What banking and NBFC teams do
Sales teams source customers: relationship managers and officers for home loans, business loans, gold loans or deposits, and field officers who form groups and disburse loans in microfinance. Credit teams assess applications, visit businesses, verify income and property papers and sanction loans within their delegated powers. Operations teams handle documentation, disbursal, customer service and account maintenance, often from a central processing hub. Collections teams follow up on overdue EMIs through calls, field visits and, for secured loans, recovery action. Risk, compliance, internal audit, treasury and finance sit at head office and set the rules every branch follows.
- Sales and sourcing: relationship officers, sales managers and DSA managers
- Credit: credit analysts, credit managers and area credit heads
- Operations: branch operations, disbursal, documentation and customer service
- Collections: tele-callers, field collection officers and recovery managers
- Control functions: risk, compliance, internal audit and fraud control
Structure at 50, 500 and 5,000 employees
A 50-employee NBFC or credit society typically runs a head office with the promoter or CEO, a credit head and an accounts and compliance person, and a few branches, each with a branch manager, loan officers and a cashier or operations executive. An NBFC with about 500 employees has several dozen branches grouped into clusters under cluster managers, a credit team with area credit managers, a central operations hub for documentation and disbursal, a collections team, and head office functions for risk, compliance, audit, treasury and HR.
At 5,000 employees, typical of a mid-sized private bank, a large NBFC or a microfinance institution, the company runs product verticals such as home loans, vehicle loans, MSME loans or microfinance, each with its own sales, credit and collections hierarchy from branch to zone. Branch banking in a bank adds tellers, customer service officers and branch operations managers. Control functions report independently to the CEO and board committees, and regional offices supervise hundreds of branches.
How branches work with credit, operations and HR
Sales and credit pull in opposite directions: sales wants approvals, credit wants risk under control. Keeping credit in a separate reporting line, with its own targets on portfolio quality, is what makes the arrangement work. Operations hubs process documents from branches and push back incomplete files, so branches learn to send files complete the first time. Collections depends on sales for accurate customer details and on legal for notices and recovery. HR hires in large volumes for sales and collections, arranges attendance for staff who spend the day visiting customers, runs product and conduct training, and handles transfers between branches.
Loan approval levels and reporting lines
Relationship officers report to a branch or sales manager, who reports to a cluster manager, then an area or regional manager, a zonal head and the business head for the product. Credit officers report through area credit managers to the chief credit officer, separate from sales. Loans are sanctioned within a delegation of powers, for example up to ₹10 lakh by the branch credit manager, up to ₹50 lakh by the area credit manager, and above that by a credit committee. Any deviation from policy, such as a lower credit score or missing income proof, needs approval one level above the normal authority. Branch staff leave is approved by the branch manager with cover for the cash and customer desks, then by HR.
Typical banking and NBFC team structure
Banking and NBFC designation hierarchy
Every banking and NBFC role on ZeniaHR, from leadership to entry level. Open a role for its job description, KRAs and reporting line.
Set up your banking and NBFC team in ZeniaHR
Create departments, designations and reporting managers once. Approvals, attendance and payroll follow the hierarchy automatically.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the hierarchy in an NBFC branch?
An NBFC branch is usually led by a branch manager, with relationship or sales officers who source loans, a branch credit officer, an operations executive for documents and customer service, and collection officers. The branch manager reports to a cluster or area manager, then a regional and zonal head. Credit staff at the branch report separately through the credit line.
What is the difference between a relationship manager and a credit manager?
A relationship manager sources and manages customers: meeting them, understanding their needs, collecting documents and staying in touch after disbursal. A credit manager independently assesses whether the loan should be given, verifies income and collateral, and sanctions or rejects it within delegated powers. The two report through different lines so sales targets do not override credit judgement.
Who approves a loan in a bank or NBFC?
Loans are approved by credit officers and managers within a written delegation of powers that sets limits by amount, product and risk. Small loans may be approved at the branch or area level, larger ones by regional or head office credit, and the largest by a credit committee. Exceptions to policy need a higher approver than normal.
How do banks and NBFCs track attendance for field staff?
Field officers in sales and collections spend most of the day visiting customers, so attendance is usually taken through a mobile app punch at the start and end of the day, often limited to the branch or approved check-in spots, alongside visit logs. Branch staff punch on a biometric device at the branch. The branch manager approves corrections and leave before HR.