Bank Operations Track

Program Overview

This free, self-directed track teaches the operational mechanics of modern banking institutions. Students learn how banks gather deposits, onboard customers, process transactions, operate payment channels, extend credit, monitor risk, maintain liquidity, and coordinate compliance and control functions across the institution.

The through-line is simple: banks transform deposits, payments, and credit into a coordinated financial operating system. They must move money safely, record balances accurately, evaluate borrowers carefully, manage regulatory obligations, and preserve public confidence through strong controls and financial discipline.

Students gain practical literacy in deposit systems, customer servicing, branch and digital operations, payment infrastructure, lending workflows, treasury management, fraud prevention, regulatory compliance, operational controls, and institutional governance.

Track Units

• Layer 1: Financial Foundations

  How banking works financially.

• Unit 1: Financial Foundations for Banking

  Interest, compounding, credit fundamentals, balance sheets, liquidity, and time value of money.

• Unit 2: Structure of the Banking System

  Central banks, regulators, payment networks, and the roles of commercial banks.

• Unit 3: Bank Balance Sheets and Accounting

  Assets, liabilities, net interest income, loan loss reserves, and bank profitability.

• Unit 4: Bank Capital and Financial Stability

  Capital ratios, risk-weighted assets, leverage limits, and systemic stability.

• Layer 2: Bank Products & Customer Relationships

  What banks actually sell and how customers enter the system.

• Unit 5: Deposit Products and Account Structures

  Checking, savings, CDs, custodial accounts, and account servicing.

• Unit 6: Customer Onboarding and Identity Verification

  KYC, identity verification, documentation, and customer approval.

• Unit 7: Branch Banking and Retail Operations

  Teller systems, branch workflows, cash handling, and customer service operations.

• Unit 8: Digital Banking and Self-Service Channels

  Online banking, mobile apps, self-service account access, alerts, and digital service channels.

• Unit 9: Bank Product Ecosystem

  Consumer banking, commercial banking, treasury services, merchant services, and wealth services.

• Unit 10: Treasury Services and Cash Management Operations

  Commercial cash management, ACH origination, wire services, liquidity tools, receivables systems, and corporate treasury servicing.

• Unit 11: Merchant Services and Payment Acceptance

  Merchant acquiring, payment terminals, gateway integrations, settlement flows, and merchant account operations.

• Layer 3: Core Banking Infrastructure

  The operational machinery of banking.

• Unit 12: Core Banking Systems

  Account ledgers, transaction systems, posting engines, and operational banking infrastructure.

• Unit 13: Deposit Operations and Account Servicing Infrastructure

  Account maintenance, statement cycles, account restrictions, service requests, and deposit servicing systems.

• Unit 14: Payment Systems and Settlement Networks

  ACH, wire transfers, clearing systems, settlement cycles, and interbank payment infrastructure.

• Unit 15: Card Networks and Electronic Payment Channels

  Debit cards, credit cards, ATM networks, merchant routing, and electronic payment channels.

• Unit 16: Correspondent Banking and Interbank Services

  Nostro and vostro accounts, cross-border settlement relationships, international wire processing, and bank-to-bank service infrastructure.

• Unit 17: Digital Banking Platforms and Financial Technology Integration

  Online banking platforms, mobile systems, API banking, fintech integrations, and digital account services.

• Unit 18: Reconciliation, Exception Processing, and Operational Control Systems

  Transaction matching, suspense items, break resolution, reconciliations, and operational control routines.

• Unit 19: Data Management, Reporting Systems, and Banking Analytics

  Banking data infrastructure, operational reporting pipelines, transaction analytics, regulatory data systems, and institutional performance monitoring.

• Layer 4: Lending and Credit Operations

  How deposits become loans.

• Unit 20: Consumer Lending Operations

  Personal loans, auto loans, credit cards, installment lending, and consumer credit workflows.

• Unit 21: Commercial Lending Operations

  Business loans, credit facilities, working capital lending, and commercial borrower structures.

• Unit 22: Real Estate and Secured Lending Operations

  Residential mortgages, commercial real estate lending, collateralized lending, and secured credit processes.

• Unit 23: Credit Analysis and Underwriting

  Credit scoring, financial analysis, collateral review, risk ratings, and underwriting discipline.

• Unit 24: Loan Origination and Credit Approval

  Application intake, credit memos, approval authorities, documentation, and loan closing preparation.

• Unit 25: Loan Documentation and Closing Controls

  Loan agreements, collateral perfection, closing checklists, funding authorization, and documentation controls.

• Unit 26: Loan Servicing and Credit Administration

  Payment processing, amortization tracking, covenant monitoring, servicing systems, and portfolio reporting.

• Unit 27: Problem Loans and Credit Recovery

  Delinquency management, restructurings, collections, workouts, recoveries, and charge-off processes.

• Layer 5: Risk Management and Regulatory Controls

  How banks avoid failure.

• Unit 28: Credit Risk Management

  Portfolio monitoring, concentration limits, risk migration, reserves, and credit loss provisioning.

• Unit 29: Operational Risk and Internal Controls

  Process failures, control breakdowns, internal fraud, operational incidents, and control frameworks.

• Unit 30: Fraud Prevention and Financial Crime Detection

  Transaction monitoring, identity fraud, account takeover, fraud analytics, and escalation procedures.

• Unit 31: Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Compliance

  AML frameworks, customer due diligence, sanctions screening, suspicious activity monitoring, and reporting obligations.

• Unit 32: Consumer Protection and Regulatory Compliance

  Disclosure standards, fair treatment requirements, complaint management, and banking compliance obligations.

• Unit 33: Regulatory Reporting and Supervisory Filings

  Call reports, capital reporting, regulatory examinations, filing systems, and supervisory oversight.

• Unit 34: Business Continuity and Operational Resilience

  Disaster recovery systems, operational resilience planning, incident response frameworks, crisis management procedures, and continuity planning for critical banking operations.

• Layer 6: Treasury and Institutional Management

  How banks stay liquid and stable.

• Unit 35: Treasury and Liquidity Management

  Reserves, deposit stability, funding flows, cash positioning, and liquidity buffers.

• Unit 36: Asset–Liability Management and Interest Rate Risk

  Duration mismatch, interest rate exposure, funding sensitivity, and balance sheet management.

• Unit 37: Interbank Markets and Bank Funding

  Repo markets, interbank lending, wholesale funding, correspondent banking, and central bank facilities.

• Unit 38: Bank Operations Management and Performance Oversight

  Operations teams, service metrics, processing performance, workflow management, and institutional reporting.

• Unit 39: Bank Governance, Audit, and Institutional Oversight

  Board governance, risk committees, audit functions, policy frameworks, and regulatory supervision.