Financial Examiners
In the Financial Examiners occupation, workers enforce or ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing financial and securities institutions and financial and real estate transactions. One core duty is to direct and participate in formal and informal meetings with bank directors, trustees, senior management, counsels, outside accountants, and consultants to gather information and discuss findings. The strongest interest signal is Conventional (6.4 of 7), then Enterprising (4.6) and Investigative, which gives it the code CEI. Plan on a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience; O*NET labels this considerable preparation. Strength in reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing helps most here. It tends to suit people who want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures, and it offers little for anyone seeking creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Enforce or ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing financial and securities institutions and financial and real estate transactions. May examine, verify, or authenticate records.
Main tasks
- Direct and participate in formal and informal meetings with bank directors, trustees, senior management, counsels, outside accountants, and consultants to gather information and discuss findings.
- Recommend actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, or to protect solvency of institutions.
- Prepare reports, exhibits, and other supporting schedules that detail an institution's safety and soundness, compliance with laws and regulations, and recommended solutions to questionable financial conditions.
- Resolve problems concerning the overall financial integrity of banking institutions including loan investment portfolios, capital, earnings, and specific or large troubled accounts.
- Investigate activities of institutions to enforce laws and regulations and to ensure legality of transactions and operations or financial solvency.
- Review balance sheets, operating income and expense accounts, and loan documentation to confirm institution assets and liabilities.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You like taking the lead and making the call.
- You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
- You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and critical thinking.
May not suit you if
- You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CEI takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.
Preparation
Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Bank Examiner
- Bank Secrecy Act Anti-Money Laundering Officer (BSA/AML Officer)
- Community Reinvestment Act Officer (CRA Officer)
- Compliance Analyst
- Compliance Specialist
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.