Credit Skills Intermediate

Course Outline

The Credit Skills Intermediate course builds on foundational knowledge by taking you deeper into financial analysis, credit assessment and the practical skills required to prepare high‑quality proposals. Delegates learn how to interpret Profit & Loss accounts, Balance Sheets and Cashflow indicators, understanding what the numbers reveal about profitability, liquidity, debt levels and operational performance. The course also explores key analytical tools, such as gross margin, net margin, working capital, gearing, debtor and creditor days, stock turnover and EBITDA/DSCR, to help you assess the financial health and sustainability of a business with confidence.

Day 2 focuses on applying these principles in real‑world underwriting scenarios. Brokers examine sources and uses of cash, understand how different sectors behave financially, explore red flags and creative accounting risks, and learn how group structures influence credit decisions. They also work through full sets of accounts, practice ratio interpretation and learn how to “read between the lines” of financial and non‑financial information. By the end, you can produce clear, commercial, risk‑aware proposals that give funders confidence and significantly improve approval.

• Interpret core financial statements by analysing Profit & Loss accounts, Balance Sheets and Cashflow indicators to assess profitability, liquidity, debt levels and operational performance.
• Apply key financial ratios and analytical tools, including margins, working capital, gearing, debtor/creditor days, stock turnover and EBITDA/DSCR, to evaluate a business’s financial health and sustainability.
• Assess real‑world underwriting scenarios through understanding sector behaviours, sources and uses of cash, red flags, creative accounting risks and the influence of group structures on credit decisions.
• Produce risk‑aware credit proposals by interpreting full sets of accounts, applying ratio analysis and synthesising financial and non‑financial information to deliver clear, commercial submissions.