Comerica Investment Analyst Interview Questions
& Process

I applied online through my school and heard back about an interview a day or two before it happened. The first interview had a couple of personal/fit questions and a couple of technical ones. Then I was invited back for a super day with 3 back-to-back interviews: Fit, Technical, and Personal Q's. Everyone said I seemed like a good fit, and each interview was about 45 minutes. It took them 5 weeks to get back to me saying I didn't get it. The whole process seemed a bit unorganized, with interviews often scheduled just days in advance and an unresponsive HR person.

The first round was an on-campus or telephone interview with basic questions, including behavioral ones like 'Why should we hire you?' and 'What info from financial statements would you use to evaluate financial health?'. The second round was an all-day event with several behavioral interviews with people at different levels, a lunch interview with candidates and interviewers, and a technical interview. The technical interviewer was tough. Questions involved scenarios like using inventory as collateral for a million-dollar loan and how it impacts financial statements over time. I was surprised not to get an offer, especially after putting in hours of effort; I expected more feedback than a form rejection.

So the first thing is a phone screening. They want to know why you're interested in commercial lending and check your basic accounting knowledge. It's like 40% personality and 60% credit/analysis skills. The accounting questions are pretty simple, like naming the cash flow statement components (operating, investing, financing) and explaining the link between the main financial statements. They also present a scenario where you're a lender meeting a potential borrower and ask what questions you'd ask and what loan you'd suggest. Then there's a technical screen, and finally an onsite.