Justification Kit | Commercial Lending School - Foundational

Justify Attending ABA Commercial Lending Schools

You recognize the value of attending one of the ABA Commercial Lending Schools. However, in order to attend you need to secure approval for your time away from the office as well as travel and registration funds from your organization. Using this justification kit, you’ll find everything you need to present your business case, including a letter template which you can customize to suit your needs.

General Tips and Talking Points

• High return on investment: Outline how the time and money being spent for you to attend ABA’s Foundational or Advanced Commercial Lending School will help take your skills—and your bank’s performance—to the next level. After completing the schools, students learn to ask the right questions in potential deals, stress test borrowers’ debt service, and take a deeper dive into the credits they review.
• Efficient and cost effective: ABA’s Foundational and Advanced Commercial Lending Schools offer a comprehensive, time-intensive learning environment. Your attendance will be much more cost effective and time efficient compared to registering for multiple seminars or webinars.
• World-class education: The schools, held in partnership with Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Banking, provide an in-depth curriculum developed and delivered by the banking industry's top thought leaders and practitioners that’s unparalleled in the industry.
• Two programs built to suit your needs: ABA’s Foundational and Advanced Commercial Lending Schools content is appropriate for institutions of all sizes. Additionally, multiple program offerings provide an educational environment tailored to meet the needs of lending professionals at every stage of their career.

Next Steps

1. Review the ABA Commercial Lending Schools web page.
2. Customize the justification email (see link below) to present as part of your formal request.
3. Offer to prepare a short presentation for your colleagues to share what you will learn, maximizing your bank’s ROI for your attendance. Mention that the school’s course materials can be shared with your colleagues, providing a valuable resource tool as your team looks to identify solutions for your clients.
4. Be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the ABA Commercial Lending School.
5. Be sure to check out the registration page for applicable fees and discounts. ABA Members save $1,000 on registration fees. 

Download Justification Email