Vanessa Grimaldi
Orlando,USA
Summary
Commercial banking leader with over 18 years of experience in credit analytics, commercial and government-guaranteed lending, enterprise risk alignment, and digital modernization initiatives. Known for identifying structural gaps within credit and operational processes and developing innovative, practical solutions that improve execution, scalability, and risk discipline. Frequently engaged in strategic initiatives due to strong analytical judgment and ability to translate complex problems into clear, actionable frameworks. Proven track record of strengthening underwriting standards and transforming underperforming teams into high-performing, accountable organizations.
Overview
2026
2026
years of professional experience
Work History
Enterprise Risk & Data Integrity SME
CITI Bank
Consulting
- Conducted comprehensive gap analysis across multiple business lines and enterprise risk pillars to assess alignment with regulatory expectations and enterprise risk management frameworks under Consent Order remediation requirements.
- Performed structured data validation and quality assurance reviews, identifying discrepancies, systemic control weaknesses, and reporting inconsistencies impacting governance transparency.
- Identified recurring data integrity patterns and elevated findings to strengthen enterprise reporting reliability and risk oversight.
- Contributed subject matter input into corrective action planning efforts, ensuring remediation strategies addressed root causes and aligned with defined risk tolerance standards.
- Served as a liaison between business and technology teams, translating operational and risk requirements into clear technical specifications to ensure cross-functional alignment and effective remediation implementation.
- Coordinated across business units and technology functions to resolve data inconsistencies, enhance control documentation, and improve enterprise risk reporting integrity.
- Supported governance reporting processes by preparing structured summaries outlining deficiencies, risk impact, remediation status, and control enhancements for stakeholder and leadership review.
- Assisted in enterprise-wide data remediation and system enhancement initiatives designed to improve monitoring controls, documentation standards, and regulatory reporting transparency.
- Participated in Agile delivery processes, contributing to sprint planning and cross-functional execution to advance remediation milestones within established governance timelines.
SVP, Business Development Officer
United Community Bank
Florida
03.2025 - Current
- Developed and expanded SBA client relationships by structuring government-guaranteed lending solutions aligned with borrower needs and institutional risk standards.
- Facilitated the full SBA loan lifecycle, ensuring accuracy, documentation integrity, and compliance with SBA guidelines and internal credit policy.
- Analyzed borrower financial statements, global cash flow, and repayment capacity to evaluate creditworthiness and recommend appropriate financing structures.
- Sponsored SBA credit requests through formal approval channels, interacting directly with credit administration and loan review to advocate for well-structured transactions.
- Managed a diversified SBA pipeline, prioritizing workflow to meet closing timelines while maintaining high underwriting quality and client responsiveness.
- Collaborated with cross-functional partners including treasury, branch leadership, and credit teams to deliver integrated banking solutions beyond lending products.
- Conducted educational workshops and client presentations on SBA financing options, strengthening market presence and positioning as a trusted resource within the small business community.
- Provided guidance and informal training to internal team members on SBA lending products and underwriting standards to enhance execution consistency.
- Maintained a balanced approach to growth, credit quality, and profitability in alignment with institutional risk appetite.
- Strengthened regional SBA presence through disciplined relationship management, proactive networking, and consistent client advocacy.
Vice President - Government-Guaranteed Lending
BYLINE BANK
National
05.2022 - 11.2024
- Led and developed a team of SBA lending professionals, establishing performance expectations, underwriting standards, and accountability frameworks aligned with institutional objectives.
- Structured and executed complex SBA and commercial credit facilities, integrating financial analysis, risk assessment, and pricing discipline to align transactions with defined risk tolerance and growth objectives.
- Designed the franchise/vertical lending program by integrating sales strategy, risk parameters, and underwriting standards, establishing clear end-to-end processes to support scalable and disciplined growth.
- Developed standardized credit risk profiles and performance metrics to improve underwriting consistency and portfolio transparency.
- Led digital transformation initiative modernizing sales infrastructure through evaluation of CRM and pipeline management platforms, assessing scalability, integration capability, data integrity, and compliance alignment.
- Conducted enterprise gap analysis across sales, underwriting, closing, and post-close workflows to identify bottlenecks, workflow dependencies, and execution inefficiencies.
- Recommended revised credit packaging standards and clarified role accountability to reduce documentation exceptions and improve operational consistency.
- Performed competitive benchmarking analysis evaluating approval timelines, pricing dispersion, and structuring flexibility relative to peer institutions, delivering structured findings to senior leadership.
- Enhanced credit risk transparency through refinement of internal risk-rating consistency and development of performance metrics.
- Supported implementation planning for technology solutions and process improvements, ensuring adoption and minimal operational disruption.
Vice President - Commercial & SBA Lending
1st Home Bank
National
02.2020 - 05.2022
- Structured and executed commercial and government-guaranteed lending transactions by performing detailed financial statement analysis, global cash flow evaluation, and repayment risk assessment to ensure alignment with credit policy and defined risk tolerance.
- Prepared and presented comprehensive credit memoranda to senior credit leadership to support informed approval decisions and risk mitigation strategies.
- Conducted formal quarterly portfolio reviews by analyzing covenant compliance, liquidity trends, and borrower performance to identify emerging risk exposure.
- Led a cross-functional team responsible for the end-to-end facilitation of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, managing intake, underwriting validation, documentation review, and closing coordination to ensure regulatory compliance and processing efficiency.
- Developed and delivered underwriting standards training for outsourced credit teams to ensure consistency with internal credit policy and reduce documentation deficiencies.
- Assisted in the design and development of a proprietary loan operating system by defining business-line requirements and providing workflow input to improve operational transparency and execution efficiency.
- Contributed to the development of franchise verticals strategy by analyzing industry risk profiles, growth potential, and concentration exposure to support disciplined expansion within defined risk parameters.
- Supported alignment of marketing approach within targeted franchise verticals by evaluating underwriting standards and credit risk tolerance to ensure consistency with institutional appetite.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Marketing & Business Management
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida, FLSkills
Credit Risk Architecture & Framework Design
Digital Transformation & Technology Enablement
Operational Diagnostics & Process Optimization
Strategic Planning & Business Development
Portfolio Analytics & Performance Monitoring
Government Guarantee Lending Programs (504,7(a), USDA)
Franchise Lending & Industry Benchmarking
Vendor Assessment & Technology Integration
Regulatory Compliance & Policy Development
Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration
Competitive Intelligence & Market Analysis
Underwriting Standards & Credit Policy
Stakeholder Presentations & Executive Reporting
Team Development & Training Programs
Technical & Systems Proficiency
CRM & Workflow Platforms: Salesforce (Implementation & Process Integration)
Data & Reporting: Power BI, Tableau, Microsoft Excel
Project & Agile Tools: Jira, Confluence
Accomplishments
- Architected comprehensive franchise lending framework incorporating risk segmentation, royalty burden analysis, and performance modeling that established foundation for enterprise program expansion
- Led digital transformation initiative modernizing sales infrastructure and CRM systems while improving data transparency and workflow efficiency
- Conducted enterprise-wide operational assessment identifying structural bottlenecks and delivering strategic recommendations that enhanced scalability and approval consistency
- Developed standardized credit risk profiles and industry KPI benchmarks improving underwriting consistency and supporting portfolio monitoring
Timeline
SVP, Business Development Officer
United Community Bank
03.2025 - Current
Vice President - Government-Guaranteed Lending
BYLINE BANK
05.2022 - 11.2024
Vice President - Commercial & SBA Lending
1st Home Bank
02.2020 - 05.2022
Enterprise Risk & Data Integrity SME
CITI Bank
Bachelor of Science - Marketing & Business Management
University of Florida