Credit unions across the country are turning to member business lending. If your credit union is an experienced lender looking to add small business loans to your product mix, or your credit union is starting from the ground up, we can get you up to speed and start adding profits to your bottom line.

Small Business Lending Assistance Total Outsource Service CUSO Assistance Recruiting & Employment

Member Business Lending / SBA Assistance

Member business lending is a great way to expand your product line and increase profits. J. R. Bruno & Associates can help you establish a complete in-house program to meet your lending goals by addressing licensing, policy development, training, technical support, marketing, and workflow & efficiency.

J.R. Bruno & Associates provides assistance to credit unions pursuing SBA licensing. We have helped many credit unions make sense of the process, and understand the special needs of credit unions in this area. If you are having trouble getting approval, or don't know what is required, contact us. We can assist with policy development, compiling the necessary documentation, and completing your application so that it gets approved--the first time.

Your credit union has a culture all its own. J.R. Bruno & Associates respects that and can assist you in formulating member businesses lending policy compatible with your current lending culture, which will also satisfy the SBA's requirements. J.R. Bruno & Associates can help your credit union lay the foundation for a stable loan portfolio by insuring that your policies encourage safe and sensible loan approvals.

Training

Efficient and knowledgeable lending and management teams are one of the keys to a successful member business lending program. J.R. Bruno & Associates can give your teams the expertise they need to increase profitability. We offer training for your lending and management teams in all aspects of small business lending. The following are some of most requested subjects:

• MBL/SBA loan program guidelines and eligibility comprehension
• Comprehensive loan memorandum writing
• Loan underwriting and business financial statement analysis
• Loan packaging, processing, and documentation
• Business development, sales skills, and marketing strategies

Training is available in both single and multi-day formats, for groups and individuals. We also offer ongoing training reviews, refreshers, and updates to keep you apprised of changes in regulations and best practices.

For Credit Unions with experience in lending, limited assistance may be all that is necessary to add small business loans to your product line. Sometimes specific areas are more difficult to master than others. Either way, J.R. Bruno & Associates provides targeted consulting for lenders who need assistance with any of the following issues:

• Lending systems analysis or upgrade
• Lending policy review and development
• Procedural review and development
• Secondary market sales techniques and strategie
• Servicing, workout plans, and liquidation
• PLP application and expansions

If your lending department needs expertise to correct a specific deficiency, we can provide onsite expertise, training, or consulting support until your program is running smoothly. We also have established partnerships with companies like eDocs-Express and Open Financial Services to provide coverage in areas which require specialized services.

The J.R. Bruno & Associates Guaranteed Action Professional (G.A.P.) Marketing Program is a comprehensive marketing program for credit unions serious about small business lending. Our marketing programs are designed to produce more knowledgeable, motivated employees while generation more commercial loans, increased deposits, and increased fee income.

The G.A.P. Marketing Program begins with a marketing and business analysis, identifying both the opportunities and the obstacles your institution faces in bringing your products and services to market. The J.R. Bruno G.A.P. team then customizes your new business development strategy by creating, implementing, and managing a comprehensive marketing program with built-in checkpoints for analysis.

The key elements of our Marketing Program include:

• Direct marketing to generate new business leads.
• Community relations outreach to enhance community goodwill.
• Media relations management for maximum media exposure.
• Creative, results-oriented advertising to increase interest in your program.
• Sales material development to help market your credit union and increase lead generation.
• Web site development to provide a suitable online presence
• Incentive programs to motivate members and employees in generating referrals.
• Employee training to educate staff about your products and programs and provide necessary sales skills.
• SBA Continuing Education Classes to increase loan volume by forging new relationships with your community's accounting and law professionals.

We welcome the opportunity to create a unique program to fill the G.A.P.s in your marketing program that you may not even know you have.

Most lenders suffer from some degree of internal inefficiency and chaos. Inefficiency and chaos means higher overhead and reduced profits. J.R. Bruno & Associates offers a Workflow & Efficiency Review to optimally streamline your lending departments without reducing staffing levels or increasing sales, simply by improving your procedures.

A Workflow & Efficiency Review by J.R. Bruno & Associates will start with an onsite analysis. Our consultants will prepare a detailed report of your current procedures and workflow processes, and will provide you with concrete suggestions and explicit techniques to address inefficiencies and likely areas of future concern.

A J.R. Bruno & Associates' Workflow & Efficiency Review can do all of the following:

• Lower overhead costs
• Increase compliance
• Decrease risk
• Increase cross selling opportunities
• Decrease processing time

Let our experts take a fresh look at your current workflow processes and procedure efficiencies to help you maximize your returns. Sometimes a small change can make a big difference in profitability.

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Total Outsource Services

If you want to get your member business lending program started immediately, J.R. Bruno & Associates offers the ability to outsource your entire MBL/SBA department with our Total Outsource Service. Outsourcing your member business lending department has a number of advantages:

• Lower personnel costs
• Lower training costs
• Lower facilities overhead
• Access to a team of experienced professionals
• Fast turnaround
• Flexibility in capacity

A Total Outsource program with J.R. Bruno & Associates provides all of the services listed under SBA Lending Assistance, as well as customized process tracking and status reports.

The length of time we manage your program is entirely up to you. While under contract, we handle all activities other than direct business development, loan approval, and servicing while teaching you the process. Your staff learns while working with our experts, and you achieve profitability faster. We can transition the day-to-day operations back to you at anytime, at your discretion. A Total Outsource solution will usually generate enough income to turn a profit in the first year of operation.

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CUSO Assistance

If you are considering starting a CUSO, or are currently a partner in one that is experiencing less than ideal growth, contact us. J.R. Bruno & Associates has experience in all aspects building business lending CUSOs. We can provide the same high level of service we provide for independent credit unions to your CUSO. Take a look at our Member Business Lending / SBA Assistance section and Total Outsource Services section for a sample of what we can offer.

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Recruiting & Employment

Without the right person in the right place, your MBL/SBA lending program will not reach its full potential. J.R. Bruno & Associates regularly assists credit unions in locating and interviewing for all of the following positions:

• Lending Executives
• Loan Officers
• Loan Closers
• Loan Processors
• Loan Servicers
• Business Development Officers

If expansion, mergers, or downsizing has left you shorthanded, let us help you find the right employees. We can provide invaluable information on who to hire, what questions to ask, and how much to compensate. Hiring is one of the most important aspects of running a successful department. If you need assistance, don't leave it to chance--contact us.

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