CRE Credit Analyst Career Path

Monkeymoniker I can shed a little bit of light on this as I just transitioned out of a CRE credit analyst position.

To provide a bit of background.... It took me roughly 14 months to land a credit analyst gig. I had a mentor growing up that developed Walgreen's and he told me that if I wanted to be successful in the CRE business, I needed to learn how to structure loans as they are essential in almost every transaction. He also told me to only get that credit exposure with a bank for about 2-3 years then get out or else you'll end up in banking and get pigeon holed.

That being said, I was in the credit department for a middle market bank in a smaller city for roughly 13 months and was promoted to a portfolio manager position. I learned a ton as an analyst and I believe you can transition pretty much anywhere with that type of experience. The more property types you get your hands on the better off you'll be. There is one regret that I have.... There was multiple opportunities for me to underwrite tax credits and I didn't. They are becoming extremely popular and this is one way to set yourself apart. I've seen multiple job postings with positions specifically for tax credit's, also companies looking for individuals who have experience underwriting them.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.