Sam Miller asked:


It is a given fact that any existing company in the professional realm today faces risks at one time or another. An online marketing business, for instance, faces the risk of not meeting the deadlines set by their clients. So, the proprietors of these businesses would have to make sure that they are indeed equipped to meet, and even beat such deadlines. These are examples of risks that are not too scary in nature. However, when it comes to businesses that deal with money every single working day, then there are indeed a lot of financial risks involved. Such is the case with banks, lending companies, and other financial institutions. Credit risk management is indeed a must, and with the help of credit risk management notes, the very existence of the organization itself can even be saved.

It does not matter if you are operating a bank, a lending company, or other types of financial institutions. Just the fact that you are dealing with money and you are lending huge amounts of money to your clients is enough to put your company at financial risk. Imagine what would happen if all of your borrowers would suddenly decide to default their loans. This would jeopardize the status of the financial institution, not to mention it can also shake the very foundation of the institution itself. Thus, there has to be a certain framework developed, and all processes implemented should adhere to this framework.

Knowing your customers is a very important part of your framework. In any industry, it is almost always a given to know your customers. This is why companies have to invest in the proper identification of their target markets. Now, there are certain levels when it comes to identifying your target markets, and these include the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary levels. Regardless of what level a particular customer belongs to, the overall market should still be targeted as accurately as possible.

Now that you already know your target markets, you should also include in your framework knowing your individual customers. There are so many risks involved in the process of granting loans. Oftentimes, a loan officer would scratch his head, thinking to himself how he never expected a particular borrower or debtor to default in payment. You have to understand that each and every debtor does have every potential to do this, even if his financial status dictates how this is not likely to happen. Thus, a thorough investigation of the debtor has to be implemented. This is a very vital part and should be included in credit risk management notes. What is important here is to check on the borrower’s present credit standing as well as his financial background. The borrower’s liabilities should also be matched against his assets, to check if he does have sufficient income to pay off his debt.

Bear in mind that financial institutions are not the only enterprises that are prone to credit risk. This is precisely why there has to be a properly defined system implemented to deal with credit risk management accordingly.