The Curriculum   |   View Courses  >>

Course Descriptions - First Year

Non-Traditional Financial Services (Home Study Assignment Required)
Focuses on the need for non-traditional financial services by examining margin pressure and competition from non-banks while trying to provide greater retention with current customers and faster growth opportunities.

Financial Institutions and Markets
An overview of monetary and fiscal policies and how they impact the economic environment affecting commercial banks. Additional focus on the theory of interest rates, how they are determined, and understanding their term structure.

Technology & E-Commerce
An overview of bank technology focusing on current technology trends, online financial services, system selection methodology, and network and Internet security issues.

Financial Statements (Home Study Assignment Required)
An introduction to the preparation and elementary analysis of financial statements, including a description of the accounting process, balance sheet and income statement preparation, and principles of small business accounting. Focus is on evaluating creditworthiness.

Human Behavior (Home Study Assignment Required)
A detailed examination of the psychological characteristics (e.g., attitudes, personality, and motivation) that influence the way we interact with our environment, including clients, peers, employees, and supervisors.

Developing a Sales Culture
Objectives include understanding the meaning of a “sales culture” and the factors affecting client relationships. Focuses on defining steps to developing a sales culture within a team and yourself.

Marketing & Business Development (Home Study Assignment Required)
An assessment of the competitive positions of your bank, and the ability to use that assessment to better position your bank for competitive advantage and increased profitability. The course is designed to be a useful problem-solving and decision-making discussion for marketing strategy and planning.

Regulatory Compliance & Documentation
A review of federal and state laws pertaining to consumer regulation, including Community Reinvestment Act, Truth in Lending, RESPA, Bank Secrecy Act, and Consumer Privacy.

---

Course Descriptions - Second Year
[back to top]

Asset/Liability Management
An examination of the responsibilities of a bank’s Asset Liability Committee in the financial management of an institution. Issues to be discussed include capital management, liquidity and funding, pricing decisions, and interest rate risk management.

Commercial Lending (Home Study Assignment Required)
An analysis of client types and lending procedures for commercial establishments, including terms, conditions, and lending review practices.

Retail Branch Optimization
A detailed examination of the fundamentals of branch planning, including market level network planning, evaluation on new branch opportunities, site selection, profitability measurement, and branch closure decisions.

Consumer Portfolio Management (Home Study Assignment Required)
A detailed examination of the lending practices and procedures necessary to manage the consumer lending portfolio.

Economic Environment of Banking
Macro- and micro-economic considerations that impact critical areas of the bank, including forecasting, product pricing, and understanding the importance of the economic base. Includes Federal Reserve System, monetary policy, and fiscal policy discussion.

Investment Portfolio Management
An overview of the investment portfolio pertaining to your bank’s financial structure. Course focuses on buying bonds, managing the overall portfolio, and reviewing policies and risk limits. Investment strategies and performance trends are also examined.

Personnel Management & Supervision (Home Study Assignment Required)
A study of areas of management and supervision of importance to banking personnel, with emphasis on motivation, effective communication, counseling, and problem solving.

Real Estate Lending I
An introduction to financing real estate, including types of property, sources of finance, direct and indirect commercial bank involvement, and loan packaging, including GNMA and FNMA.

Real Estate Lending II (Home Study Assignment Required)
An in-depth analysis of the fundamentals of commercial real estate lending, including the major risks, important underwriting variables and how to understand key issues and differences among various property types. The concepts of sponsorship, loan monitoring, and portfolio diversification are discussed. Also covered are current issues with appraisal regulations and environmental due diligence. Class includes case examples and references for further learning by the students.

---

Course Descriptions - Third Year
[back to top]

Bank Performance Management
A study of bank performance analysis through discussions of bank performance goals and ratios along with ratios factors and avenues for improvement. Focuses largely on using the Uniform Bank Performance Report (UBPR) and CAMEL regulatory performance ratings.

Balance Sheet Management
An overview introducing methods used to effectively manage the short and long-term funding needs of a financial institution, including capital planning and liquidity management strategies.

Loan Portfolio Management
An introduction to a risk focused framework for portfolio credit risk management incorporating an overview of the banking industry as a means to understanding priorities and industry culture while evaluating risk strategies and risk controls.

Risk Management
An overview providing a general understanding of the major categories of risks, including credit risks, liquidity risk, market risk, operational risk, legal risk, reputational risk, and securities risks. Examples of managing financial risks are emphasized.

Bank Simulation
An interactive computer bank management simulation game designed to provide experience in total bank management, including decision-making, analysis of environmental conditions, investment strategies, and group interaction.

Leadership Development for the Future
An analysis that utilizes a self-evaluation process to develop methods of top personal performance. This course will explore the 5 components of Emotional Intelligence and their impact on the world of leadership in banking today. Stress is placed on self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, sympathy, and social skill.

Resolutions to Troubled Assets
A discussion of problem credits, their avoidance, identification, management, resolution and legal challenges.

Selling & Customer Relations
A discussion based on the valuable and profitable benefits of customer relations. Focuses on the structure, conduction, and measurement of a customer relations program.

[back to top]