WorkflowCommercial & Corporate Lending

Credit Memo Automation

Credit memo automation: the full memo drafted from the spread and the file, every number cited

A cited first draft the same day, not after days of pasting.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo113numbersin the first draft of a 14-page memo, each one tied to its page
demo12numbersupdated and 3 paragraphs rewritten from one spread change, all marked for the analyst
targetSamedayfrom an approved spread to a cited first draft
typical5×faster corporate credit reports with automated memos, 20 hours to 4
In short

What is Credit Memo Automation?

Software that writes the credit memo for you once the spreading is done — request, borrower, industry, financial analysis, cash flow, collateral, guarantors, structure, exceptions, risks, grade and conditions. Credit Memo Automation uses six agents to write every section in your bank’s own template from the approved spread and the deal file, with every number cited to its page.

How to choose AI solutions for lending →

Updated

The problem

Why the memo takes longer than the spread

Once the statements are spread, the credit work is only half done. The memo still has to be written — request, borrower and management, industry, financial analysis, business and global cash flow, collateral, guarantors, structure, policy exceptions, risks and mitigants, risk grade, conditions — usually by pasting tables from the spread into the bank’s template and describing the file again in words.

Then the deal moves. The relationship manager changes an amount, the CPA sends the K-1s, a rate is repriced, and every number that depended on the old figure is somewhere in fourteen pages. The analyst hunts for each one by hand, and the underwriting manager reading 1.60x cannot see where it came from without opening the spread and the file.

typical20hoursof effort per corporate credit report, written by hand
typical6.5%error rate for single data entry into spreadsheets
demo14pagesto search for every number a rate or amount change touches
Where a memo’s days go, after the spread is approvedestimated
By hand3 days
With the solution0.5 days
  • Pasting spread tables into the template0.8 → 0.1 d
  • Describing the borrower, guarantors and collateral0.8 → 0.1 d
  • Testing the structure against policy0.5 → 0.1 d
  • Risks, mitigants and the grade rationale0.5 → 0.1 d
  • Updating every number after a change0.3 → 0.0 d
  • Underwriting review and questions back0.3 → 0.2 d

Estimated split for a typical middle-market memo, in days, by hand and with the solution.

How it works

How a memo is made

Six specialist agents write, cite and keep every section in step with the spread; the credit analyst edits, accepts and sends.

What comes in
Spread and file in38 documents · spread, statements, returns, appraisal, policy
Agents at work
File readerevery figure with its page
Then
Spread and cash flow analyst
Memo writer
Then
Policy checker
Risk grader
Then
Consistency checkera spread change rewrites what depends on it
A person decides
Credit analystedits, accepts, sends
What comes out
Cited memo
Exceptions and grade
Change log
One case, step by step

One memo, from approved spread to committee

Brennick Precision Components, a CNC machining shop and a customer of Halvern Bank & Trust since 2014, asks for $19,000,000 across three facilities. Here is the memo being written and changed, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 01Monday morning

    Spread approved, file complete, memo still blank

    Hannah Okafor · Senior commercial credit analyst

    Hannah approved spread v3 on Friday at 16:48; two minutes later the file reader marked the deal file complete — 38 documents, 412 pages. The memo opens in the bank’s Commercial credit memo v2026.2 template with all 12 sections waiting, and the documents each section will be written from already in the margin.

    “Everything the memo needs is in.”

  2. 02One click

    “Write the memo” — written top to bottom, in front of her

    Memo writer

    The sections fill in order while the run log shows each agent’s work: the file reader indexed 1,906 figures with their page; the spread and cash flow analyst took spread v3 — cash available for debt service $3,880,000, DSCR 1.60x, global 1.42x. Structure, covenants and pricing come with the cushion on each covenant and the relationship return.

  3. 03Drafted

    Fourteen pages, every number underlined

    The agents

    The recommendation reads like the bank wrote it: $19,000,000 in a renewed $8,000,000 revolving line, a $6,800,000 equipment term loan and a $4,200,000 real estate term loan, guaranteed by Daniel Brennick and Laura Brennick-Ortiz. Two policy exceptions are found and mitigated, and risk grade 5 — Acceptable — is proposed. Above the CCO’s $15,000,000 authority, so it goes to loan committee.

    “Memo writer done · 14 pages · 113 numbers, each with its page.”

  4. 04Any number

    Click a figure, see the page it came from

    Hannah Okafor · Senior commercial credit analyst

    In the collateral table Hannah clicks the plant value. The drawer opens the Lakeshore Valuation Group appraisal of 2250 Ironwood Industrial Drive at page 2 of 86, with “Final value, as is, fee simple — $5,400,000” highlighted, and lists the sections that cite it: §2, §6 and §9. That value is why the real estate loan to value is 77.8% against a 75% maximum.

  5. 0508:52

    Two documents disagree — she decides, with a reason

    Hannah Okafor · Senior commercial credit analyst

    Daniel Brennick’s personal financial statement lists $1,920,000 of liquid assets; his brokerage statement of 31 August shows $1,410,000, after a $520,000 withdrawal on 14 July for a house build. Hannah uses the verified figure and records why. Combined guarantor liquidity is $2,040,000 against the $1,900,000 the policy needs — 10% of guaranteed debt, §6.2.

    “Two documents in the file disagree. The agents use neither until you choose.”

  6. 0609:05

    The K-1s arrive — one cell changes, the memo follows

    Hannah Okafor · Senior commercial credit analyst

    Vandermolen & Pike CPAs send the 2025 K-1s: tax distributions were $1,717,000, not the $1,050,000 the interim statements estimated. Hannah types the figure into spread row 55. Spread v4: cash available for debt service falls to $3,213,000, DSCR to 1.32x, global DSCR to 1.18x, the EBITDA −20% stress to 0.82x — and the recommendation rewrites itself with the new figures.

    “12 numbers updated and 3 paragraphs rewritten in 7 sections; a new exception and its mitigant added. Nothing is final until you accept.”

  7. 07Same minute

    A new exception, and a mitigant with its sources

    Policy checker · Memo writer

    Global coverage of 1.18x is below the 1.20x minimum in policy §4.2, so exception 3 appears in §9, and §10 gains a new risk: cash flow after distributions. The mitigant suspends $480,000 of other distributions until global coverage is at least 1.25x for two consecutive quarters — business coverage 1.52x and global 1.35x without them. Both passages are marked “New · from spread v4”.

  8. 08Checked

    Structure, cash flow and every limit against policy

    Spread and cash flow analyst

    Facilities and pro forma debt service of $2,430,581, each policy limit as a bar — global coverage 1.18x, real estate loan to value 77.8% and inventory advance rate 55% flagged as exceptions — the stress cases, and the table of every figure that depended on the change, before and after, with the section and source.

  9. 09Proposed

    Grade 5 — Acceptable, with the reason for every factor

    Risk grader

    The weighted scorecard is 5.05 and rounds to 5, from 4 in the October 2024 memo. The move comes from leverage — 2.97x pro forma against 1.71x a year ago — and from coverage of 1.32x once the K-1 tax distributions are in. The grade is a proposal: Martin Asher and the committee set the final grade.

    “Proposed · the approver sets the grade.”

  10. 1010:12

    Accepted, checked, sent the same morning

    Hannah Okafor · Senior commercial credit analyst

    At 09:08 Hannah accepts the 12 updated numbers and 3 rewritten paragraphs. All seven readiness checks pass — 130 of 130 numbers cite a page, no open conflicts, the latest figures in the spread, every change accepted, every exception mitigated — and she sends the memo to Renee Dubois for review, due today at 17:00, on its way to Thursday’s loan committee with three exceptions.

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who touches a credit memo.

The same Brennick memo, seen by the four people who carry it to committee — what their week looked like, and what it looks like now.

HO
Hannah OkaforSenior commercial credit analyst
Credit analyst
Before
Spends three days after the spread pasting tables and re-describing the file, then hunts through the memo every time a figure moves.
Now
Reads, edits and accepts a cited draft written in front of her; a spread change rewrites what depends on it and waits for her.
RD
Renee DuboisUnderwriting manager · reviews every memo
Reviewer
Before
Sees 1.60x in the memo and has to open the spread and the file to find where it came from.
Now
Clicks any number for its page, and reads every edit on the change log with before and after.
TB
Tyler BrandtRelationship manager, middle-market banking
Relationship manager
Before
The last documents arrive days before committee, and he asks whether the memo can still go Thursday.
Now
The CPA’s K-1s arrive at 09:05 and the memo is on Renee’s desk at 10:12, with the new exception already mitigated.
MA
Martin AsherChief Credit Officer · approves to $15M, chairs loan committee
Approver
Before
Gets exceptions scattered through the memo, without their policy section or mitigant beside them.
Now
Sees every credit on Thursday’s agenda with its grade and exceptions, each with its policy section and mitigant.
Built on the engine

6 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Six specialist agents write, cite and keep every section in step with the spread; the credit analyst edits, accepts and sends.

File reader

Reads every document in the deal file — statements, tax returns, personal financial statements, appraisals, field exams, quotes — and indexes each figure with its page.

  • Never keys a number it cannot point to on a page
  • Raises conflicts, never resolves them
Spread and cash flow analyst

Takes the approved spread and computes ratios, business and global cash flow, pro forma debt service and the stress cases.

  • Uses only the spread version the analyst approved
  • Never changes the spread the analyst approved
Memo writer

Drafts each of the 12 sections in the bank’s own template from the spread, the file and the prior memo, with every number and claim cited.

  • Never writes a number or claim without its source
  • Never states a mitigant as fact without a page
  • Says when it carries forward text from the last approved memo
Policy checker

Tests coverage, global coverage, leverage, loan to value, advance rates and guarantor liquidity against credit policy, and lists each exception with its section, the actual, the limit and who approves it.

  • Never waives or approves an exception
Risk grader

Scores the commercial scorecard and proposes a grade on the bank’s 1–9 scale, with the reason for each factor.

  • Proposes only — the approver sets the grade
Consistency checker

Keeps the memo in step with the spread: when a figure, amount, rate or term changes, it finds every number and passage that depends on it, has them recomputed and rewritten, re-runs the policy test and marks each change.

  • Never accepts its own changes
  • Never edits a section the analyst has locked
Credit analyst

Owns the memo; the underwriting manager reviews, the committee decides. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask why the memo says what it says

Ask where any number in the memo comes from, what a spread change rewrites — or why a passage says what it says. Every answer points to its source.

Where does the cash for debt service come from?

From spread v3, trailing twelve months to 30 June: EBITDA $6,050,000, less unfinanced capital expenditures of $640,000, tax distributions of $1,050,000 and other distributions of $480,000 — $3,880,000 for debt service. Against pro forma debt service of $2,430,581 that is 1.60x against the 1.25x minimum, and 1.42x globally against 1.20x.

Why is Daniel Brennick’s liquidity $1.41M, not $1.92M?

His personal financial statement of 30 June lists $1,920,000 of cash and securities. His brokerage statement of 31 August shows $1,410,000, after a $520,000 wire on 14 July for a house build. Policy §6.2 asks for verified liquidity, so the later third-party figure is the one to use. With Laura’s $630,000, the guarantors hold $2,040,000.

What does the memo say if tax distributions are $1,717,000?

The CPA’s 2025 K-1s put tax distributions at $1,717,000, not the $1,050,000 estimate in the interims. Cash for debt service moves from $3,880,000 to $3,213,000, DSCR from 1.60x to 1.32x, global DSCR from 1.42x to 1.18x and the EBITDA −20% stress from 1.10x to 0.82x. Global coverage falls below the 1.20x minimum: a new exception, and §10 gains a mitigant.

How does the mitigant restore global coverage?

Other distributions of $480,000 are suspended until global coverage is at least 1.25x for two quarters. Without them DSCR is 1.52x and global DSCR 1.35x. Tax distributions of $1,717,000 stay: they are the owners’ tax on the company’s income, and the shareholder agreement requires them. The condition is in §12.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

The living memoThe live spread on the left, the memo in the bank’s template in the centre, the source of every number in the margin.
Ready to writeSpread approved and file complete: the 12 sections wait, each with the documents it will be written from.
Written in placeSections fill in top to bottom while the run log shows what each agent read and computed.
The source of a numberClick any figure to open its page with the value highlighted, and see every section that uses it.
A conflict to resolveTwo documents disagree on the guarantor’s liquidity; the analyst chooses and records the reason.
One spread change, the memo rewrittenTax distributions change in row 55: 12 numbers and 3 paragraphs update, marked for the analyst to accept or undo.
New exception and mitigantGlobal coverage below the policy minimum adds exception 3 and a new mitigant, each with its sources.
Structure and cash flowFacilities and debt service, every policy limit as a bar, the stress cases and every figure the change moved.
Exceptions and gradeEach exception with its policy section and mitigant, and the proposed grade with the scorecard behind it.
The change logEvery edit by an agent or a person, before and after, with the versions kept for the credit file.
Ready to sendSeven readiness checks, the recommendation and the approval path from analyst to loan committee.
Loan committeeThursday’s credits with amount, grade, exceptions, analyst and memo status; memos lock 24 hours before.
Template and policyThe memo template, citation and conflict rules, policy limits, stress cases and approval authority.
Governance

Built for credit work examiners read: cited, accepted, on the record.

Every number cites a pageEach number and claim in the memo is tied to the document and page it came from. A memo with an uncited number cannot be sent for review.
Conflicts are raised, never settled quietlyWhen two documents disagree on a figure, the agents use neither. The analyst chooses, and the choice and its reason go on the change log.
The analyst accepts every changeAgent changes are marked in place and wait for the analyst — number by number or all at once, with Undo restoring the accepted memo.
Exceptions with section, limit and approverEach policy exception shows the policy section, the actual, the limit, its mitigant and who approves it. The agents never waive or approve one.
The grade is proposed, not setThe risk grader proposes a grade on the bank’s 1–9 scale with the reason for each scorecard factor. The approver sets the final grade.
Every edit on the recordEvery edit, by an agent or a person, is on the change log with before and after, and each version is kept for the credit file. Memos lock 24 hours before committee.
Configuration

Your template and your credit policy

The template, policy limits and approval rules every memo is drafted and checked against are settings. Changes are versioned and on the change log.

SettingDefaultChoose from
Memo templateCommercial credit memo v2026.2 · 12 sectionsYour template; 12 sections in the working solution
Every number must cite a pageOnOn · off
Conflicting sourcesRaise to the analyst, use neitherRaise to the analyst, use neither · use the most recent verified document · use the lower figure and note it
Debt service coverage, minimum1.25x · global minimum 1.20xAny minimum, set with − and +
Senior funded debt to EBITDA, maximum3.00x3.00x · 2.75x · 3.50x
Owner-occupied real estate, maximum loan to value75% of as-is appraised value75% · 80% · 70%
Stress casesEBITDA −10%, −20% · rate +200 bpsEBITDA −10%, −20% · rate +200 bps, or EBITDA −25% · rate +300 bps
Approval authorityUnderwriting manager review · CCO to $15,000,000 · loan committee aboveReviewer Renee Dubois or Jonah Reyes · CCO limit $10,000,000, $15,000,000 or $20,000,000
Connections

Works with the file you already build

Your spreadsthe approved spread and global cash flow
The deal requestthe term sheet and proposed structure
Credit policy and memo templatelimits, scorecard and the bank’s sections
Financial statements and tax returnsaudited statements, interims, business and personal returns, K-1s
Collateral and guarantor documentsappraisals, field exams, personal financial statements, brokerage and bank statements
Prior memosthe last approved memo for the borrower, carried forward and marked
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

target
Sameday
from an approved spread to a cited first draft
By handanother few days
With agentssame day
target
100%
of the memo's numbers traceable to a source page
113 of 113 numbers
on the hero memo
typical
5×
faster corporate credit reports with automated memos, 20 hours to 4
TodayWith agents

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample deal · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate · “typical” = published figures (Moody’s automated credit memo, Taishin case — 20 hours to 4 per corporate credit report; Community Bankers Association of Georgia, Ensuring Commercial Lending Stability, 2025 — memo writing takes “another few days” after data entry, and a 6.5% error rate for single data entry in spreadsheets, NCBI 2008, cited there). People, banks and companies named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What credit teams ask us.

What is credit memo automation?

Software that writes the credit memo for you once the spreading is done — request, borrower, industry, financial analysis, cash flow, collateral, guarantors, structure, exceptions, risks, grade and conditions. Credit Memo Automation uses six agents to write every section in your bank’s own template from the approved spread and the deal file, with every number cited to its page.

Does it write the memo in our template?

Yes. The memo template and its sections are a setting; the working solution uses a 12-section commercial credit memo. The memo writer can carry forward the borrower and management text from the last approved memo, and says when it has.

How can a reviewer check where a number came from?

Every number in the draft is underlined. Click it, a source chip or a whole sentence and the page it came from opens with the figure highlighted, along with the other sections that use it. A memo with an uncited number cannot be sent for review.

What happens when the deal or the spread changes?

Type a new figure into the spread and the consistency checker finds every number and passage that depends on it, has them recomputed and rewritten, and re-runs the policy test. Each change is marked in place, and nothing is final until the analyst accepts — or presses Undo to restore the accepted memo.

Does the AI approve policy exceptions or set the risk grade?

No. The policy checker lists each exception with its policy section, the actual, the limit and who approves it, but never waives or approves one. The risk grader proposes a grade on the bank’s 1–9 scale with reasons; the approver sets the final grade.

How does it handle documents that disagree?

When two documents give different values for the same figure — a personal financial statement and a later brokerage statement, say — the agents use neither. The analyst chooses, and the choice and its reason are recorded on the change log.

Do credit people stay in control?

Yes. The credit analyst owns the memo and accepts every agent change; the underwriting manager reviews every memo before it goes to an approver; the Chief Credit Officer and loan committee decide within their authority.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements — your memo template, your credit policy and a sample of past memos and deal files — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will show it on one of your own approved spreads first.

See it on
your next memo.

We’ll draft a memo from one of your own approved spreads and deal files.