Safety and Soundness Certification

Candidates for the CLIE designation must provide evidence of the following:

• Expected to have skills and experience associated with CEIC level or equivalent. Senior examiner experience aligned with skills for large bank specialties considered on a case-by-case basis. Training should include large bank focused course, including training from FDIC, FRB, FFIEC, CSBS; or specialized subjects such as SNC, Energy Lending, Enterprise Risk Management, Model Risk Management, CCAR, LCR, etc.
• Portfolio of examinations demonstrating qualifying experience and involvement in accordance with the skills detailed below.
• Attestation of successful job performance and mastery of appropriate job-related skills by the applicant's direct supervisor or another individual familiar with the applicant's performance.

The applicant's direct supervisor must provide at least "meets expectations" ratings in the following competencies; additionally, the supervisor's supporting narrative assessment must provide detailed and unique examples of the applicant's performance in these competencies:

TECHNICAL – Provides effective leadership and organization to the examination process which could include:

• Working knowledge of FDIC and/or Federal Reserve Large Bank Operating Procedures;
• Effectively acting in the role of Central Point of Contact (CPC), Examiner In Charge (EIC), Assistant CPC, Assistant EIC, Team Lead, Subject Matter Expert, or Target Review Lead of a large institution; 
• Overseeing personnel to ensure adherence to examination procedures and policies;
• Participating in development of the annual supervisory plan to include the target review schedule; 
• Participating in and review quarterly ongoing monitoring that includes any major changes/events since the last quarter; target review results; and overview of CAMELS, BSA, and IT, as applicable; 
• Participating in development of scope memos, first day/request letters, summary conclusion memos, and supervisory letters; 
• Monitoring or supporting the progress of personnel to ensure accurate and timely completion of work on target reviews, continuous monitoring, and roll up exam assignments; 
• Effectively supervising and/or participating in the organization and documentation of work papers according to prescribed procedures; and 
• Effectively supervising and overseeing OR supporting the entire examination process, including coordination of the examination team, compilation of examination findings, and communicating recommendations to institution management. 

CONCEPTUAL – Provides effective and accurate evaluation of the overall activities of financial institutions which could include:

• Demonstrated ability to identify systemic risks and trends through the evaluation of credit and capital markets activities and operations and to opine on credit and capital market risk practices;
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and direct large bank risks with a focus on strengthening and improving an institution's condition;
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate new business objectives along with future possible scenarios for potential positive and detrimental outcomes;
• Maintaining knowledge of key large bank accounting, reporting and regulatory changes;
• Maintaining an understanding of comparable institutions in the peer group including horizontal reviews, understanding selection of comparable institutions for valuation and variable lines of business; 
• Participating in the continuous monitoring program to obtain pertinent information that will help identify emerging/changing risks, new/unusual business segments, and allow examiners to remain fluid with management’s current business plan;  
• Reviewing outstanding findings, monthly board and committee packages and minutes, and other pertinent data through ongoing monitoring;
• Developing or monitoring the list of specific internal reports, board, and committee minutes that CPCs and specialists would like to continuously review and have the bank produce those items on a quarterly basis; 
• Participating or conducting data analytic reviews; ability to customize data reporting to agency needs and/or identify and utilize necessary reporting;
• Monitoring and tracking outstanding regulatory issues and compare and reconcile to the bank’s outstanding issues tracking report; 
• Documenting how past regulatory issues were closed and maintain list of current outstanding issues; 
• Effectively demonstrating an understanding of the material risks present in institution practices; and  
• Effectively understanding "downstream" or "counterparty" risks arising from transactions with other insured depositories or financial intermediaries. 
   

LEGAL/COMPLIANCE – Effectively demonstrates knowledge of policies, procedures, laws, rules, and regulations.

• Participates in supervisory target reviews and as applicable, the annual roll up examination. 
• Assesses risk management frameworks/processes, determine adequacy in relation to best practice/regulation and in relation to the risk profile of the bank, and assess compliance with those approved frameworks through effective transaction testing. 
• As applicable, participates as a Subject Matter Expert of large bank related examination areas.

COMMUNICATIONS – Provides effective oral and written communications which could include:

• Participates in ongoing/quarterly updates and discussions with bank management;  
• Maintains records of ongoing management meetings for benefit of examination team;  
• Participates in calls with bank executives prior to publication for topics such as earnings or other press releases;
• Participates in annual meetings with key bank board members (including the chairs of the board, audit, and risk committees); 
• Engages with bank committees during regulatory-relevant examination work; 
• Engages in vetting meetings with federal regulators; 
• Establishes and maintains communication channels with other regulatory constituencies, such as the CFPB and other federal and state authorities; 
• Provides own state department/agency commissioner and senior management team with at least a semiannual update of the large bank; and 
• Provides effective training of large bank program to examiners participating in target reviews, roll up examination, and/or ongoing participation in large bank program.

RECERTIFICATION

Every three years, certified examiners are required to submit 63 continuing education hours (CEHs) in order to renew a CLIE certification. If an examiner exceeds this requirement, up to 14 CEHs may be carried over into the new three-year term. Continuing education should be selected with the goal of maintaining, improving, or expanding the examiner's knowledge, skills, and abilities.