Entry-Level Bank Examiners

Job Summary

Assistant National Bank Examiners begin their careers in our Midsize and Community Bank Supervision line of business, supporting the supervision of community banks. Assignments cover all areas of banking, including examining loans, interest rate risk, capital, liquidity, consumer protection programs, and compliance with banking laws and regulations.

Assistant National Bank Examiners spend approximately 15 to 95 percent of their early careers traveling to national banks and federal savings associations (collectively, banks) across the country, depending on work location. They work in one of the OCC's 70 field offices, at banks, or bank branches.

Assistant National Bank Examiners

• organize and analyze selected data;
• complete bank supervision procedures;
• check compliance with laws and regulations;
• gather information through discussions with other employees;
• discuss findings with other examiners and bank management;
• draw conclusions and recommend corrective action; and
• perform off-site analyses, write memorandums and reports, and update or write examination comments under close supervision.

Do I Qualify?

To become an entry-level bank examiner, you need at least one of the following:

• A four-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study in accounting, banking, business administration, commercial or banking law, economics, finance, marketing, or other field closely related to the position, or
• Three years of work experience that provided you with knowledge of accounting or auditing principles. Such work could include reviewing, analyzing, recommending or approving loan applications, investments, or other actions involving the properties or monies of others held in trust by or for a financial institution; internal accounting or auditing work for a financial institution that required understanding of debits and credits, balance sheets, and operating statements, or
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience, or
• A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate obtained through written examination in a State, territory, or the District of Columbia.

If you are an experienced banking professional, you may also visit our Experienced Bank Examiner Careers for opportunities.

Citizenship:  OCC follows Federal law on the employment of non-U.S. citizens.  OCC hires only U.S. citizens for competitive service positions.  OCC may hire non-U.S. citizens for excepted service positions, including examiner positions.  However, OCC prefers to hire applicants who are U.S. citizens over equally qualified applicants who are not U.S. citizens, 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(4).  Only “U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens who are permanent U.S. residents actively seeking U.S. citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)(B)” are eligible for employment.  If offered employment, you will be asked to provide evidence of your status.

Salary and Benefits

The OCC offers competitive salaries according to a performance-based pay plan. The starting salary for an entry-level examiner is a non-negotiable $48,500 per year, plus an additional supplement in certain high-cost locations.

The OCC also offers one of the best benefits programs in the federal government.

How to Apply

The Entry-Level Bank Examiner position is no longer accepting resumes or applications for Fall 2012.  The deadline for the Fall campaign ended at 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 14, 2012.  Please check back in January for Spring availability.

Examiner Jobs in Midsize/Community Bank Supervision

Entry-level bank examiners begin their careers in Midsize and Community Bank Supervision. This experience provides the foundation for learning the practical aspects of bank supervision.

You will work mainly in cities that are home to community banks and will likely be based in one of our 70 field offices across the country.

Community Bank Supervision focuses on banks that typically conduct traditional banking activities. While some community banks range from $1 billion to $8 billion in assets, most have less than $1 billion in assets.

Midsize Bank Supervision generally includes national banks with assets between $8 billion and $60 billion. While midsize banks are located throughout the country, oversight is centralized under a single OCC Deputy Comptroller in Chicago to facilitate consistent supervision.

Career Advancement

Careers at the OCC can be rewarding and offer opportunity for advancement. Assistant National Bank Examiners spend six to eight months on a training team participating in bank examinations, meeting with bank managers, and making recommendations and suggestions.

Several years of formal and informal training lead to the Uniform Commissioned Examination (UCE). Successful completion of the UCE means a commission as a National Bank Examiner and opportunities to manage an entire bank examination as an Examiner-in-Charge. Some examiners go into specialized areas, such as asset management, bank information technology, international banking, capital markets, compliance, credit, and retail credit.

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Equal Employment Opportunity

The OCC is dedicated to ensuring equal opportunity for all applicants. All employment decisions are made without regard to non-merit factors, such as race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, protected genetic information, sexual orientation, parental status, marital status, or political affiliation. If you believe you have been discriminated against, you must contact the OCC's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office at 1-800-723-9254 (TTY/TDD 1-800-486-9228) within 45 calendar days of the alleged discriminatory event or the date you became aware of potential discrimination.

The OCC provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact an OCC Human Resources consultant during the fall and spring recruitment campaigns. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis, and in some instances, may require supporting medical documentation.

Conditions of Employment

If selected for this position, you must

• complete a one-year probationary period (unless already completed);
• complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for federal employment;
• if you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so;
• have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer;
• go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9.  The documentation that you present for purposes of completing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-9 will be verified through the DHS “E-Verify” System. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires, and as a condition of continued employment obligates the new hire to take affirmative steps to resolve any discrepancies identified by the system. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is an E-Verify participant.
• travel locally or overnight may be required;
• obtain and use a government-issued charge card for business-related travel; and
• successfully complete a background investigation that includes a credit check.

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