New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Open-Competitive Examination Open to the Public

Senior Bank Examiner

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

On or before May 16, 2015, you must have a bachelor���s degree and five years of regulatory or industry experience as defined below:

Regulatory experience is defined as an employee of a bank regulatory agency in the United States whose primary duties are in the examination of banks, trust companies, savings banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, foreign agencies, foreign branches of investment companies affiliated with a bank, savings bank, trust company, or savings and loan or money service businesses.

Industry experience is defined as technical or supervisory experience in the United States as an employee or officer of a bank, savings bank, trust company, private bank or savings and loan association, a foreign bank���s licensed branch or agency, a public accounting firm, a bank or securities rating agency, a securities firm, investment bank, an insurance company, a mortgage banker, a commercial lending company, or other similar financial services organization. This experience must have been gained in any one or combination of the following: (1) as a trust officer with management or investment authority over estates and/or trusts or in trust operations, trust administration, or the audit and review of trust administration and fiduciary activities at a banking organization; (2) as an accountant with ongoing responsibility for the design, implementation, and review of accounting systems; (3) as an internal auditor with responsibility for conducting a full range of operational or financial audits, excluding those of retail functions; (4) as a person responsible for credit analysis of commercial loans, residential loans, and/or securities investments; (5) as a person responsible for the review and analysis of debt or equity instruments issued by financial institutions; (6) as a person responsible for the review and analysis of the financial condition of banks; (7) as a person with authority to approve commercial loans, residential or commercial mortgages, or who makes securities investments; (8) as a person responsible for compliance with banking law and regulation, including consumer protection laws, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, and fair lending statutes; (9) as a person responsible for conducting, managing, analyzing or auditing the trading, underwriting, hedging, and/or risk management of capital market instruments by banks or other financial institutions; (10) as a person responsible for financial and/or operational risk assessment; (11) as a person responsible for developing, analyzing, managing, or auditing the operations of IT systems at a bank or other financial institution (experience as a programmer or systems administrator will NOT be considered qualifying); or (12) as a person responsible for the development of internal controls for financial and operational systems.

Other experience which will NOT be considered qualifying includes, but is not limited to, duties confined solely to: clerical or administrative operations; operating equipment (such as bookkeeping machines and various types of automation equipment); bank teller duties; routine posting or review of accounting records; sales, marketing, or business development activities; documentary processing or reconciliation; securities processing or clearance functions and bank insurance. Experience gained in a management training program will also NOT be considered qualifying experience.

Notes

1. Your degree must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S2MAS.
2. A promotion examination is also being held for these positions. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
3. Although promotion examinations are being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.
4. Important: As the processing fee is non-refundable, verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT received by the Department of Civil Service. No late applications will be accepted after the filing deadline has passed.
5. Travel Requirements: Because these positions may require substantial travel, appointees must either possess a valid driver���s license to operate a motor vehicle in New York State or otherwise demonstrate their ability to meet the transportation needs of the job in carrying out their responsibilities in any location to which travel is required, including some locations not accessible by public transportation. Field work travel expenses will be reimbursed on a fixed schedule.
6. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
7. New York State residence is not required.

The Positions

These positions exist in the Department of Financial Services. The majority of the positions are in New York City.

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DUTIES

As a Senior Bank Examiner, you may be assigned to perform work in an office or in the field. When assigned in the field you would conduct in-depth examinations of small to moderate sized financial institutions and other businesses regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services, or assist in the examination of large institutions under the supervision of higher level bank examiners. When assigned to one of the Department���s offices you would review and analyze field examination reports and other periodic financial reports; process applications for licensing; perform compliance monitoring of regulated institutions; or perform activities related to complaint handling and/or investigations work. Senior Bank Examiners are assigned to field or office based on the operational needs of the Department.

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SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Effectively interacting with agency staff and members of the public - These questions will test candidates' knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with a variety of individuals and groups, to provide information about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices.
2. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
3. Principles of supervising and regulating banking and non-banking activities by the New York State Department of Financial Services - These questions will test for knowledge of the current environment as of September 30, 2014, and will deal with matters such as governance, management and internal controls; credit risk, credit risk management, asset quality and analysis; commercial and consumer lending; liquidity risk and liquidity risk management; capital market activities including market risk management; operational risk and operational risk management; informational technology and systems; trust and fiduciary activities; legal and compliance risk, including New York State Banking laws and regulations, the New York State Financial Services Law, the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the USA PATRIOT Act, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) requirements, laws pertaining to mortgage originations and servicing, consumer protection laws and regulations (e.g., federal and state laws and regulations, including among others the Consumer Financial Protection Act, Truth in Lending Act and Regulation Z, Equal Credit Opportunities Act and Regulation B, NY Community Reinvestment Act and NY���s fair lending law, Section 296-a of the Executive Law) ; accounting (GAAP and regulatory); internal audit; licensing requirements for depository institutions (i.e. banks and trust companies, foreign branches and agencies and credit unions); and licensing requirements for non-depository institutions (i.e. mortgage banks and brokers, money service businesses including check cashers, money transmitters and budget planners, and consumer/commercial finance businesses including sales finance, premium finance and licensed lenders). The following references may be helpful in preparing for this examination: Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Commercial Bank Examination Manual; FRB Trading and Capital-Markets Activities Manual; FRB Examination Manual for US Branches and Agencies of Foreign Banking Organizations; FDIC DOS Manual of Examination Policies; FDIC Trust Examination Manual; Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Call Report Instructions; FFIEC User's Guide for the Uniform Bank Performance Report; National Credit Union Administration Examiners Guide; Supervision and Regulation (SR) Letters; industry letters; and Financial Institution Letters (FIL)s. The following websites may be helpful in preparing for this examination: www.dfs.ny.gov; www.federalreserve.gov; www.ny.frb.org; www.fdic.gov; www.ffiec.gov; www.ncua.gov; www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg; www.hud.gov; www.ustreas.gov; www.dol.gov; www.osc.state.ny.us; www.fincen.gov; www.occ.gov; www.consumerfinance.gov; www.westlaw.com; www.findlaw.com.
4. Supervising a project - These questions test for the ability to conduct and supervise the activities necessary to achieve the goals and deadlines of a specific project. The questions cover such topics as setting up the project, developing the workplan for the project, assigning and reviewing work, evaluating performance and progress, coordinating phases of the project, handling problems as they arise, and meeting deadlines.
5. Understanding and interpreting tabular material - These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

Test Guide

A Guide to the Written Test for the Senior Bank Examiner is now available.

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How To Apply

If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474 6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627.

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S2/TB2 MAS-vla
Issued: 2/27/2015

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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