It's Time to Break Up With Your Spreadsheets
You deserve better. Break up with spreadsheets and streamline lending.
90% of spreadsheets with over 150 rows have at least 1 significant error. Stop putting your financial institution at risk and embrace technology that makes lending easier for your staff and your borrowers.
Relying on spreadsheets for complex commercial lending processes can leave institutions struggling with inefficiencies, security risks, and a lack of agility. These outdated systems often lead to manual errors and slow decision-making, hindering the ability to meet client expectations and adapt to market changes swiftly.
The philosophy of kaizen—embracing constant improvement as a way to transform challenges into opportunities for growth—couldn’t be more applicable for today’s community banks and credit unions. By adopting a scalable loan origination system with smart lending workflows like Baker Hill NextGen®, financial institutions can embark on a journey towards continuous enhancement and innovation. This isn’t just an upgrade in technology, but a strategic move towards a more efficient, secure, and borrower-centric lending process.
With Baker Hill NextGen®, institutions can streamline their operations, enhance decision-making capabilities, and ultimately provide a superior borrower experience. As you explore this webpage, consider how embracing these technological advancements today can lay the foundation for a more agile and successful tomorrow.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ready to break up with your spreadsheets? Request a demo and get started today!
Hidden Risks
Commercial lending is complex and relying on spreadsheets can feel like using a trusty old map – even when everyone else has GPS. While familiar, spreadsheets pose significant security risks, especially when handling sensitive financial data. They’re notorious for being easily shared without proper access controls, leaving your institution vulnerable to unauthorized access and data breaches. Imagine confidential client information circulating through emails or stored on personal devices—it’s a security nightmare waiting to happen.
Beyond security, spreadsheets struggle with data integrity and quality control. It’s no secret that errors in formulas or data entry are common—research suggests that up to 90% of spreadsheets contain mistakes. These errors might seem trivial at first, but in banking, they can lead to significant monetary losses and reputational damage. When you’re dealing with loan portfolios worth millions, a minor miscalculation can escalate into a major financial blunder.
Moreover, the challenge of version control adds another layer of complexity. Spreadsheets are frequently copied, modified, and shared, making it difficult to ensure everyone is working with the most current version. This can lead to outdated or inconsistent information circulating within your team, causing confusion and inefficiencies – or even worse compromising the accuracy of your decisions. In an industry where precision and accuracy are the north star, the last thing you need is a team relying on a tool that’s essentially a moving target. Transitioning to a smart workflow solution can address these issues, providing a more secure, reliable, and efficient way to handle lending operations.

Why It’s Time to Ditch Excel for Risk Management
Bankers frequently use spreadsheets for tasks like credit memos and risk management, but advancements in technology offer better solutions. As the nature of risk has evolved, relying on spreadsheets can create blind spots and shortcomings in monitoring portfolio risk.

Baker Hill NextGen® Statement Spreading empowers credit analysts to perform complex financial analysis efficiently across various loan types with integrated RMA data for comparisons. Reduce risk by ensuring consistent credit policy application and save time with streamlined credit summaries.
Inefficiency and Compliance Challenges
Operational efficiency is key to success in commercial lending, yet many institutions still rely on manual processes that can bog down productivity and negatively impact the customer experience. Picture this: loan officers spending hours sifting through endless spreadsheets and paperwork just to process a single application. It’s not only time-consuming but often frustrating for both staff and borrowers, who expect quick decisions and seamless service. When manual tasks eat up valuable time, it detracts from the personalized customer interactions that truly add value and foster loyalty.
On the compliance front, spreadsheets are risky business. Without proper access controls, sensitive information can easily fall into the wrong hands, increasing the risk of non-compliance with stringent financial regulations. Moreover, outdated risk calculations—often a byproduct of manual data handling—can lead to inaccuracies that leave your institution exposed to potential compliance problems or even regulatory penalties. In an industry where compliance is not just a checkbox but a critical operational pillar, these challenges can have far-reaching consequences.
Transitioning to a loan origination system with smart workflows enhances productivity and ensures compliance throughout the lending process. By automating routine tasks, your team can focus on what truly matters—building relationships and delivering exceptional service to borrowers. This also ensures that your data is always current and secure, safeguarding your institution against compliance risks. Embracing technology not only streamlines operations but also positions your institution as a forward-thinking leader in your community.

Lending Policies & Processes that Mitigate Risk in Any Economy
While the future is unpredictable, financial institutions that make informed decisions aligned with their unique credit policies and risk frameworks can position themselves for profitable long-term growth.

Using spreadsheets for risk management funcitions like tickler management opens the door for missing crititcal items needed to perfect your loans. Baker Hill NextGen® Exception Tracking centralizes tickler management to keep your teams informed, streamlining borrower requests and standardizing processes across your entire portfolio.
Tackling Your Ticklers: The Importance of Automating Tickler Management
Lending Made Easy: Season 3, Episode 15
In Season 3, Episode 15 of Lending Made Easy, hosts Bryan Peckinpaugh and Mitch Woods discuss the importance of automation in tickler management throughout the lending process to track exceptions and ensure regulatory compliance. By streamlining operations through automation, lenders can not only minimize the risk of human error but also develop stronger, more meaningful relationships with borrowers, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run. This episode is a must-listen for anyone in the lending industry looking to enhance their exception management processes and stay ahead of the curve.
Transform the Lending Process
Transforming the lending experience is all about embracing the power of data and automation to enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction. Think of data as the engine and automation as the gas pedal working together to drive your lending process, streamlining everything from application to funding. With smart lending workflows, manual bottlenecks become a thing of the past, allowing your team to focus on high-value tasks rather than getting bogged down by paperwork. Automation ensures that each step of the lending journey is quick, accurate, and seamless, reducing turnaround times and increasing productivity across the board.
But the transformation doesn’t stop at efficiency. A unified platform elevates the customer experience by providing a single, cohesive environment for client interactions. Imagine clients navigating a smooth, intuitive process—from their initial inquiry to loan approval—without the usual back-and-forth frustrations. By having all information and communication centralized in one platform, clients receive timely updates and personalized service, enhancing their overall satisfaction and loyalty.
Adopting smart workflow solutions not only streamlines your operations but also positions your institution as a customer-focused leader in the community. By prioritizing both efficiency and client satisfaction, you create a lending experience that doesn’t just meet the expectations of today’s tech-savvy borrowers—it exceeds them.

Stop Calling It Digital Transformation. It’s an Evolution.
Digital transformation is becoming an outdated concept, as it suggests a future state that is complete. Learn why "digital evolution" is a more fitting term for today's financial instutions, emphasizing continuous improvement and ongoing opportunities powered by technology.

Baker Hill NextGen® Client Portal transforms the digital experience for borrowers and bankers alike by streamlining document gathering and enhancing communication, all while ensuring the security your institution demands.
Stop Calling it Digital Transformation
Lending Made Easy: Season 3, Episode 10
In Season 3, Episode 10 of “Lending Made Easy,” hosts Bryan Peckinpaugh and Mitch Woods discuss the importance of the mindset of digital evolution versus the concept of digital transformation in banking. They argue that banks and credit unions should view digital initiatives as ongoing processes rather than one-time projects, emphasizing that a continuous, evolutionary approach is crucial for remaining competitive.
A Competitive Edge

Embracing technology that offers not just efficiency, but also security and reliability means gaining a competitive edge. Enter a loan origination system. Smart workflow solutions—cloud-based platforms designed to transform how financial institutions operate. These systems enhance data integrity and security by seamlessly integrating with core systems, allowing data entered once to be accessed everywhere. With their robust features and real-time updates, these platforms provide a unified view of information, streamlining processes and improving efficiency across the board.
But the advantages don’t stop there. When it comes to compliance and risk management, digital solutions shine brightly. They are tailored to align seamlessly with regulatory requirements, reducing the risks associated with manual data handling and outdated processes. By automating risk assessments and compliance checks, your team can focus more on strategic initiatives rather than getting bogged down by administrative tasks.
By prioritizing a loan origination system and smart lending workflows, you’re not just keeping up with the competition—you’re setting the standard. This forward-thinking approach attracts clients who value innovation and reliability, solidifying your place as a trusted partner in the community.
Lessons From America's Top Commercial Lenders
There will always be challenges in commercial lending, but forward-thinking bankers can still find opportunities by following proven strategies from top community bank commercial lenders.

To get a commercial loan across the finish line, it takes a team. Credit, Lending, Risk, and Operations must be aligned, using the same data, and following strong processes. The solution — a commercial loan origination system with smart lending workflows.
With Baker Hill NextGen® Accelerate, the sum is greater than its parts. Bringing together statement spreading, exception tracking, a client portal, pipeline management and intuitive applications for borrowers and bankers — lending becomes easy. Backed by smart workflows, flexible templates, and a best-practice credit memo, the Accelerate platform jumpstarts your digital evolution.
Embrace the Future of Lending
Break up with your spreadsheets and embrace the future of lending with Baker Hill, where innovation meets efficiency to evolve lending for community banks and credit unions. Baker Hill NextGen® is designed with a suite of features that streamline processes, enhance decision-making, and drive growth. With its user-friendly interface, scalability, and robust reporting, Baker Hill NextGen® empowers your team to make informed decisions quickly, ultimately improving the borrower experience.
But don’t just take our word for it—read about some financial institutions that have broken up with their manual processes and embraced a digital experience with Baker Hill:

Discover why centralized lending software is critical for commercial lending and why it’s time to move away from outdated spreadsheets that can no longer handle critical functions effectively for your financial institution.
Lessons From America's Top Commercial Lenders
There will always be challenges in commercial lending, but forward-thinking bankers can still find opportunities by following proven strategies from top community bank commercial lenders.
Conclusion
Breaking up with your spreadsheets and embracing a loan origination system with smart lending workflows marks a pivotal shift for financial institutions aiming to thrive in the modern lending landscape. This transition paves the way for enhanced efficiency and superior customer satisfaction. By eliminating the bottlenecks and redundancies of outdated manual processes, your team can focus on delivering high-value services that truly matter.
Adopting technology isn’t just about immediate improvements—it’s about setting the stage for sustainable growth and long-term success in commercial lending. These digital advancements empower your institution to respond swiftly to market changes, make informed decisions with confidence, and provide an exceptional client experience that sets you apart from the competition. As you embrace this new era of innovation, you’re not only future-proofing your operations but also positioning your institution as a leader in your community. The time to transform is now, and the benefits will resonate far beyond today.
Ready to evolve your lending process? Schedule a demo today and take the first step towards a smarter, more efficient future in lending.