Takes over troubled business loans at a bank and works out restructurings, recoveries or liquidations to limit losses. BLS does not publish separate figures for loan officers; it counts them within loan officer (SOC 13-2072), whose median pay is $76,690 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 13-2072
- Business and Financial Operations
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Special Assets Officer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $76,690a year, or $36.87/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $39KTop 10% $153K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +1.1%Slower than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+1.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +1.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 17,100283,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025283K
- Projected 2035286K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 283K Projected 2035 286K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school6.1%
- Some college12.8%
- Associate's11.2%
- Bachelor's68.7%
- Post-bacc certificate1.1%
Highest education held by loan officers Segment Value High school 6.1% Some college 12.8% Associate's 11.2% Bachelor's 68.7% Post-bacc certificate 1.1%
Also advertised as: Loan Workout Officer, Special Assets Manager, Workout Specialist, Problem Loan Officer, Credit Workout Officer.
Pay
How much do Loan Officers make?
Every special assets officer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$76,690
Middle half earn $52,730 to $104,080
- 10th
- $39,430
- 25th
- $52,730
- 75th
- $104,080
- 90th
- $153,180
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $39,430 |
| 25th | $52,730 |
| Median | $76,690 |
| 75th | $104,080 |
| 90th | $153,180 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $76,690
- Median hourly wage
- $36.87/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $87,790
- People employed
- 274,330
Versus all US occupations
At $76,690, Loan Officers earn 50% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $25,710 a year.
Versus business and financial operations occupations
Inside the Business and Financial Operations group, where the middle occupation pays $80,730, this is 5% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $153,180 or more while the bottom 10% earn $39,430, a gap of 3.9×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 52% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Massachusetts posts the highest raw median ($101,600), but once local prices are taken into account Kansas leads at $96,560 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Loan Officers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Massachusetts | $101,600 | $96,069 | 4,470 |
| 2Connecticut | $95,730 | $92,395 | 2,220 |
| 3New York | $95,710 | $88,685 | 10,840 |
| 4Minnesota | $95,170 | $96,501 | 6,430 |
| 5Colorado | $94,520 | $91,721 | 3,230 |
| 6Oregon | $94,440 | $91,369 | 4,220 |
| 7New Jersey | $92,920 | $85,400 | 6,200 |
| 8District of Columbia | $92,890 | $84,522 | 370 |
| 9Vermont | $88,710 | $90,559 | 350 |
| 10Kansas | $86,970 | $96,560 | 3,540 |
Job outlook
Is Special Assets Officer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Slower than average. +1.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Loan Officers | +1.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Loan Officers to change 1.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 3,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 17,100 openings are projected each year, 6.0% of the 283,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Special Assets Officer
A bachelor's degree in finance, accounting or business is typical. Most special assets officers spend several years as credit analysts or commercial loan officers first, building a strong grounding in financial statement analysis and loan documents.
Bank training programs and credit courses from the Risk Management Association, which offers the Credit Risk Certification, are common routes. Knowledge of commercial real estate, bankruptcy law and collateral valuation helps. Negotiation skills and the ability to stay calm in tense conversations matter as much as technical credit skills.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
Less than 5 years
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as loan officers.
- Bachelor's Degree68.7%
- Some College Courses12.8%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree11.2%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)6.1%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate1.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 68.7% |
| Some College Courses | 12.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 11.2% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 6.1% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 1.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Special Assets Officer do?
When a commercial borrower stops paying or breaks loan terms, the bank moves the loan to its special assets group. Special assets officers manage these troubled relationships with the goal of recovering as much money as possible.
They analyze the borrower's finances and collateral, meet with owners and their advisors, and decide on a strategy: restructure the loan, require new capital, sell the loan, or pursue foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings. They negotiate forbearance agreements, work with attorneys and appraisers, oversee receivers, and report to credit committees and regulators on problem assets. The job grows in importance during economic downturns.
Day-to-day tasks
- Analyze troubled borrowers' finances and collateral
- Develop workout strategies for problem loans
- Negotiate loan modifications and forbearance agreements
- Coordinate with attorneys on foreclosure and bankruptcy
- Order and review collateral appraisals
- Report problem loan status to credit committees
- Oversee sale of loans or repossessed assets
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Special assets officers work in bank offices, with travel to borrower sites, properties and court proceedings. Hours are mostly regular but can be stressful, since conversations often involve failing businesses and hard decisions. Workloads rise sharply in recessions.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Writing3.4
- Mathematics3.3
- Active Learning3.1
- Monitoring2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Writing | 3.4 |
| Mathematics | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Time Management3.1
- Service Orientation3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Persuasion2.9
- Negotiation2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Persuasion | 2.9 |
| Negotiation | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Video conferencing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Compliance software
- Content workflow software
- Customer relationship management CRM software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Special Assets Officer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ECI) built on O*NET's Loan Officer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Special Assets Officer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 1 |
| Investigative | 3 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Conventional6.1
- Enterprising5.3
- Social3.6
- Investigative3.1
- Realistic1.4
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Special Assets Officer
O*NET related occupations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Office and Administrative Support
- Business and Financial Operations
- Business and Financial Operations
- Office and Administrative Support
- Business and Financial Operations
More business and financial operations careers
Median annual pay, with loan officers highlighted
- Financial Advisor$105,070
- Accountant$83,680
- Insurance Underwriter$81,370
- Coroner$80,730
- Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator$78,000
- Loan Officer$76,690
- Special Assets Officer$76,690
- Human Resources Specialist$75,940
- Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate$67,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Financial Advisor | $105,070 |
| Accountant | $83,680 |
| Insurance Underwriter | $81,370 |
| Coroner | $80,730 |
| Claims Adjuster, Examiner, and Investigator | $78,000 |
| Loan Officer | $76,690 |
| Special Assets Officer | $76,690 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $75,940 |
| Appraiser and Assessor of Real Estate | $67,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Special Assets Officer appears on
Questions
Special Assets Officer: frequently asked questions
How much do Loan Officers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for loan officers. It counts them within loan officer, whose median pay is $76,690 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $52,730 and $104,080, and the top 10% earn $153,180 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Special Assets Officer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Loan Officers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 68.7% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Special Assets Officer a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 1.1% over 2025–2035 against 3.5% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 17,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Special Assets Officer do?
When a commercial borrower stops paying or breaks loan terms, the bank moves the loan to its special assets group. A typical task: analyze troubled borrowers' finances and collateral. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Electronic mail software, Enterprise resource planning ERP software.
Which states pay Loan Officers the most?
The highest state medians for Loan Officers are Massachusetts ($101,600), Connecticut ($95,730), New York ($95,710) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Kansas moves to the top at $96,560.
What personality type suits a Special Assets Officer?
O*NET scores Loan Officers highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.