2025 Consumer Lending School

Consumer Lending School

This real-world program will prepare consumer lenders to have more informed and effective conversations with credit partners and build stronger, more profitable relationships with customers. This 4-day course meets the needs of lenders who serve consumers, small real estate investors, and/or small business clients in a branch environment. It will prepare lenders for success in today’s universal banking environment, where they must have the skills and flexibility to serve a wide variety of loan requests. 

INSTRUCTORS:


Christie Drexler
Drexler Consulting, LLC


Josh Collins
Drexler Consulting, LLC


The instructors’ facilitation approach encourages participant engagement and, thus, enhances their learning experience.  Participants learn to apply underwriting, compliance, and documentation principles through real life case studies, examples, and practice problems.  In addition, lenders will learn sales and service strategies that will prepare them to build and deepen customer relationships, grow safe and sound loan portfolios, and positively contribute to bank profitability. 

Benefits of the Series:

• Gain a solid foundation for a lending career in banking.
• Understand the reasons behind underwriters’ questions or requests for additional information.
• Know key questions to ask the customer and what information to gather before the loan is sent to underwriting, improving turn-around time and client service.
• Build credibility and move from order-taker with your key stakeholders to a trusted advisor.
• Become aware of common underwriting and compliance pitfalls.
• Learn effective loan portfolio management strategies.
• Gain a big picture understanding of the “why” behind key lending compliance regulations.

While it is recommended that Bankers new to retail lending attend all four sessions of the series to receive an entire overview of retail banking, each session’s material stands alone. One session is not a prerequisite for another.  Therefore, more experienced Retail Lenders may choose not to take the entire series, but rather register for individual sessions which meet their unique needs.

Session I:  Introduction to Consumer & Retail Lending

The agenda includes:

• Today’s Retail Lending Landscape
• Overview of Loan Purposes and Key Types of Lending in Community Banks
• Types and Features of Consumer and Retail Loan Products
• Borrowing Entities Defined and Key Parties to a Loan
• 5 C’s of Lending and Principles of Underwriting Consumer Loans
• Identifying the Source(s) of Repayment
• Determining Information Needed to Evaluate a Loan Request
• Analyzing the Loan Application, PFS, and Credit Report
• Evaluating and Perfecting Collateral
• Key Principles of Proper Loan Structuring

Session II:  Analyzing Cash Flow and Tax Return

The agenda includes:

• Why ALL Retail Lenders/Consumer Lenders Should Be Knowledgeable of Personal and Business Tax returns and Cash Flow Analysis
• Calculating Debt to Income, Debt Service Coverage, and Global Debt Service Coverage
• Consistent Application of Policy and Underwriting Procedures and the Relevance to Fair Lending
• Financial Accounting 101:  Interpreting Business Financial Statements
• Analyzing Personal Tax Returns and Key Schedules
• Analyzing Business Tax Returns and Key Schedules
• What is a K-1 and When to Request It
• Application of Concepts:  Case Study in Underwriting a Consumer Loan

Session III:  Consumer Loan Compliance, Documentation and Portfolio Management

The agenda includes:

• Overview of Key Lending Legislation and Compliance Regulations:
  • Fair Lending and Fair Credit Regulations
  • BSA and Lending
  • Truth-n-Lending and RESPA
  • Dodd Frank Legislation: TRID, and Mortgage Compliance
  • Flood Compliance
  • Lending Compliance in 2025 and Beyond
• Consumer Loan Policy, Procedures, and Pricing
• Key Parts of an Effective Credit Request Summary/Memo
• Identifying and Mitigating Risks and Loan Policy Exceptions
• Loan Documentation Best Practice Processes:  Pre-Closing, Closing, Post-Closing Essentials of Retail Loan Portfolio Management

Session IV:  Building Client Loyalty and Growing the Bank

The agenda includes:

• The Changing Service Landscape: The Proactive Banking Mandate
• Relationship Building 101: Balancing Key Stakeholder Interests to Improve Communication, Increase Loan Approvals, and Contribute to Long-term Bank Prosperity
• Word-of-Mouth Marketing and Your Commitment to Standout Service
• Client Loyalty and the Lender’s Critical Role of Trusted Advisor
• Banking Beyond Lending:  Problem Solving and Deepening the Client Relationship Business Development, Networking, and Community Development Success Strategies
  
  

ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTORS:
Christie Drexler is the founder and President of Drexler Consulting, LLC.  Prior to founding the company in 2020, Christie worked directly for both community and large regional banks for twenty-six years.  Her experience has been expansive to include successfully navigating retail and commercial banking careers.  Like many bankers, Christie began her career on the front-line serving as a Teller and discovered her passion for banking.  She since also served as a Division President, Market President, Chief Credit Officer, Commercial Banker, Chief Retail Officer, and Regional Sales & Service Manager. Christie has a B.S. in Finance from Berry College and an MBA from Georgia College and State University. She is a passionate facilitator and coach who strives to live the values and leadership strategies she teaches in her training programs. 

Josh Collins joined Drexler Consulting in 2023.  Prior to joining Drexler Consulting, Josh had accumulated twelve years of direct banking experience.  He describes himself as an “accidental banker,” as a banking career was not part of his initial career plan.  However, he accepted a job as a Teller, which ignited his passion for banking, especially the opportunity banking provides to serve clients and develop people and teams.  Josh has also served as a Personal Banker, Branch Manager, Training Officer, Culture and Talent Officer, and HR Director.  Josh is a graduate of The University of Georgia and is SHRM-CP certified.  Josh enjoys equipping and encouraging bankers to grow their personal skillsets and build strong teams and cultures to maximize results for themselves and the banks they serve.