Empower Yourself and Protect Your Future with RMA-CRC.
Be proactive—not reactive—during this current state of economic uncertainty.
With the state of the economy and unemployment rates at unprecedented highs, concerns about your job and your future are likely running just as high. The Risk Management Association (RMA) can help you regain your confidence and strengthen your professional skills so that you can differentiate yourself as a quality performer in this time of unpredictability.
Upcoming Exam Dates
- October 12—November 13, 2013
Applications Accepted
- Deadline for Fall 2013 window August 31, 2013
Apply Online for the exam or contact the RMA-CRC Certification Specialist at 800-677-7621 or 215-446-4013. To apply online, log in to your account. If you do not have an online account, you may create one here.
Applications will be available and accepted during open-application windows only. Applications submitted after the deadline will be deferred to the next exam window.
RMA’s Credit Risk Certification is a key to training at two large banks. Read more.
Applying for the RMA-CRC Exam:
Why RMA-CRC?
In today's rapidly changing financial services industry, you need practical, day-to-day knowledge that will help you excel in your profession. You need to be current on the complete set of the latest skills. And you need the demonstrated ability to serve a diverse base of clients. Plus, you need all of these—knowledge, skills, and abilities—to be validated by a respected organization like RMA. Learn about the exam.
RMA-CRC will:
- Confirm your credit risk management expertise based on RMA's long tradition of developing and promoting best practices in the industry.
- Demonstrate your commitment to the highest professional standards in credit risk management to your peers, your customers, and to the upper management of your institution.
- Enhance your personal and professional value within the world of credit and lending.
- Provide you with the feeling of personal achievement and the satisfaction of mastering an exam developed by the best credit management practitioners.
- Objectively benchmark your credit risk knowledge.
- Show your ongoing commitment to staying current.
- Differentiate you from your peers.
Certificate Requirements
In order to be certified and use the CRC acronym after your name, the following is required:
- A passing score on the CRC examination.
- A minimum of five years experience in the area of commercial credit and lending or loan review.
- A commitment to continue your learning by participating in approved activities over a three-year period.
Follow RMA's Road to Professional Success
In developing and validating the CRC exam, RMA worked with a committee of industry experts, as well as psychometricians, from a wide cross section of banks–large and small, rural and urban, U.S. and Canadian. RMA suggests that you:
- Take a practice exam.
- Study the body of knowledge, credit glossary, and ratios that RMA will provide you as part of registration fulfillment.
- Participate in the RMA-CRC subject matter Web seminars from the RMA-CRC Exam Strategies Series.
The following Web seminars may help you focus on and refresh your knowledge of certain subjects:
- Industry, Market, and Competition
- Management, Business, and Financial Strategy
- Financial Assessment of the Client
- Cash Flow
- Collateral
- Structure and Documentation
- Problem Loans
- Test-taking Strategies
Are you Ready for Certification?
There are seven skill sets you need to build on when preparing for the RMA-CRC examination. This is in addition to the knowledge acquired through the application of concepts as a hands-on lender, analyst, credit officer, or loan services officer. These are the skills, along with the RMA courses that can help you master each of them:
1. Evaluate the client's industry, markets, and competitors.
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Commercial Credit for Lenders
- Analyzing the Commercial Borrower's Industry, Market, and Competitive Risk
2. Assess management's ability to formulate business and financial strategies and to execute them.
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Commercial Credit for Lenders
- Analyzing the Commercial Borrower's Industry, Market, and Competitive Risk
- Management Analysis: Due Diligence of the Commercial Borrower
3. Complete accurate, ongoing, and timely financial assessments of the client and its other credit sponsors.
- Financial Accounting
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Commercial Credit for Lenders
- Analyzing Business Tax Returns
- Analyzing Personal Financial Statements and Tax Returns
4. Assess strengths and quality of client/sponsor cash flow.
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Commercial Credit for Lenders
- Analyzing Business Tax Returns
- UCA I: Cash Flow Analysis
5. Evaluate collateral values and conduct periodic inspections of collateral.
- Understanding and Interpreting Real Estate Appraisals
- Asset-Based Lending for Non-Asset-Based Lenders
6. Identify repayment sources and appropriately structure and document credit exposures for the intended purpose.
- Commercial Credit for Lenders
- Structuring Commercial Loans I
- Structuring Commercial Loans II
7. Learn to recognize problem loans and the actions needed.
- Detecting Problem Loans
- Problem Loan Workouts
How Do I register?
CRC examinations are offered two times a year—in the fall and in the spring. You may register at any time up to 30 days prior to the start of the testing window in which you wish to sit for the exam. The testing window in the spring is usually from March through April and in the fall from October through November.
Exam Fee
- RMA Members $495
- Nonmembers $695
Certification Web Seminar Fee
- RMA Members $100 for all
- Nonmembers $150 for all
Practice Test
- RMA Members $25
- Nonmembers $40
Continue Your Education With RMA
To ensure that you stay current in the credit risk field, RMA requires you to complete 45 continuing education units every three years. Ongoing learning assures that you are continuing the commitment you began when you first passed the RMA-CRC exam. You can earn your continuing education credits by taking RMA courses or attending learning activities from other institutions.
Exam Quality Ensured
RMA has selected Professional Testing Inc. (PT) to participate in the ongoing maintenance of the RMA-CRC validation and scoring. The psychometric expertise of PT joined with credit expertise of the RMA-CRC Examination Committee assures the continued validity, reliability, and relevance of the exam.
About RMA's Testing Service Provider
The RMA-CRC exam is administered by Pearson VUE. As part of Pearson, the international media company, Pearson VUE implements innovative testing solutions that enhance the performance reliability and security of licensing and certification programs throughout the world.
In addition to RMA, Pearson VUE delivers exams for Microsoft, Cisco, Sun Microsystems – SAI, CompTIA, IBM, NCLEX, The American College, NASD, and many more.
For questions about the testing process, ask our RMA/VUE Contacts.