CFA Education

Secured Lender, The, May/Jun 2007

The Field Examiner School will be held June 4-8 in the New York area. This comprehensive course covers every aspect of client evaluation for the first-year field examiner. Accepted industry auditing practices are balanced with the necessary "street-smart" techniques of on-site examination. Participants develop a sixth sense for collateral, which is crucial to their future success in asset-based lending, whether as field examiners or in other industry disciplines. Initial survey, prefunding, periodic and special examinations are addressed through discussion, simulation, video and the all-important "war stories". The reality and importance of fraud awareness is also stressed. Topics include analysis of client financial statements, data extraction, recordkeeping, internal controls, accounts receivable, inventory, fixed assets, cash, liabilities, report writing and many others. Methods and procedures encompass preliminary and on-site examination preparation, plant tours, client interviews, ineligible determination, shipping tests, verifications, inventory valuation, test counts, risk analysis, lockboxes, check scrutinization and additional approaches. The goal is to enhance field examiners' understanding of their unique positions as the "eyes and ears" of lending institutions. Instruction will be led by Scott H. Mitchell, audit executive, Bridge Finance Group, West Hills, CA and Robert B. Nichols, director, Durkin Group LLC, West Caldwell, NJ. Both Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Nichols are past recipients of the Harry H. Chen Memorial Instructor Award of Excellence. The school is recommended for field examiners with between three months and one year of experience. Participants can earn 35 NASBA CPE credits.

The Fraud Awareness Workshop is scheduled for June 13-15 in Atlanta. The Workshop is a three-day program presenting best practices in the prevention and detection of borrower fraud. Through numerous case studies, the Workshop addresses recommended fraud prevention procedures for a variety of ABL disciplines: account management, field examination, underwriting, operations and others. The goal of the program is for participants to understand their roles in mitigating the risk of fraud within their organizations, and to take away specific approaches and techniques in fraud prevention/ detection. The instructors are Mark A. Alimena, certified fraud examiner and director, Marden Harrison & Kreuter, CPA's, PC, White Plains, NY, and Michael A. Boeheim, certified fraud examiner and director, Freed Maxick ABL Services, Inc., Buffalo, NY.

Commercial Finance Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuingprofessional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Web site: www.nasba.org. For information regarding administrative policies such as complaint resolution and cancellation/ refund policy, please contact Commercial Finance Association at (212) 594-3490.