Branch staff play a critical role in identifying and supporting small business lending opportunities, but success starts long before underwriting. This 90-minute session equips branch-level professionals with the knowledge and confidence to conduct effective small business loan pre-screening.
Participants will learn how to recognize common small business borrower profiles, understand basic cash flow patterns, and ask the right questions to determine whether a request is a good fit before referral. Through practical tools, document guidance, and real-world scenarios, attendees will strengthen their ability to reduce declined applications, improve turnaround times, and enhance the overall business member experience.
This interactive webinar emphasizes what pre-screening is, what it is not, and how branches can add value without stepping into underwriting.
Participants will leave the session able to:
- Understand common small business types, business models, and borrowing needs encountered at the branch
- Clearly distinguish between pre-screening and underwriting responsibilities
- Ask effective, compliant pre-screening questions to assess loan purpose, structure, cash flow, and credit expectations
- Identify red flags and know when to proceed, pause, or refer to a lending officer
- Use simple, branch-level tools to review deposits and spot cash flow concerns
- Gather the right documentation to support a strong, complete referral
- Set realistic expectations with business owners and communicate next steps professionally
- Improve referral quality, reduce declines, and support a smoother loan pipeline
This session is ideal for: Branch managers and assistant branch managers, Member service representatives and personal bankers, Business development and relationship staff at the branch level, New or experienced staff involved in small business conversations, Financial institution teams looking to improve small business loan referrals without increasing underwriting burden.
- Price includes live access plus 60 days OnDemand playback
- Extend your OnDemand playback access from 60 days to 120 days $99.00
- Additional Live Access $99.00 per person
Access: If purchased Live, you will have access to the live session plus 60 days. If purchased OnDemand, you will have access to training for 60-days from registration date.
Digital Download – $999.00: Receive a downloadable recorded version of the webinar to upload into your LMS. You’ll have unlimited access and can retain it indefinitely. Please note: The information presented is current as of the recording date. These are hot-topic webinars and content may evolve over time. We recommend checking back for future sessions, for purchase, to stay current with updates.
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Instructor
Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith has been the Chief Lending Officer at Freedom Credit Union in Springfield, MA since 2013 and is in charge of managing the Commercial, Mortgage, and Consumer Lending portfolios, as well as t... read more.
