bank-of-america

Bank of America Data Analyst Case Interview — Consumer Banking Portfolio Health, Risk Controls, and Executive Reporting

This case mirrors Bank of America’s data analyst interviews, emphasizing the firm’s risk-first culture, precise communication, and the "Responsible Growth" mindset. You will analyze a mini–consumer banking portfolio (credit card and checking) to diagnose a rise in 30+ DPD delinquency and digital-channel attrition, create regulator-friendly KPIs, and present an executive-ready narrative. What you receive: - Data extracts (CSV or SQL tables): customers, accounts, transactions, payments, collections, digital_activity, and reference tables (state, product, fico_band). - A short memo from a Consumer Risk Manager noting a 2–3 quarter uptick in early-stage delinquency and higher-than-expected digital churn in two states. Your objectives: 1) Problem framing and clarifications (5–10 min): define delinquency buckets, charge-off policy, attrition definition, and reporting period; confirm business goals, risk appetite, and sensitive fields handling (PII). Align on stakeholder: Consumer Risk executive who wants a concise, decision-oriented readout. 2) SQL-driven analysis (25–30 min): - Join and reconcile tables; produce account-level KPIs: roll rates (current→30, 30→60, 60→90), cure rates, payment rate, utilization, and vintage trends. - Segment by product, state, channel, fico_band, tenure, and line size; flag outliers and cohorts driving variance. - Attribute drivers using simple comparisons or window functions; highlight seasonality and macro-sensitive segments. - Check for potential fair-lending or bias red flags at a high level (e.g., disparate outcomes by protected-proxy segments without inferring protected class). 3) Data quality and controls (10 min): outline validation checks (row counts, referential integrity, duplicate keys, date gaps, impossible values), lineage notes, and how you would evidence controls for audit (change logs, code reviews, UAT sign-off). Describe handling of PII and least-privilege access. 4) Visualization and story (10–15 min): create 1–2 summary views (Tableau/Power BI/Excel): cohort waterfall of roll rates, heat map by state×product, and a single-page executive brief with the 3 most material drivers and 2 operational recommendations. 5) Productionization (5 min): propose a weekly dashboard/report spec: metric definitions, SLA, owner, QC checks, alert thresholds, and a runbook for anomalies/escalations. Note how outputs align to CECL/CCAR-adjacent reporting expectations and Bank of America’s Risk Framework. Evaluation rubric (what interviewers look for): - Technical correctness: clean joins, appropriate window functions, careful date handling, and reproducible logic; ability to explain trade-offs (e.g., charge-off vs. delinquency views). - Business judgment: ties insights to levers (credit line mgmt, collections outreach, digital nudges, fee policies) while avoiding overreach; recognizes regulatory sensitivities and documentation needs. - Risk and compliance mindset: explicit data-quality checks, auditability, privacy handling, and willingness to escalate unclear definitions or anomalies. - Communication: crisp, structured narrative for a risk executive, with prioritized insights and clear next steps. - Culture fit: collaborative tone, ownership, and a "no surprises" approach consistent with responsible growth and strong control discipline. Tools allowed: SQL (Teradata/Snowflake/Postgres syntax acceptable), Excel; Tableau/Power BI optional; brief Python/SAS snippets acceptable if time permits. Internet resources are not required. Deliverables are expected to be discussion-ready rather than fully polished, but must be accurate, well-documented, and regulator-friendly.

engineering

8 minutes

Practice with our AI-powered interview system to improve your skills.

About This Interview

Interview Type

PRODUCT SENSE

Difficulty Level

4/5

Interview Tips

• Research the company thoroughly

• Practice common questions

• Prepare your STAR method responses

• Dress appropriately for the role