According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation -- the government agency that insures deposits -- bank officers are responsible for the lawful day-to-day management of bank functions. In addition, they must follow the policies and business objectives set by the bank's directors. A banker's title reflects the officer's position in the bank's hierarchy and his level of responsibility.

Bank Officers' Titles

A bank's size determines the number of officers' titles. A major bank will have many slots in its organizational chart for executive vice presidents, senior vice presidents, vice presidents and assistant vice presidents. The higher the title, the wider the scope of responsibility. There are fewer officers' positions in community banks. An assistant vice president is a junior officer -- one who might have only three to five years of experience in a specialty, after completion of management training. Examples of specialized areas in banking include commercial lending, credit analysis, auditing, operations, international, systems, trust and more.

Commercial Loan Officers' Duties

An assistant vice president/commercial loan officer might be in charge of part of a community bank's loan portfolio. He would be called upon to bring new commercial, construction and consumer loan business to the bank. He might be challenged to help the bank meet certain annual loan and deposit goals. He would likely have to manage his part of the loan portfolio to ensure that it passes each year's audit and regulatory compliance examination. To qualify for the position, he would need a bachelor's degree in business, finance or accounting and three to five years of banking experience.

Credit Analysts' Duties

An assistant vice president/credit analyst in a regional bank assists loan officers in the loan-decision process. He analyzes financial statements and prepares spreadsheets, written analyses, reports and summaries for presentation to the bank's credit committee. He also manages files dedicated to existing credit relationships and conducts regular reviews to ensure compliance with loan-agreement covenants. He might have to monitor a portfolio of active loans to ensure that credit risk ratings are in order. Qualifications include a bachelor's degree in business, accounting or finance and five years of experience in credit analysis at a commercial lending institution. He would probably need an excellent level of knowledge of accounting, cash-flow analysis and financial ratios.

Internal Auditors' Duties

An assistant vice president/internal audit at a major bank might have to assess the adequacy of control procedures in departments such as treasury and securities services. He might participate with a team of technology business specialists and assess the adequacy of control around ongoing projects. He could be asked to plan, execute and document audit reports, when appropriate, and develop recommendations to strengthen internal controls. To qualify for the position, he would need a bachelor's degree in finance or accounting. In addition, he would probably need to be a certified public accountant or hold advanced degrees in finance or accounting. He might need five or six years of experience in public accounting or auditing with a financial services firm.