Three modules covering the credit cycle, from origination to recovery, along with trade finance techniques.
Credit Granting Process & Financial Analysis
Judging a file on repayment capacity, not on presentation
Description
A credit file is judged on repayment capacity, not on the quality of its presentation. This two-day course covers the full origination chain: reading a company’s financial statements or a retail customer’s situation, building the analysis, formalising the decision, and setting the terms and collateral matched to the risk identified.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Read and interpret the financial statements of a corporate borrower
- Build the main analytical ratios and judge their significance
- Assess repayment capacity against available cash flows
- Prepare a complete credit file and justify the decision
- Set the terms and collateral matched to the risk
- Identify the files that must be declined or escalated
Teaching methods and resources
Methodological input followed by exercises on real anonymised files. Guided financial analyses, ratio calculation exercises, credit committee simulations. File analysis template and collateral setting grid. Peer exchange between participants.
Course programme
1. Reading the financial statements
- Locate the structure of the balance sheet and income statement
- Restate the items that distort the reading
- Build the cash flow statement and derive repayment capacity
- Spot the warning signals in the accounts
Practical work: guided analysis of a corporate borrower’s accounts. Identification of the items that call for a question.
2. Building the analysis
- Calculate and interpret structure, activity and profitability ratios
- Locate the company within its sector and its cycle
- Assess the quality of management and governance
- Handle uncertified or outdated accounts
Practical work: building a complete analysis on a corporate file, then comparison between subgroups.
3. Preparing the file and deciding
- Formulate a reasoned credit proposal
- Identify the weak points and address them explicitly
- Build the funding plan and check its consistency
- Justify a decline decision defensibly
Practical work: credit committee simulation on three files, including one borderline case. Debrief on the quality of the argument.
4. Setting terms and collateral
- Calibrate rate and fees against the risk
- Choose appropriate collateral and assess its real value
- Draft the useful protective covenants
- Handle the negotiation of terms with the client
Practical work: setting terms and collateral on two approved files, with justification of the level chosen.
5. Organising post-origination monitoring
- Define the control points after drawdown
- Monitor covenant compliance and handle breaches
- Detect counterparty deterioration early
- Document the file for audit
Practical work: building a monitoring arrangement for an approved file, with alert thresholds defined.
Participants
Credit officers, financial analysts and branch managers.
Prerequisites
Able to read a balance sheet and an income statement. No academic prerequisite.
Trainer credentials
The experts who deliver our courses are specialists in the subjects covered. They are validated by our teaching teams on both subject knowledge and teaching ability, for each course they deliver. They have at least ten years of experience in banking or consulting and hold, or have held, positions of responsibility.
Assessment
The trainer assesses progress throughout the course through quizzes, case studies and simulations. Participants also complete a positioning test before and after the course to validate the skills acquired.
Teaching resources and materials
- Audiovisual aids, documentation and course materials, applied practical exercises with worked solutions, case studies and presentation of real cases.
- At the end of each course, Helios Advisory provides participants with a course evaluation questionnaire, which is then analysed by our teaching teams.
- An attendance sheet per half-day is provided at the end of the course, together with a certificate of completion where the participant has attended the full session.
Enrolment and lead times
Enrolment is finalised with our teaching team. Send us your request through the contact form: we will confirm the next available sessions and the enrolment arrangements suited to your situation.
Accessibility
For any question or requirement relating to accessibility, contact us through the contact form. Each situation is reviewed with you so that the course arrangements can be adapted.
Debt Collection & Non-Performing Loans Management
Building a recovery strategy matched to the debtor profile
Description
A badly handled non-performing loan costs twice: in final loss and in time consumed. This two-day course is about building a recovery strategy matched to the debtor profile, from amicable recovery to insolvency proceedings, and about the trade-off between restructuring, disposal and litigation.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Segment a distressed portfolio by recovery potential
- Build a recovery strategy matched to each segment
- Conduct an amicable recovery conversation
- Locate insolvency proceedings and their consequences for the creditor
- Arbitrate between restructuring, loan sale and litigation
- Measure the performance of the recovery function
Teaching methods and resources
Methodological and legal input illustrated by real anonymised files. Segmentation exercises, recovery conversation role plays, insolvency proceedings case studies. Portfolio segmentation grid and treatment decision tree. Peer exchange between participants.
Course programme
1. Segmenting the distressed portfolio
- Distinguish technical arrears, temporary difficulty and insolvency
- Assess the recovery potential of each situation
- Identify the files where speed is decisive
- Prioritise the recovery effort
Practical work: segmentation of a distressed portfolio and allocation of a strategy to each segment.
2. Conducting amicable recovery
- Prepare the conversation and set a realistic objective
- Conduct the exchange with a good-faith debtor
- Handle the debtor who avoids contact
- Formalise a settlement agreement and secure its performance
Practical work: role plays on two contrasting debtor profiles. Debrief on how the conversation was conducted.
3. Restructuring a loan
- Assess the sustainability of a rescheduling
- Build a realistic restructuring plan
- Locate the accounting and prudential consequences of a restructuring
- Monitor performance and handle a second default
Practical work: building a restructuring plan on a corporate file, with a sustainability test.
4. Locating insolvency proceedings
- Identify the main proceedings and their effects on creditors
- Understand the ranking of claims and the consequences of collateral
- Organise the filing of claims and their monitoring
- Handle appeals and deadlines
Practical work: analysis of an insolvency file. Determination of the creditor’s position and the actions to take.
5. Arbitrating and steering
- Compare the expected return of litigation, disposal and write-off
- Decide on a portfolio sale and prepare the data for it
- Measure the performance of the recovery function
- Report to governing bodies on the quality of the distressed portfolio
Practical work: arbitration decision on three files with different profiles, with a quantified economic justification.
Participants
Recovery managers, legal departments and risk managers.
Prerequisites
Experience of receivables monitoring or banking litigation is recommended.
Trainer credentials
The experts who deliver our courses are specialists in the subjects covered. They are validated by our teaching teams on both subject knowledge and teaching ability, for each course they deliver. They have at least ten years of experience in banking or consulting and hold, or have held, positions of responsibility.
Assessment
The trainer assesses progress throughout the course through quizzes, case studies and simulations. Participants also complete a positioning test before and after the course to validate the skills acquired.
Teaching resources and materials
- Audiovisual aids, documentation and course materials, applied practical exercises with worked solutions, case studies and presentation of real cases.
- At the end of each course, Helios Advisory provides participants with a course evaluation questionnaire, which is then analysed by our teaching teams.
- An attendance sheet per half-day is provided at the end of the course, together with a certificate of completion where the participant has attended the full session.
Enrolment and lead times
Enrolment is finalised with our teaching team. Send us your request through the contact form: we will confirm the next available sessions and the enrolment arrangements suited to your situation.
Accessibility
For any question or requirement relating to accessibility, contact us through the contact form. Each situation is reviewed with you so that the course arrangements can be adapted.
Documentary Credits: Techniques & Practices
From contract to settlement, including the handling of discrepancies
Description
A documentary credit secures an international transaction provided the documents presented are strictly compliant. That is where the difficulty lies: a badly handled discrepancy blocks payment and puts the commercial relationship at risk. This three-day course covers the full cycle, from issuance to settlement, based on real files and the International Chamber of Commerce rules.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Locate the documentary credit among the instruments securing international trade
- Draft and check the terms of a documentary credit issuance
- Check the compliance of the documents presented
- Handle a discrepancy and its consequences for the parties
- Locate the other instruments: documentary collection, guarantees, standby letters of credit
- Advise a client on the instrument suited to their transaction
Teaching methods and resources
Technical input based on the applicable rules and usages. Document checking exercises on real files, discrepancy case studies, processing simulations. Document checking checklist and comparative table of instruments. Peer exchange between participants.
Course programme
1. Locating the instruments of international trade
- Compare documentary collection, documentary credit and guarantees
- Identify the risks covered and those that are not
- Locate the roles of the banks involved
- Choose the instrument suited to the transaction and the counterparty
Practical work: reasoned selection of the appropriate instrument for three transactions with different risk profiles.
2. Issuing a documentary credit
- Draft the terms of issuance and avoid unworkable clauses
- Choose the method of availability and its implications
- Locate the notions of irrevocability and confirmation
- Handle amendment requests
Practical work: drafting the terms of an issuance from a commercial contract, then identifying the risky clauses.
3. Checking the documents
- Apply the principle of strict compliance
- Check each document and its consistency with the others
- Respect presentation and examination deadlines
- Document the check performed
Practical work: full document check of a set containing several irregularities. Presentation of the discrepancies found.
4. Handling discrepancies
- State a discrepancy precisely and within the deadline
- Locate the consequences of a discrepancy for each party
- Handle the waiver of a discrepancy and the applicant’s agreement
- Manage the commercial relationship during the blockage
Practical work: full handling of a file with discrepancies, from notification to resolution. Debrief on communication to the parties.
5. Settling and securing
- Organise payment, acceptance or negotiation
- Handle deferred payment credits and their financing
- Locate the residual risks after settlement
- Advise the client for subsequent operations
Practical work: analysis of a complete file from contract to settlement. Identification of the points where handling could have been improved.
Participants
Trade finance managers, back-office managers and treasurers.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of international trade operations. No academic prerequisite.
Trainer credentials
The experts who deliver our courses are specialists in the subjects covered. They are validated by our teaching teams on both subject knowledge and teaching ability, for each course they deliver. They have at least ten years of experience in banking or consulting and hold, or have held, positions of responsibility.
Assessment
The trainer assesses progress throughout the course through quizzes, case studies and simulations. Participants also complete a positioning test before and after the course to validate the skills acquired.
Teaching resources and materials
- Audiovisual aids, documentation and course materials, applied practical exercises with worked solutions, case studies and presentation of real cases.
- At the end of each course, Helios Advisory provides participants with a course evaluation questionnaire, which is then analysed by our teaching teams.
- An attendance sheet per half-day is provided at the end of the course, together with a certificate of completion where the participant has attended the full session.
Enrolment and lead times
Enrolment is finalised with our teaching team. Send us your request through the contact form: we will confirm the next available sessions and the enrolment arrangements suited to your situation.
Accessibility
For any question or requirement relating to accessibility, contact us through the contact form. Each situation is reviewed with you so that the course arrangements can be adapted.
Practical information
The following applies to every programme presented on this page.
Funding
Several funding routes exist and depend on your professional situation: skills development plan, sector funding bodies, or direct company funding. Contact us so we can work out the most suitable option together.
Timetable
Courses run from 9.00 to 17.30, with a lunch break of one hour to an hour and a half. Participants are welcomed from 8.45. Breaks and lunches are provided. For four or five day courses, sessions finish at 16.00 on the final day.
Dates and locations
In-company and open sessions are arranged on request, at our premises, at yours, or remotely. Contact us for the next available dates and to agree the format best suited to your teams.
A question or a specific requirement?
Every programme can be adapted to your context, your sector and the level of your teams. We will come back to you with a tailored proposal, a schedule and a price matching your request.
This programme is an original work designed by the teaching teams of Helios Advisory. Any reproduction, representation, adaptation or exploitation, in whole or in part, without prior written authorisation, is strictly prohibited.