Participants will learn how to assess and analyze a bank’s financial performance by working with data from real institutions. Using financial statements from one sample financial institution along with statements from their own banks, participants will become familiar with the ins and outs of balance sheets and income statements and learn how to apply key performance metrics to the data presented in these documents.

Having learned how to interpret and analyze a bank’s financial statements, participants will gain deeper insight into the factors affecting bank performance. Later sessions in this course will address ways in which performance may be hindered or improved by funding strategies and risk management. Ultimately, participants will be able to review a bank’s financial statements to identify strengths and weaknesses and be able to recommend changes that will lead to improved performance.

In the final session of this course, participants will put what they have learned into practice. Participants will analyze a new data set, rate the bank’s performance and suggest strategic adjustments that might benefit the bank.