Build the credit rota by mandate band. Each day needs analysts who can decide the referrals the agent typically holds, a senior credit officer for larger exposures, and a second reviewer for every exception to credit policy. Set response targets per referral reason.
Line the rota up with the credit committee's calendar so large cases are ready when it meets.
What does the credit rota cover?
A credit agent gathers financial information, spreads statements, calculates ratios against policy and drafts a recommendation. It holds referrals: applications outside policy, exposures above an analyst's mandate, cases where the figures rest on unverified information, and every decline that needs reasons. Credit decisions about individuals are listed as high-risk under the EU AI Act, and in the United States ECOA and Regulation B require specific reasons when credit is denied, including when a model is used. Whatever the market, the reviewer's decision and reasons are the heart of the control.
The head of credit owns the rota. Credit risk agrees the mandate bands. The guide to AI agent skills by role covers what analysts need, and what a reviewer rota is explains the term.
What are the steps?
- Agent, depth 1: reports referrals by reason and exposure. Below mandate, above mandate, policy exception, unverified figures, declines.
- Person (head of credit): maps referrals to mandate bands. Count how many referrals per day fall into each band, so each band is staffed for its real volume.
- Person (head of credit): sets response targets. Applications in standard bands within one working day; above-mandate within two; policy exceptions within three, because they need a second reviewer.
- Person (head of credit): staffs each band daily. At least two analysts who can decide the most common band, one senior credit officer for the higher bands, with a deputy.
- Agent, depth 2: drafts the credit paper. Spreads, ratios, policy tests passed and failed, sources and their provenance.
- Person (analyst): decides within mandate. Approve, approve with conditions, decline with reasons, or refer up.
- Person (second reviewer): checks every policy exception. A different person from the deciding analyst, named on the rota.
- Person (head of credit): plans committee cases. Cases above the senior officer's mandate go to committee; the rota sets who prepares each paper and by when.
| Step | The agent does | Depth | Stays with a person |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spreading | Spreads statements, calculates ratios | 1 | Checking unusual items |
| Credit paper | Drafts recommendation with sources | 2 | The credit decision |
| Within mandate | Holds for an analyst | 2 | Approval or decline with reasons |
| Above mandate | Holds for a senior | 2 | Senior or committee decision |
| Policy exceptions | Holds; refuses to approve | 2 | Analyst decides, second reviewer checks |
| Facility release | Prepares and holds | 4 | Release after all approvals |
How should mandate bands shape the skills mix?
A rota that names "two analysts" without bands can leave a day with plenty of people and nobody who can decide the cases waiting. List every reviewer's mandate on the rota itself. When a senior is away, the rota should show who covers their band, and whether that person's mandate is high enough; if not, those cases wait or go to committee.
Bands also protect juniors. A newer analyst placed on a day full of above-mandate referrals will either refer everything, adding delay, or feel pressure to decide what they should not. Give juniors days in their band and pair them with a senior for the rest.
Which controls matter, and what evidence do they leave?
- Mandate is enforced. Evidence: each verdict names the approver and the mandate limit that applied.
- Exceptions carry two names. Evidence: deciding analyst and second reviewer on the verdict.
- Declines carry specific reasons. Evidence: the reasons text, checked against the paper.
- Unverified figures are flagged. Management accounts supplied by the applicant are declared; filed accounts or bank data are stronger. Evidence: provenance on each figure in the paper.
- Facility release follows approval. Evidence: the release verdict after all approval verdicts in the record.
What should be measured?
- Response targets met, per referral reason and band.
- Cases waiting for a reviewer with enough mandate.
- Exceptions approved, by reason; a rising count can mean the policy needs revisiting.
- Decline reasons rewritten at second review.
- Committee papers ready on time.
Where does it usually go wrong?
Bands are ignored. Already covered, and the most common gap.
Exceptions become routine. If the same exception is approved every week, either the policy is wrong or the analysts are. The head of credit should decide which.
The agent's recommendation becomes the decision. Analysts under volume approve the draft. The record shows how often the decision matched the draft with no edits; a very high figure with thin reasons is a warning. See what an AI agent reviewer is for what review should involve.
Credit control and IT teams staff with the same method; compare the rotas for the credit control team and the IT team.
Where the Academy fits
Credit analysts who decide an agent's referrals are reviewers in the Academy's sense, and the Operator track is built for them. Module tests are set in the learner's own industry and role, and Certified Pryme Operator includes a two-week practicum signed off by a Pryme assessor. A lender can choose to require a current certificate before placing an analyst on a mandate band in the rota.
Questions people ask
Can one person cover two mandate bands on the same day?
Yes, if their mandate covers both. Just make sure the rota shows it, so the head of credit can see whether the higher band is really covered.
What should happen to referrals when no one with mandate is available?
They wait, and the customer is told when to expect a decision. Approving above mandate to avoid a delay is the wrong trade.
Should second reviewers rotate?
Yes. A second reviewer who always checks the same analyst becomes too familiar with their reasoning. Rotation keeps the second look independent.