invested in your company. Your educational background and experience in business and in your industry will be considered. The quality of your references and the background and experience levels of your employees will also be reviewed.

It is an analysis of the credit risks associated with a financial instrument or a financial entity. It is a rating given to a particular entity based on the credentials and the extent to which the financial statements of the entity are sound, in terms of borrowing and lending that has been done in the past.

Credit ratings are an important tool for borrowers to gain access to loans and debt. Good credit ratings allow borrowers to easily borrow money from financial institutions or public debt markets. At the consumer level, banks will usually base the terms of a loan as a function of your credit rating, so the better your credit rating, the better the terms of the loan typically are. If your credit rating is poor, the bank may even reject you for a loan.

It is a letter of credit or a contractual agreement between financial institute (Bank) and the party to which the letter is handed. The ILOC letter cannot be cancelled under any circumstance and, guarantees the payment to the party. It requires the bank to pay against the drafts meeting all the terms of ILOC. It is valid up to the stated period of time.

For example, if a small business wanted to contract with an overseas supplier for a specified item they would come to an agreement on the terms of the sale like quality standards and pricing and ask their respective banks to open a letter of credit for the transaction. The buyer’s bank would forward the letter of credit to the seller’s bank, where the payment terms would be finalized and the shipment would be made.

Credit is a short-term loan made by the Federal Reserve Adjustment Bank (U.S) to the commercial bank to maintain reserve requirements and support short term lending, when they are short of cash.

This is commonly considered EBIT divided by interest expense.  This is also referred to as “times interest earned”.  It indicates how easily a company can “cover” its interest expense with operating earnings before interest and taxes.

Rating agencies area unit alleged to facilitate offer trust and confidence in financial markets by rating borrowers on their creditworthiness of outstanding debt obligations. They can, however, run into conflicts of interest and can’t be blindly relied on for assessing a borrower’s risk profile

Free cash flow is simply equal to cash from operations less capital expenditures (levered). There is also unlevered free cash flow used in financial modeling.

A system to cut back the amount of credit checks on financial transaction is thought as credit-netting. Such agreement happens commonly between massive banks and different financial establishments. It places all the future and current transaction into one agreement, removing the requirement for credit cheques on every transaction.

Someone who’s detail-oriented, good with numbers, enjoys research and analysis, likes working independently and is good at financial modeling and financial analysis with strong Excel skills.

Terminal value is either use an exit multiple or the Gordon Growth (growing perpetuity) method.

There is not much difference between bank guarantee and letter of credit as they both take the liability of payment. A bank guarantee contains more risk for a bank than a letter of credit as it is protecting both parties the purchaser and seller.

A credit default swap (CDS) is a frequently used method of mitigating risk in fixed-income, debt security instruments such as bonds, and it is one of the most common financial derivatives. A CDS is essentially a type of investment insurance that allows the buyer to mitigate his investment risk by shifting risk to the seller of a CDS in exchange for a fee. The seller of the CDS stands in the position of guaranteeing the debt security in which the buyer has invested.

Debt-to-Equity ratio compares the Total Liabilities to the Total Equity of the company. It paints a useful picture of the company’s liability position and is frequently used. Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Shareholder’s Equity Both the Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity are found on the Balance Sheet.  You should undoubtedly have a decent, solid answer prepared for this question, since the debt-to-equity (D/E) quantitative relation may be a key, if not the first, financial ratio thought of in evaluating a company’s ability to handle its debt financing obligations.

The D/E ratio indicates a company’s total debt in reference to its total equity, and it reveals what percentage of a company’s financing is being provided by debt and what percentage by equity. Your answer ought to show you understand the ratio and understand that, typically speaking, ratios less than one.0 indicate a lot of financially sound firm, whereas ratios more than one.0 indicate an increasing level of credit risk.

Beyond that, it should be noted that average D/E ratios vary significantly between sectors and industries. A more solid credit risk analysis includes an examination of the current state of the industry and the company’s position within the industry, as well as consideration of other key financial ratios such as the interest coverage ratio or current ratio.

Analyst’s job is to analyze customers, as well as the market. The analyst must know how safe the playing habits of the client are. The analyst studies customer records and meets customers regarding various issues.

Line of credit is an agreement or arrangement between the bank and a borrower, to supply a precise quantity of loans on borrower’s demand. The borrower will withdraw the amount at any moment of your time and pay the interest solely on the amount withdrawn. For example, if you have $5000 line of credit, you can withdraw the full amount or any amount less than $5000 (say $2000) and only pay the interest for the amount withdrawn (in this case $2000).

A credit check or a credit report is done by the bank on a basis of an individual’s financial credit. It is worn out order to form positive that an individual is capable enough of meeting the financial obligation for its business or the other monetary transaction. The credit check is completed keeping few aspects in concern like your liabilities, assets, income etc.

More technical experience and programming expertise you have got, the higher off you’ll be. You should first prove to your interviewer that you have a strong understanding of PFE, CVaR and VAR analysis tools. These are the ones that are most commonly used, so a strong understanding of all of them is critical. Similarly, if you have programming experience, you are much more likely to be hired.

Tell your interviewer if you are proficient with C++, MATLAB, SAS, SQL, VB/VBA and Moody’s KMV. The more of these you understand, the better off you will be and the more likely that your interviewer will be impressed with your abilities.

Interpersonal communication is crucial to realizing your full potential as a credit analyst. A credit analyst communicates often with internal and external business representatives relating to credit data. He/she additionally meets clients in person to answer queries, solve issues, answer complaints, etc.