Risk Management Specialist

SARAH ASKDAL

LAKESHORE, MN ***** 605-***-**** *******@*****.***

FINANCE/RISK MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST

Risk Management Specialist with extensive experience responsible for risk mitigation and control validation. Proven aptitude to identify, analyze and solve problems, resulting in enhanced process while effectively managing risk. Excellent interpersonal and team collaboration skills providing innovative thinking, flexibility, and the ability to adapt to adjusting team priorities. Team player with excellent communication skills, high quality of work, driven and highly self-motivated. Strong negotiating skills and business acumen and able to work independently.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Risk Management Compliance Oversight Quantitative Analysis Regulatory Compliance Crisis Management Underwriting Fraud Detection Enterprise Risk Management Policy & Procedure Development Incident Response Time Management Skills Conflict Management Microsoft Office Applications Attention to Detail

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

WELLS FARGO Sioux Falls, South Dakota April 2019-November 2023

Senior Independent Testing Specialist

Quality Control and Program Management for the testing policy. Subject Matter Expert for the testing team on the Issue Management Policy and Procedure.

Monitored, reviewed, assessed, and circulated policies and procedures applicable to the testing team and then reviewed, circulated, and consolidated comments and questions on draft policies and procedures impacting testing teams. These procedures were created as a corrective action response to an audit test. As additional regulations are implemented, the procedures need to be updated to be compliant.

Maintained documentation of compliance with policies and procedures, identified gaps in compliance, proposed action plans to address the gaps, and ensure implementation of the plans.

Monitored and evaluated published policies and procedures to determine impacts to the testing teams and determined if documentation was required to evidence compliance to the impacted policies and procedures.

Created exception reporting to identify issues which did not meet the testing team’s policy and procedure requirements and ensured the issues were resolved.

Monitored, reviewed and assessed the Credit Risk teams to ensure they were in compliance with the Credit Risk Policy.

Participated in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) whenever a new system/software was being implemented for the testing team.

Operational Risk Consultant-Second Level Review (SLR) July 2015-April 2019

Completed second level reviews on the testing teams testing engagements. Ensured consistency in testing execution amongst the testing teams. Verified accuracy of engagement results by completing re-performance testing.

Evaluated the testing policy and procedures to ensure the testing teams are following the policy and procedures when completing their engagements. Strengthened the testing program by identifying changes or enhancements to the policy and procedures. This was a newly formed team to assist with testing team consistency and avoid audit test questioning/opportunities.

Assisted less experienced Operational Risk Consultant-SLR team members with questions and complex scenarios. Assist with creating the SLR database which is where the SLR reviews were housed.

Created reporting within the SLR database for the testing team managers. Presented new hire SLR training to new testing team members.

Served as the lead on the SLR team, testing managers referred their questions and represented the SLR team on testing meetings if needed.

Ensured the SLR team is testing and reviewing to the testing policy and procedures. Assisted with audit requests by gathering the documentation requested and reviewing it prior to submission to audit.

Operational Risk Consultant November 2013-July 2015

Provided the line of business management with the opportunities, issues, and results on the testing engagement and ensured all the regulations, policies, and procedures were included prior to starting the engagement testing.

Ensured the proper questions are on the engagement testing template to address the applicable regulations, policies, and procedures.

Researched the regulation(s) in detail to ensure all the lines of business processes and procedures are captured to be evaluated within the engagement.

Organized meetings with the lines of business management and consultants to discuss engagement opportunities, issues, and results. Assisted lines of business management with providing corrective actions to address the engagement opportunities and issues identified during testing.

Completed follow-up testing on the lines of business corrective actions to address the engagement opportunities and issues identified during testing.

Served as Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Privacy related regulations, policies, and procedures.

Completed peer and quality reviews on other consultants’ engagement documentation which included scope documents, testing templates, potential issues identified, and draft engagements. Mentored and trained new testing consultants.

WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Quality Assurance Analyst May 2012-November 2013

Lead analyst for field audits. Assisted other analysts during field audits and managed the audit. Assisted management with decisions on hiring of quality assurance analysts. Trained new quality assurance analysts on field audits.

Provided management with feedback on new quality assurance analysts during field audits. Provided feedback to new quality assurance analysts on results and documents from the field audit.

Provided lines of business management with review opportunities and results. Assisted lines of business management with action plans to address the opportunities and followed up on the action plans to ensure the implementation plan was completed prior to the due date.

Assisted with external auditor reviews by reviewing auditor’s comments and completed a detailed review of result and addressing the auditor’s issues and results with detailed documentation to challenge the auditor’s issues and results.

Underwriter October 2010-May 2012

Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Underwriting Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Freddie Mac, and Pick-a-Pay loans.

Traveled to lending events and met with customers face-to-face to underwrite their housing loan.

Reviewed income documents to approve customers for modification mortgage loans.

Calculated manual housing to income (HTI) and debt to income (DTI) ratios.

Assisted less experienced underwriters with making approval decisions and determining appropriate documentation for the approval.

ADDITIONAL RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

WELLS FARGO FINANCIAL, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Quality Assurance Analyst

WELLS FARGO EDUCATION FINANCIAL SERVICES AND WELLS FARGO FINANCIAL, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Collector

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Finance

Southwest Minnesota State University

CERTIFICATION

Certified Personal Trainer

International Sports Sciences Association

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