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Career overview · SOC 13-2061

Financial Examiners

Enforce or ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing financial and securities institutions and financial and real estate transactions. May examine, verify, or authenticate records.

Also called: Bank Examiner · Bank Secrecy Act Anti-Money Laundering Officer (BSA/AML Officer) · Community Reinvestment Act Officer (CRA Officer) · Compliance Analyst · Compliance Specialist · Credit Union Examiner

Median pay (national)
$90,400
$53,420–$171,540 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
62,830
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+18.5%
~5,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for financial examiners shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $171,540 versus $53,420 at the bottom 10% — 3.2x. The median of $90,400 leaves roughly 90% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +18.5% from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than the 3% average for all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 5,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 51 states with released data, District of Columbia pays the most for this role (median $177,550, +96% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $37,100 — a 379% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Monitoring
  • Mathematics
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • 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.

Tools & technology

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Visio
  • Microsoft Windows
  • R
  • SAP software
  • Structured query language SQL
  • ACL Analytics
  • Auditing software
  • Financial compliance software
  • Financial transaction analysis software
  • General Examination System GENESYS
  • Investigation management software

Knowledge areas

  • English Language
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Law and Government
  • Mathematics
  • Administration and Management
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Administrative
  • Customer and Personal Service