The Learning Curve
We’re harnessing AI and advanced learning science to help bank credit teams learn faster and retain more. Follow along as we share our journey, industry insights, and the technology and macroeconomic trends shaping credit.
Following the news? Read This Week in Credit Risk, our weekly curated credit roundup.
All articles
Why We Rebuilt How Credit Training Is Taught
Shockproof’s UCA-based credit method has trained 125,000+ bankers since 2000. Why we kept the method, retired live webinars and added expert coaching.
Three Rules From Richard Mayer We Apply to Every Training Slide
Redundancy, signaling and coherence: three of Richard Mayer’s multimedia learning principles, what each means, and how each changes a credit training slide.
Adults Need the Problem Before the Concept
Knowles’s andragogy says adults need the problem before the concept. How that idea, and control of their own pace, shapes 10-15 minute credit modules.
What Is UCA Cash Flow, and When Does It Matter More Than EBITDA?
UCA cash flow shows whether EBITDA turned into cash. How the two compare, and the borrower situations where UCA changes the answer: fast growth, lines that never pay down, heavy capital spending and large distributions.
What Does It Mean to Spread Financial Statements?
Spreading financial statements maps a borrower’s numbers into the bank’s template so ratios and cash flow compare. Why banks do it, and the questions a good spread raises.
How Do You Calculate Global Cash Flow for a Commercial Loan?
Global cash flow combines a business’s and its guarantors’ cash flow to test total debt service. The global DSCR formula, an example, and when it matters most.
How Does a Rate Increase Affect DSCR?
A rate increase raises debt service on floating rate loans and shrinks DSCR. A worked example, how fast coverage erodes, and how lenders stress test for it.
The New Shockproof Launches October 5
On October 5 the new Shockproof launches: six new learning paths, 10-15 minute modules, learning checks, quizzes and two certificates.
This Week in Credit Risk: The Rate Hike’s First Week, Third-Party Risk, and an OCC Workshop
A week after the September 2026 Fed hike: how the increase reaches variable rate borrowers and DSCR, plus proposed third-party risk management guidance.
This Week in Credit Risk: The Fed Raises Rates for the First Time Since 2023
The Fed raised rates to 3.75% to 4.00% on September 16, 2026, its first hike since 2023. Three steps for credit teams, from tight borrowers to CRE maturities.
This Week in Credit Risk: The OCC and FDIC Narrow the Scope of MRAs
The OCC and FDIC final rule, effective November 2, limits MRAs to practices that could materially harm a bank or violate law. What it means for credit teams.
This Week in Credit Risk: De Novo Banks, Faster FDIC Reviews, and CRA Comments
The OCC received 40 de novo bank applications in 18 months, the FDIC targets 120-day contingent approval, and CRA comments are due October 13.
How Commercial Lending Works, and How New Hires Learn to Think Like a Lender
How commercial lending works for new bankers: the 5 C’s of credit, three sources of repayment, core loan types, collateral, and the credit approval process.
Shockproof Your Team with Expert Coaching
Expert coaching for bank and credit union credit teams: skills assessments, a development path for each analyst, help on real deals, and progress reporting.
How a New Bank Hire Learns to Read a Business
New credit analysts need reading fluency before analysis: financial statements, business tax returns and property operating statements. What to learn first.
This Week in Credit Risk: A CRA Overhaul, Ag Lending, and a New CBLR Guide
The 2026 CRA proposal would set small banks at under $1 billion and large at over $10 billion. Plus the CBLR drop to 8% and community bank ag lending.
This Week in Credit Risk: The Fed Holds with Three Dissents, Sentiment Slips, and New Lending Guidance
The July 2026 FOMC held rates with three dissents for a hike, the Q2 CSBS sentiment index fell to 129, and new interagency repayment guidance arrived.