Branch Manager Guide

As a Branch Manager, you oversee branch profitability, credit underwriting, team productivity, and cash operations. You act as the primary gatekeeper for credit approvals, disburse sanctioned loans, and intervene on delinquent accounts.

1. The Manager Dashboard

Your dashboard (<manager-home>) delivers an institution-grade snapshot of branch performance:

Branch Collection Gauge

  • Big Number: Percentage or total KES collected across the branch today.
  • Queue Badge:
    • X to decide (Amber): Highlights loan dossiers waiting for your review.
    • Queue clear (Green): No applications are currently waiting for your attention.
    • On target (Green): Branch collections have hit daily targets.

Quick Actions Bar

  1. Approvals (/applications/queue): Open your branch approval inbox to decide on submitted loan applications.
  2. Reassign (/loans/reassign): Shift client portfolios or delinquent accounts between loan officers.
  3. Reports (/reports): Access branch balance sheets, arrears aging, and staff productivity reports.

Branch Summary Metrics

  • Portfolio: Aggregate principal currently held by branch borrowers.
  • Outstanding: Total active debt (principal, interest, fees).
  • PAR 30: Percentage of the branch book past due by 30 or more days.
  • To decide: Applications currently sitting in your approval stage.

Monitoring Panels

  • Officers Roster: Comparative progress bars for every loan officer in your branch, showing:
    • Daily collections vs target.
    • Total active portfolio under their management.
    • Individual PAR 30 percentage (highlighting who needs coaching or collection support).
  • Branch Cash Position: Net cash balance across the branch (receipts taken in less disbursements paid out).
  • Book at Risk: Breakdown across PAR 1, 30, and 90 tiers.
  • Aging of Arrears: Distribution of overdue balances across aging buckets (Current, 1–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, 90+ days).
  • Morning Position Print: Download Morning_Position_Manager.pdf for daily branch briefing meetings.

2. Key Managerial Workflows

Reviewing the Approval Queue (Level 2 Approvals)

When a loan officer submits a loan application, it appears in your queue (/applications/queue):

  1. Click on the application to open the Application Dossier.
  2. Verify the Portfolio Checklist:
    • The automated engine checks KYC status, client tier limits, existing debt exposure, and active arrears.
    • Green ticks indicate passed rules. Red badges indicate blocking rule failures.
  3. Inspect Supporting Evidence:
    • Review uploaded documents (payslips, M-Pesa bank statements, business photographs).
    • Check pledged collateral valuations and guarantor details.
  4. Read Officer Memo:
    • Review the originating officer’s notes regarding household cashflow and character assessment.
  5. Make the Decision (/application/:hex/decide):
    • Approve: If principal is below your branch authority ceiling (e.g., KES 500,000), approval sanctions the loan for disbursement. If above your limit, it advances to Executive Directors for Level 3 signoff.
    • Return: Sends the file back to the loan officer’s desk. You must enter a mandatory note explaining what to fix (e.g., “Please attach the latest 6-month bank statement; guarantor phone number is incorrect”).
    • Reject: Declines the application outright. You must select an official underwriting ground (e.g., Insufficient debt service capacity or Collateral deficit).

[!NOTE] Four-Eyes Separation: If you originated or submitted an application yourself, the system prohibits you from signing off as the approver. A second authorized pair of eyes must approve.

Disbursing Sanctioned Loans

Once an application is approved, open Disburse (/application/:hex/disburse):

  1. Step 1 — The Check: Inspect the completed approval signatures and KYC verification status.
  2. Step 2 — The Schedule & Funding Source:
    • Confirm the disbursement date (defaults to today).
    • Select the Funding Source (e.g., Revolving Credit Fund, Commercial Bank Facility).
    • Review the final amortization schedule generated on business days.
  3. Step 3 — Release:
    • Choose disbursement channel: M-Pesa B2C (instant direct mobile transfer) or Bank EFT.
    • Check the acknowledgement box and click Release.
    • The system executes the transfer, creates the active loan account, and writes balanced journal entries to the general ledger.

Reassigning Client Portfolios

When an officer departs or when rebalancing workloads:

  1. Open Reassign (/loans/reassign).
  2. Filter loans by originating officer, branch, or arrears status.
  3. Select the loans you wish to move.
  4. Choose the receiving officer.
  5. Confirm the transfer. The client records, active schedules, and future collections immediately shift to the new officer’s desk.

Loan Restructuring & Fee Waivers

  • Rescheduling (/loan/:hex/reschedule): For distressed borrowers demonstrating goodwill, restructure their loan by extending the repayment term or granting a temporary principal grace period. The system automatically recalculates future installments.
  • Waiving Charges (/loan/:hex/waive): Forgive accrued penalty fees or late charges resulting from technical outages or verified hardship. You must record a clear justification note for internal audit.

Morning Collection Sheet Dispatch & Vault Oversight

As Branch Operations Manager, you oversee daily cash transit and field collection dual control:

  1. Preparing Daily Rounds (/sheets/new):
    • In the morning, you can open daily collection sheets for any credit officer in your branch.
    • The 3-stage creation flow queries all scheduled installments, arrears, and expected demands across the officer’s portfolio.
    • Review the targets, customize amounts if required, and open the sheet with lines pre-staged.
    • Click Print to produce the official certified Field Collection Voucher for physical sign-offs.
  2. Authorizing Counter Posts (/sheet/:hex/post):
    • When field officers return with cash, their sheets show Awaiting counter post because officers cannot post to the GL.
    • Alongside the branch cashier/teller, you hold sheets:post authority to count physical cash, reconcile vault denominations, and execute the atomic batch posting to the General Ledger.