The third International Conference on Credit Analysis and Risk Management will take place Aug. 21-22 on Oakland University’s campus. Presentations by business and academic experts will focus on credit analysis at the global level, along with new and existing models and methods for credit risk management, credit analysis and relationship lending.
The only event of its kind, the two-day conference features keynote speakers from Citibank, Comerica, Ford Motor Credit and University of Michigan – combined with 28 presentations and panel discussions by financial and accounting experts from across the world. The conference will cover a wide range of applications, from retail to commercial credit, while offering opportunities to network with business leaders, industry colleagues and emerging business talent.
“The primary benefit of Oakland’s conference on Credit Analysis and Risk Management is that it brings experienced speakers from both business and academe together for a dynamic discussion on a topic that directly impacts our economy – namely, how to manage financial transactions in a global business environment,” said Gene Grabowski, an OU economics graduate and member of the conference’s organizing committee.
New this year, participants may also earn an Executive Certificate of Education in Credit Analysis if they register for and attend the certificate portion of the conference on Friday, Aug. 22. This four-hour seminar runs concurrently with the conference and focuses on commercial, international and retail credit, as well as credit derivatives. Certificate registrants may attend both days of the conference, which is geared toward a broad range of professionals, including credit analysts, lending officers, executive-level administrators and lending trainees. Continuing education credits for CPAs and others also will be available.
For more information, or to register for the conference, visit the website at www.oakland.edu/business/accounting-and-finance. The cost is $235 to attend the conference and $295 to attend the conference and seminar. The deadline to register is Thursday, Aug. 7.
The conference themes are especially relevant in light of recent municipal and sovereign bond defaults, organizers say. Advancing awareness of credit analysis also can help prevent the excesses and crises of the past.
“In the two prior conferences, the focus was on the aftermath of the financial crisis and the ensuing credit crunch,” said Grabowski, who serves as an analytic team leader for SAS, a business analytics software and services company.
“Now that economic conditions have improved, it will be interesting to get a perspective on future challenges and how to avoid past mistakes.”
The conference appeals to professionals from a variety of backgrounds, including finance, credit analysis, risk management and academia.
“Most of the people who attend are pretty sophisticated,” said J. Austin Murphy, program co-chair and finance professor in OU’s School of Business Administration. “Many people come from banks and lending companies.”
Established in 2011, the conference is sponsored by the Oakland University’s School of Business Administration’s Department of Accounting and Finance, and hosted alternately between Oakland University and business education centers in Europe.
The first and second conferences resulted in dedicated special issues of the Journal of Credit Risk and Credit and Capital Markets. In addition, Cambridge Scholars Publishing summarized the conference papers and panel discussions.
The conference will take place on Thursday, August 21 from 1 - 5 p.m. and Friday, August 22, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Elliott Hall on Oakland University’s campus. For additional information about the conference, contact Kristy Mitchell, associate director of corporate and foundation relations at kamitche@oakland.edu or (248) 364-6165.