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Lending and credit risk resources: The top downloads of 2023

Mary Ellen Biery
December 29, 2023
Read Time: 0 min

Abrigo's most popular whitepapers and checklists on lending and credit risk 

Abrigo experts' insights on CFPB 1071, loan policies, and risk ratings were popular with banking professionals. Here are the top resources.

You might also like this webinar, "Unraveling risk rating: Making sense of your best early warning tool."

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Takeaway 1

Abrigo's experts produced many pieces on lending and credit risk to provide strategies and tools to help banking professionals.

Takeaway 2

Readers in 2023 were most interested in learning how the 1071 rule will impact banks and credit unions and about how automation improves processes.

Takeaway 3

Insights related to risk rating processes, ag lending, and signs of contractor failure were also popular.

Papers, checklists

What were lending and credit risk pros reading?

Concerns about credit risk have been in the headlines often in 2023, and financial institutions across the U.S. have been working hard to make sure the loans they have and the loans they approve are in line with risk appetites.

Regular training of lending and credit risk staff helps keep processes and systems in shape to produce good loans. Aside from formal training, one way that banks and credit unions can ensure staff are attuned to the latest regulations and best practices is by routinely sharing lending and credit risk resources.

Abrigo’s team of former bankers and other experts produced dozens of webinars, whitepapers, and blog articles in 2023 to help lending and credit staff. Thousands of banking professionals access these resources each year, and additional materials are routinely added with the goal of making banking professionals’ lives easier. 

Below are some of the most popular resources that helped financial institutions navigate a tumultuous year in banking. From upcoming new requirements on small-business lending to watching out for deteriorating commercial real estate loans, these resources provided insight and tips to keep staff sharp.

Click the header next to each number to visit the corresponding top banking risk resource.

CFPB 1071 rule: Checklist for compliance success

Despite efforts to scrap the new small-business lending rule finalized in 2023, financial institutions have continued to prepare to comply. The rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) represents the most significant effort of data collection and reporting for banks and credit unions in nearly 50 years, so lenders are learning what’s involved. The most popular resource on lending and credit topics in 2023 was this checklist to help prepare for compliance. Abrigo also has a 1071 compliance resources page with links to the latest information from the CFPB and other helpful materials.

Examiner focus: 4 areas to check before credit union and bank exams

Regulators have pledged a tougher stance and more aggressive supervision following 2023 bank failures, and some reports indicate they’re already taking action. This checklist highlights the areas, including credit risk, that are likely to receive additional examiner focus during upcoming bank and credit union exams.

Datos Insights: Commercial loan origination report

Independent research and advisory firm Datos Insights, formerly Aite-Novarica, issued a report profiling vendors that serve the loan origination system (LOS) space. The firm, which focuses on business, technology, and regulatory issues and their impact on the financial services industry, covers vendor stability, client strength, product features, and client services. This excerpt explains market trends and key statistics on leading vendors of loan origination software, including Abrigo.

Infographic: Digital lending and credit automation — Before and after

Originating loans can be a long, frustrating process because it often involves large spreadsheets, data that is repeatedly entered, and constant document collection. This infographic shows step by step the stark difference between a manual and an automated lending process using lending software. To learn more on how to underwrite loans efficiently and add more value to the customer or member relationship, watch this on-demand webinar, “Win more deals: Small business lending best practices.”

CFPB 1071 rule deadlines and effective dates

Compliance deadlines for the CFPB’s 1071 small-business lending rule vary based on how much lending a financial institution does, and the requirements for reporting also differ. This timeline shows exactly how each tier of lenders is defined, as well as the tiers’ deadlines for beginning data collection and reporting. 

Stay up to date on CFPB 1071.

To hear more about the rule and its impact on small business lending operations, watch the on-demand webinar, “Understanding the impact of CFPB 1071 rule on small business lending.”

How to conduct a loan policy tune-up

Given the fast-changing lending landscape, an up-to-date loan policy is critical. Financial institutions want to properly reflect their particular needs and goals while retaining some flexibility, but this can be a tricky tightrope to walk. This loan policy guide provides standard practices for building an effective loan policy and was one of Abrigo’s most downloaded resources on lending and credit. Another helpful loan policy resource is this on-demand webinar, “Fortify your loan policy to effectively manage credit risk.”

Commercial risk rating considerations

Each financial institution determines the best way to integrate regulatory guidance into the lifecycle of its credit risk rating system, which encompasses policy development, individual risk rating assessments, and monitoring. This popular whitepaper provides an overview of the risk rating lifecycle as it relates to individually managed credits. It also offers recommendations for a loan grading system and scorecards based on regulatory guidance, poll results, and the writer’s experience.

The ag lender’s survival guide

Agricultural lenders and their borrowers have faced supply chain disruptions, inflation, and global conflicts. This guide, updated for 2023, provides an overview of the economic landscape and the ag economy in the context of how it could affect ag lending.  It also covers challenges ag lenders face in agricultural credit analysis and how to mitigate them.

Red flags and warning signs of contractor failure

Every year, thousands of contractors face bankruptcy and business failure, leaving behind unfinished private and public construction projects and billions of dollars in losses that fall to project owners and taxpayers. This whitepaper describes what industry insiders see as the four main causes of contractor failure. It provides some dos and don’ts for helping avoid construction loan defaults. The on-demand webinar, “How to manage a high-performing construction loan portfolio,” also has some great tips for construction lenders.

Dangers of deficient loan administration

The last thing a lender wants is to incur losses due to paperwork problems. But ineffective loan administration systems are inefficient on the front end and can be more expensive amid defaults. 

This whitepaper was among Abrigo's most popular lending and credit resources in 2023, and it covers some of the warning signs of risk related to documentation. The paper explains how tickler software can eliminate or reduce many challenges, such as incomplete financials and delayed identification of problem loans. To learn more, watch the video below.

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Abrigo offers dozens of webinars each year and generates many papers and other resources to make loan origination and managing credit risk easier. 

If you’d like to know about the latest resources as they are released, sign up for the lending and credit risk email newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time, and you’ll hear about resources, webinars, new blog posts, and other information right away.

Prepare for the next credit cycle. Learn activities every credit department should consider each year by watching this webinar, "Credit department housekeeping."

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About the Author

Mary Ellen Biery

Senior Strategist & Content Manager
Mary Ellen Biery is Senior Strategist & Content Manager at Abrigo, where she works with advisors and other experts to develop whitepapers, original research, and other resources that help financial institutions drive growth and manage risk. A former equities reporter for Dow Jones Newswires whose work has been published in

Full Bio

About Abrigo

Abrigo enables U.S. financial institutions to support their communities through technology that fights financial crime, grows loans and deposits, and optimizes risk. Abrigo's platform centralizes the institution's data, creates a digital user experience, ensures compliance, and delivers efficiency for scale and profitable growth.

Make Big Things Happen.