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Financial Examiners
SOC: 13-2061 • Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics & O*NET
What They Do
Financial Examiners typically perform the following tasks:
• Direct and participate in formal and informal meetings with bank directors, trustees, senior management, counsels, outside accountants, and consultants to gather information and discuss findings.
• Recommend actions to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, or to protect solvency of institutions.
• Prepare reports, exhibits, and other supporting schedules that detail an institution's safety and soundness, compliance with laws and regulations, and recommended solutions to questionable financial conditions.
• Resolve problems concerning the overall financial integrity of banking institutions including loan investment portfolios, capital, earnings, and specific or large troubled accounts.
• Investigate activities of institutions to enforce laws and regulations and to ensure legality of transactions and operations or financial solvency.
• Review balance sheets, operating income and expense accounts, and loan documentation to confirm institution assets and liabilities.
• Plan, supervise, and review work of assigned subordinates.
• Review audit reports of internal and external auditors to monitor adequacy of scope of reports or to discover specific weaknesses in internal routines.
• Examine the minutes of meetings of directors, stockholders, and committees to investigate the specific authority extended at various levels of management.
• Train other examiners in the financial examination process.
• Establish guidelines for procedures and policies that comply with new and revised regulations and direct their implementation.
• Review and analyze new, proposed, or revised laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to interpret their meaning and determine their impact.
• Provide regulatory compliance training to employees.
• Evaluate data processing applications for institutions under examination to develop recommendations for coordinating existing systems with examination procedures.
• Review applications for mergers, acquisitions, establishment of new institutions, acceptance in Federal Reserve System, or registration of securities sales to determine their public interest value and conformance to regulations, and recommend acceptance or rejection.
• Verify and inspect cash reserves, assigned collateral, and bank-owned securities to check internal control procedures.
• Confer with officials of real estate, securities, or financial institution industries to exchange views and discuss issues or pending cases.
Career Video
Video from CareerOneStop, sponsored by U.S. Department of Labor
Key facts
Median: $90,400
Employment: 65,100
Growth (2024–2034):
+19.0%
Education:
Bachelor's degree
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Career Intelligence Metrics
Automation Risk Assessment
Medium RiskWork-Life Balance Score
7.1/10Personality Fit (RIASEC Profile)
3.8
Realistic
7.2
Investigative
4.0
Artistic
6.6
Social
8.2
Enterprising
8.8
Conventional
Powered by O*NET Career Profiling
Personality Match: The higher the score (out of 10), the better this career matches that personality type. People with similar interests and work styles tend to be most satisfied in careers that match their personality profile.
Top Skills
Analytical skills
Detail oriented
Math skills
Writing skills
Strengths
- High Demand
- Flexible Work
- Continuous Learning
Challenges
- Burnout Risk
- Rapid Technological Change
Median Salary Comparison
Employment projection (2024–2034)
Geographic Employment & Wage Analysis
BLS OEWS Data Updated 2024-05States with Highest Employment
- New York 10,580
- Texas 6,060
- Florida 4,380
- California 3,690
- Ohio 3,500
- Illinois 2,970
- New Jersey 2,810
- North Carolina 2,690
- Missouri 2,110
- Pennsylvania 2,090
BLS OEWS data (2024-05)
Regional Wage Variations
-
New York +41%$127,190
-
Texas -14%$77,990
-
Florida -16%$75,730
-
California +17%$105,790
-
Ohio -27%$66,090
-
Illinois +10%$99,680
-
New Jersey +14%$103,300
-
North Carolina 4%$93,900
-
Missouri -9%$82,640
-
Pennsylvania -6%$84,910
BLS OEWS state wage data
Top Metropolitan Areas
New York-Newark-Jersey City
Employment: High
Growth: +3.2%
Los Angeles-Long Beach
Employment: High
Growth: +2.8%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Employment: Medium
Growth: +1.5%
Dallas-Fort Worth
Employment: Medium
Growth: +4.1%
San Francisco-Oakland
Employment: High
Growth: +2.3%
Based on BLS metropolitan area data
Industries with Highest Concentrations
Federal government
85%
Securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities
70%
Management of companies and enterprises
55%
Regional Job Market Outlook
Strong
West Coast
Stable
Northeast
Growing
South