Senior CRE Loan Underwriter

Full-Time | On-Site | Manhattan, NY

About the Bank

Our client is a privately held boutique commercial bank headquartered in Manhattan, providing personalized financial solutions to high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and real estate professionals.

With a strong focus on commercial real estate lending and private banking, the bank takes a relationship-driven approach to serving its clients and offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a growing credit organization.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Commercial Real Estate Loan Underwriter to join the bank's credit team. This is a key role responsible for evaluating, structuring, and underwriting complex CRE transactions, with a particular emphasis on construction lending.

The ideal candidate will have significant commercial underwriting experience, preferably gained within a community or regional bank, and the ability to balance prudent credit risk with sound business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Underwrite and analyze commercial real estate loan requests, including acquisition, construction, bridge, refinance, and permanent financing.
• Analyze borrower and guarantor financial statements, tax returns, rent rolls, operating statements, personal financial statements, and other supporting documentation.
• Evaluate property cash flows, market conditions, appraisals, debt service coverage, loan-to-value, debt yield, liquidity, and other key credit metrics.
• Underwrite and structure construction loans, including analysis of project budgets, sources and uses, construction timelines, completion risk, collateral, and repayment sources.
• Identify key credit risks, exceptions, and mitigants and recommend appropriate loan structures, terms, covenants, and conditions.
• Prepare detailed and well-supported credit memoranda for presentation to senior management and Credit Committee.
• Present and defend credit recommendations to Credit Committee when required.
• Collaborate closely with Relationship Managers, borrowers, brokers, appraisers, attorneys, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Conduct periodic reviews of existing loans and monitor portfolio performance, covenant compliance, and emerging credit risks.
• Ensure underwriting decisions comply with internal credit policies, regulatory requirements, and risk management standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve underwriting processes, credit practices, and overall efficiency.
• Stay current on CRE market conditions, lending trends, regulatory developments, and emerging risks.

Qualifications

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, Real Estate, Business, or a related field.
• 7–10+ years of commercial lending, CRE underwriting, or commercial credit analysis experience.
• Strong experience underwriting commercial real estate transactions.
• Direct construction lending experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of CRE markets, loan structuring, credit risk, and repayment analysis.
• Advanced ability to analyze financial statements, tax returns, cash flows, rent rolls, appraisals, and projections.
• Experience with credit memoranda, risk ratings, loan covenants, and Credit Committee processes.
• Strong financial modeling and credit analysis skills.
• Knowledge of banking regulations and commercial lending policies.
• Experience with in a community, regional, or boutique commercial bank is highly desirable.

What We Are Looking For

• Exceptional analytical and financial skills.
• Strong credit judgment and the ability to identify and mitigate risk.
• Detail-oriented with a high level of accuracy.
• Ability to make sound decisions under pressure and within deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Collaborative, relationship-oriented approach.
• Someone who wants to take ownership of the credit process and grow with the organization.

Compensation

$135,000–$160,000 base salary, commensurate with experience, qualifications, and overall fit.

This is an on-site Manhattan position offering an opportunity to join a highly relationship-driven boutique bank and grow into a broader senior credit leadership role.