6 free banking-role templates, retail banker, personal banker, teller, private banker, commercial banker, and community-bank, with the FLSA classification and licensing guidance generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
Banker is an umbrella title covering very different jobs: a teller at the window, a personal banker cross-selling products, a loan officer originating mortgages, and a commercial banker managing business relationships are all bankers, with different duties, pay, and overtime rules. A generic banker posting attracts a flood of mismatched applicants. The fix is to name the specific role, then handle the two things every competitor ignores: the FLSA classification, which leans non-exempt for most banking roles, and the licensing and screening that come with the territory.
At FirstHR, we build for small businesses without HR departments, which describes most of banking: the large majority of banks are community banks, and many branches and credit unions run with well under 50 employees and no dedicated HR. The six templates below, a universal retail banker plus personal banker, teller, private banker, commercial banker, and community-bank versions, are ready to use, each with the FLSA and licensing notes generic templates skip.
TL;DR
Banker is an umbrella title: teller, personal banker, private banker, and commercial banker are different jobs with different pay and overtime rules. Most front-line roles are non-exempt; tellers clearly so, and any banker whose primary duty is selling products rather than advising. Banking pay runs from a teller median of $39,340 up past $74,180 for lending and commercial roles. Name the role, classify by duties, and state licensing where it applies. Six templates, downloadable as DOCX.
What a Banker Does
A banker serves customers at a bank or credit union, opening and servicing accounts, processing transactions, recommending products, and building relationships, with the specific work depending on the role. The common thread is handling money and financial products accurately and following banking compliance rules.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics splits banking roles across occupations: tellers (SOC 43-3071), loan officers (SOC 13-2072), and securities and financial services sales agents for personal and investment bankers. Because banker is an umbrella spanning all of these, a strong job description names the specific role you are hiring, rather than posting a generic banker position.
Banker Responsibilities
Banker responsibilities cluster into four areas: customers and service, transactions and accuracy, products and referrals, and compliance and security. A strong job description picks the specific responsibilities from each area that match the role, rather than listing every possible task.
Customers and service
Open and service accounts
Handle requests and resolve issues
Build and grow relationships
Transactions and accuracy
Process transactions accurately
Balance cash and follow holds policy
Verify identity and information
Products and referrals
Recommend products that fit needs
Cross-sell and refer to specialists
Meet service and referral goals
Compliance and security
Follow BSA/AML and privacy rules
Follow dual-control and security procedures
Maintain required licensing and training
The weighting shifts by role: a teller leans into transactions, a personal banker into products and referrals, a private banker into relationships and advice.
Banking Roles and Pay
The banker title covers several distinct roles, each with its own duties, pay, and classification. Use this comparison to decide which role you actually need before you pick a template, since the differences in pay and overtime rules are significant.
Role
Focus
Federal median (May 2024)
FLSA
Bank teller
Transactions at the window
$39,340
Non-exempt
Personal banker
Sales and cross-sell
~$40,000 to $55,000 base
Usually non-exempt
Private banker
High-value client relationships
Above personal banker
Advising exempt, selling not
Retail / relationship banker
Service and referrals
Between teller and banker
Often non-exempt
Commercial banker
B2B relationships, credit
Above the others
Often exempt
For a community bank or credit union, a teller is the entry-level hourly hire and a personal banker is the mid-range role, both usually non-exempt. Reserve exempt treatment for genuine management, advising, or senior commercial roles, and confirm by actual duties. If the job you are filling is originating loans rather than serving the branch, the loan officer job description templates cover mortgage, commercial, and consumer lending roles in full.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by the banking role you are hiring for. The core structure is the same across all six, but each emphasizes the duties, pay, and classification that fit a specific kind of banking role. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust.
Banker (Universal / Retail)
Relationship / service banker
The head-term version: open accounts, serve customers, recommend products, and build relationships at the branch. The starting point for most front-line banker roles.
Personal Banker
Sales and cross-sell
Sales-weighted: open accounts, cross-sell products, and grow a referral pipeline against sales goals. Honest that the role is usually non-exempt.
Bank Teller
Entry-level, hourly
Transaction-focused: deposits, withdrawals, and a balanced cash drawer, with referrals to bankers. Clearly non-exempt and paid hourly.
Private Banker
High-value client relationships
For your top personal clients: a named book of deposit and credit relationships, specialists coordinated on the client's behalf, and a classification that turns on advising versus selling.
Commercial / Business Banker
B2B relationship management
For business clients: relationship management, credit analysis, and loan structuring. Senior relationship roles are often exempt; confirm by duties.
Community Bank / Credit Union
Small institution, many hats
The ICP version for a small community bank or credit union, where the banker wears several hats on a small team, honest about non-exempt classification.
Match the Template to the Role
A front-line service banker: the Universal / Retail version. A sales-weighted role: Personal Banker. The window and cash: Bank Teller (hourly, non-exempt). Your highest-value personal clients: Private Banker. Business clients: Commercial / Business Banker. A small local institution where the banker wears many hats: Community Bank / Credit Union. When in doubt at a small institution, start with the Universal or Community Bank version.
6 Free Banker Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: institution and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, an FLSA note, compensation, and how to apply, with an equal opportunity statement. Fill in the brackets and post. The rest of the hiring template library covers the adjacent branch and lending roles.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Retail banker, personal banker, teller, private banker, commercial banker, and community-bank. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Banker (Universal / Retail Banker)
The head-term version: open accounts, serve customers, recommend products, and build relationships at the branch. The starting point for most front-line banker roles.
Reports to: Branch Manager / Assistant Branch Manager
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Often non-exempt; confirm by actual duties (see note)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per [year / hour]
ABOUT [BANK / CREDIT UNION NAME]
[One or two sentences about your bank or credit union, your branch, and the
team the banker will join. Note the community you serve and the branch size.]
JOB SUMMARY
[Bank Name] is hiring a Banker (also called a retail or relationship banker) to
serve customers at our branch. You will open accounts, handle transactions and
service requests, recommend products that fit customer needs, and build lasting
relationships. A friendly, trustworthy, detail-oriented person who enjoys
helping people with their finances is ideal for this role.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Open and service deposit accounts and handle requests
•Recommend products and services that fit customer needs
•Process transactions accurately and securely
•Build and maintain customer relationships
•Refer customers to lending, investment, or specialist staff
•Follow BSA/AML, privacy, and bank security procedures
•Meet service and referral goals
•Resolve customer issues professionally
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent; some college a plus
•[1+] year of banking, retail, or customer-service experience
•Strong customer service and communication skills
•Comfortable with cash handling and banking systems
•Able to pass a background and credit check
FLSA NOTE (read before posting)
Many front-line bankers are NON-EXEMPT and owed overtime, because their primary
duty is serving customers and selling or referring products, not management or
exempt administrative work. A banker can be exempt only if salaried at least
$684/week and the duties test is genuinely met. Default to non-exempt and pay
overtime when classification is unclear. This is general information, not legal
advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per [year / hour] [+ benefits]
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Bank Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Personal Banker
Sales-weighted: open accounts, cross-sell products, and grow a referral pipeline against sales goals. Honest that the role is usually non-exempt and owed overtime.
Personal Banker Job Description
PERSONAL BANKER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: Branch Manager
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Usually NON-EXEMPT; confirm by actual duties (see note)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per [year / hour] [+ incentives]
JOB SUMMARY
[Bank Name] is hiring a Personal Banker to build relationships and match
customers with the right banking products. You will open accounts, cross-sell
deposit, credit, and other products, handle service needs, and grow your book of
relationships, while meeting referral and sales goals. A personable,
goal-oriented person who is good with people and numbers is ideal.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Open accounts and recommend deposit and credit products
•Cross-sell and refer products to meet customer needs
•Build and grow customer relationships and a referral pipeline
•Handle service requests and resolve issues
•Meet individual sales, referral, and service goals
•Follow BSA/AML, privacy, and compliance procedures
•Partner with lending and specialist teams
•Process transactions accurately
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent; some college preferred
•[1-2+] years of banking, sales, or customer-service experience
•Strong sales, relationship, and communication skills
•Comfortable with banking systems and cross-selling
•Able to pass a background and credit check
FLSA NOTE (read before posting)
Personal bankers are usually NON-EXEMPT because their primary duty is selling
and cross-selling financial products, which the rules exclude from the
administrative exemption. A personal banker may be exempt only if they genuinely
advise customers (analyzing finances and recommending products) rather than
primarily selling, and are salaried at least $684/week. Default to non-exempt.
This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per [year / hour] [+ incentives]
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Bank Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
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Transaction-focused: deposits, withdrawals, and a balanced cash drawer, with referrals to bankers. Clearly non-exempt and paid hourly, with on-the-job training.
Bank Teller Job Description (Entry-Level, Hourly)
BANK TELLER JOB DESCRIPTION (ENTRY-LEVEL, HOURLY)
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: Head Teller / Branch Manager
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: NON-EXEMPT (hourly)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
JOB SUMMARY
[Bank Name] is hiring a Bank Teller to process customer transactions accurately
and provide friendly, efficient service at our branch. You will handle deposits,
withdrawals, and payments, verify customer identity and information, balance your
cash drawer, and refer customers to bankers when they have additional needs. This
is an entry-level role with on-the-job training; reliability and accuracy matter
most.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Process deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and payments
•Verify customer identity and account information
•Count and balance the cash drawer accurately
•Cash checks within authority and follow holds policy
•Refer customers to bankers for products and services
•Follow security, dual-control, and BSA/AML procedures
•Provide friendly, accurate customer service
•Keep the teller station secure and organized
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•Cash handling or customer-service experience a plus; training provided
•Accurate, detail-oriented, and trustworthy
•Comfortable with numbers and banking systems
•Able to pass a background check
FLSA NOTE (read before posting)
Bank tellers are clearly NON-EXEMPT and owed overtime: the work is routine cash
and transaction processing with no discretion on matters of significance, and
the role is almost always paid hourly. Track hours and pay overtime over 40 in a
week. This is general information, not legal advice.
Relationship-focused: a named book of high-value personal clients, deposit and credit needs handled end to end, specialists coordinated, and lending requests referred to an originator instead of taken at the desk. Hiring the originator rather than the banker is a different posting, and the loan officer templates handle it.
For business clients: relationship management, credit analysis, and loan structuring. Senior relationship roles are often exempt; confirm by duties.
Commercial / Business Banker Job Description
COMMERCIAL / BUSINESS BANKER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: Commercial Lending Manager / Market President
Employment type: Full-time
FLSA status: Often exempt for senior relationship roles; confirm by duties
Salary range: $_____ to $_____ per year [+ incentives]
JOB SUMMARY
[Bank Name] is hiring a Commercial / Business Banker to manage and grow
relationships with business clients. You will develop new business, analyze
credit, structure loans and treasury solutions, and serve as the primary
relationship manager for a portfolio of commercial clients. This role suits an
experienced banker with strong credit, sales, and relationship skills.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Develop and manage commercial client relationships
•Analyze business financials and structure credit
•Originate commercial loans and treasury-management solutions
•Manage a portfolio and monitor credit quality
•Prospect for new business and referrals
•Partner with credit, underwriting, and operations teams
•Follow lending, compliance, and risk requirements
•Meet portfolio growth and revenue goals
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[3-5+] years of commercial banking or lending experience
•Strong credit analysis and financial-statement skills
•Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or related field
•Established relationship and business-development skills
•Knowledge of commercial products and regulations
FLSA NOTE (read before posting)
A senior commercial banker who exercises real discretion on matters of
significance and is salaried at least $684/week is often exempt under the
administrative exemption. But a role focused mainly on selling products may be
non-exempt. Classify by actual duties, not the title. This is general
information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary range: $_____ to $_____ per year [+ incentives]
To apply, send your resume to __.
[Bank Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 6: Community Bank / Credit Union Banker
The ICP version for a small community bank or credit union, where the banker wears several hats on a small team, honest about non-exempt classification.
Community Bank / Credit Union Banker Job Description
COMMUNITY BANK / CREDIT UNION BANKER JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: Branch Manager / President
Employment type: [ ] Full-time [ ] Part-time
FLSA status: Often non-exempt for front-line roles; confirm by duties (see note)
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per [year / hour]
ABOUT US
We are a community bank / credit union serving [community]. We are hiring a
Banker to wear several hats on a small team: opening accounts, serving members,
handling transactions, and helping with lending referrals. Right for someone who
wants to know their customers by name and grow with a local institution, without
the layers of a big bank.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
•Open accounts and serve members or customers directly
•Handle transactions, service requests, and referrals
•Recommend deposit and credit products that fit needs
•Support lending with referrals and document collection
•Pitch in across the branch as a small team requires
•Follow BSA/AML, privacy, and security procedures
•Build long-term relationships in the community
•Meet service and referral goals
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
•High school diploma or equivalent; some college a plus
•[1+] year of banking, retail, or customer-service experience
•Friendly, trustworthy, and community-minded
•Comfortable wearing many hats on a small team
•Able to pass a background and credit check
FLSA NOTE (read before posting)
At a small community bank or credit union, a front-line banker who mostly serves
customers and refers or sells products is usually NON-EXEMPT and owed overtime,
even with a banker title and even on a salary. The compliance does not scale down
with the institution. Classify by actual duties and default to non-exempt. This
is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per [year / hour] [+ benefits]
To apply, send your resume to __ or call ____.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
FLSA, Licensing, and Pay Transparency
This is the part the generic templates skip, and for a banker it is where the real risk lives: most banking roles are non-exempt, taking a mortgage application triggers registration or licensing, and pay-transparency laws may require a range. Here is what to get right.
Tellers are clearly non-exempt, and most front-line bankers are too
Classification is the single biggest thing generic banker templates ignore, and for most banking roles the answer leans non-exempt. Bank tellers are clearly non-exempt: the work is routine cash and transaction processing with no discretion on matters of significance, and the role is almost always hourly. Front-line and personal bankers are usually non-exempt as well, because their primary duty is serving customers and selling or cross-selling products rather than exempt administrative or management work. To be exempt under the administrative exemption, a banker must be salaried at least $684 a week and have a primary duty involving discretion and independent judgment on matters of significance, which a sales-and-service role generally does not meet. The title banker never decides it; classify by actual duties, and when in doubt, treat the role as non-exempt and pay overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
For senior bankers, advising versus selling decides the exempt call
Once a banker role gets senior enough that exemption is even arguable, the whole question narrows to one comparison. The administrative-exemption rules for the financial services industry treat collecting and analyzing a customer's financial information, determining which products meet that customer's needs, and advising the customer as exempt administrative work. The same rules state that an employee whose primary duty is selling financial products does not qualify. A private banker who genuinely advises a book of clients can land on the exempt side; a private banker measured mainly on product sales does not, and neither does a personal banker working to referral quotas. Exempt status also requires a salary of at least $684 a week. Write down which side the role falls on and why, keep the note with the job description, and revisit it when the duties drift. This is general information, not legal advice.
Licensing and background checks come with the territory
Banking roles carry licensing and screening requirements that generic templates leave out. Most branch banker roles need no individual credential, but the boundary matters: the moment someone takes a residential mortgage application, or offers or negotiates terms for compensation, that person must be registered in the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, the NMLS, at a federally insured depository institution, or state licensed at a non-depository lender. Say in the posting which side of the line the job sits on, because a banker who refers lending requests to an originator needs nothing, and one who takes applications cannot start until the credential is in place. Across banking roles, a background check is standard and a credit check is common, because employees handle money and sensitive financial data, and federal banking law restricts hiring people with certain disqualifying convictions. State the licensing, background, and credit-check expectations in the posting so candidates know what to expect, and build verification into your hiring process rather than discovering a problem after an offer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Pay-transparency laws may require a salary range in the posting
A growing number of states require employers to include a pay range in job postings, and the small-employer thresholds frequently catch the community banks and credit unions that make up most of the industry. States with pay-range-in-posting rules include California, Colorado, New York, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Massachusetts, with more taking effect soon. Thresholds often start low, for example four or more employees in New York and five or more in Vermont, so many small institutions are covered. Even where it is not required, posting a range, including any incentive or commission, attracts more qualified candidates. Check your state's rule and include a realistic range in the posting. This is general information, not legal advice.
Most Banking Roles Are Non-Exempt
Tellers are clearly non-exempt, and personal bankers are usually non-exempt because their primary duty is selling financial products, which the administrative-exemption rules exclude. The same reasoning is why the Department of Labor treats a sales-driven financial role as non-exempt. Exempt status needs a salary of at least $684/week plus a genuine duties test.
The practical rule: treat tellers and personal bankers as non-exempt, confirm every classification by actual duties, require NMLS registration or a state license when the banker will take mortgage applications, and post a range where your state requires one.
Skills and Requirements
Banker requirements center on customer service, accuracy, and trustworthiness, scaled to the role, with a credential only where the job touches mortgage applications. Name the screening and any registration clearly, since they are standard in banking.
Requirement
What to look for
Education
High school diploma or equivalent; degree for private or commercial
Experience
Banking, retail, sales, or customer-service experience by role
Service
Strong communication and customer-service skills
Accuracy
Comfortable with cash, numbers, and banking systems
Licensing
NMLS registration or state license only if the role takes mortgage applications
Screening
Background check standard; credit check common
Keep every requirement job-related and neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
Banker Pay
Banker pay varies widely by role, from an hourly teller to a salaried commercial banker. Anchor to the federal occupation closest to the specific role, then adjust for your market and any incentive.
Banking Pay Runs from $39,340 for Tellers to $74,180 in Lending (BLS)
By federal data for May 2024, tellers had a median annual wage of $39,340 (10th under $31,270, 90th over $48,270, about 347,400 jobs), and loan officers had a median of $74,180 (about 301,400 jobs). Personal bankers in practice often earn a base of roughly $40,000 to $55,000 plus incentives.
Teller employment is projected to decline about 13 percent through 2034 as branches consolidate, though about 29,800 openings a year remain from turnover, while lending employment grows about 2 percent with roughly 20,300 openings a year. Personal and private bankers often earn incentives on top of base pay, which must be included correctly when calculating overtime for a non-exempt employee. Set your range using current data for the specific role and your market, and post a range where your state requires one.
Hiring for a Community Bank or Credit Union
Banking is overwhelmingly community banks and credit unions, many running branches with well under 50 employees and no dedicated HR. The front-line roles, the teller and the retail banker who report to the branch manager, share the same hiring reality. Here is what that means for the posting.
Most banks are community banks, and many run a branch with well under 50 employees
Banking is not all bulge-bracket towers. The large majority of banks in the country are community banks, several thousand of them, and they make up about nine in ten federally insured institutions, alongside thousands of credit unions. Many of these institutions, and most individual branches, operate with well under fifty employees and frequently have no dedicated HR person at the branch level. The owner, branch manager, or a regional HR generalist writes the posting, interviews, and onboards the new banker. The generic banker templates are written for big-bank scale and skip the realities of a small institution. The six versions here, especially the Community Bank / Credit Union version, are written for that reality: ready to fill in, honest about classification, and built around how a small institution actually hires.
Classification and licensing are where a small institution gets exposed
Two things trip up small banks and credit unions on these hires, and neither appears in the generic templates. First, classification: tellers are clearly non-exempt, personal bankers are usually non-exempt, and even a private banker is non-exempt when the primary duty is selling rather than advising, so putting any of them on a salary with no overtime is a common and costly misclassification. Second, licensing and screening: a banker who will take residential mortgage applications needs NMLS registration or a state license before the first one, and background and credit checks are standard across banking roles, with federal law restricting certain convictions. The templates here build the per-role FLSA notes and the licensing and screening expectations in, so a small institution starts from a posting that handles both rather than discovering an overtime or licensing gap later.
Hiring a banker is the moment to set up onboarding and compliance
A banker handles money, customer data, and compliance obligations from day one, so onboarding them cleanly matters for both speed and risk. After the offer, the work is consistent: a signed offer with the correct exempt or non-exempt classification, Form I-9 and tax forms, NMLS and licensing verification where it applies, signed BSA/AML, code-of-conduct, and confidentiality acknowledgments, and a first-week plan. FirstHR fits this for a community bank or credit union: e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, an AI onboarding wizard to turn the role into an onboarding workflow, training modules with documented completion for compliance topics, task workflows for the background check and licensing steps, and document management for signed forms and records. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a core banking or loan-origination system, so pair it with those; it also does not run payroll or administer benefits. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and onboarding, and a banker is a compliance-sensitive hire: they handle money, customer data, and licensing obligations from day one, so a clean, documented process protects the institution.
Send the offer
Confirm the role, pay, and the exempt or non-exempt classification in writing, based on actual duties. An offer letter template makes this fast for a banking hire.
Verify licensing and screening
NMLS licensing where it applies, plus the background and credit checks standard in banking, completed before the start date.
Run compliance onboarding
Signed BSA/AML, code-of-conduct, and confidentiality acknowledgments, system access, and a first-week training plan.
Store the records
Keep the signed offer, classification basis, licensing, and acknowledgments organized for examiners and compliance.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new banker a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, paperwork, e-signatures, compliance training acknowledgments, and the onboarding workflow in one place so a community bank or credit union can run the full process from one system, with the classification and licensing recorded from day one. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a core banking or loan-origination system, so pair it with those; it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Banker is an umbrella title; teller, personal banker, private banker, and commercial banker are different jobs with different pay and overtime rules.
Use the template that matches the role: retail, personal banker, teller, private banker, commercial, or community-bank.
Most front-line banking roles are non-exempt; tellers clearly so, and any banker whose primary duty is selling products rather than advising clients.
Banking pay runs from a teller median of $39,340 up past $74,180 for lending and commercial work, with personal bankers often $40,000 to $55,000 base plus incentives.
A banker who takes residential mortgage applications needs NMLS registration or a state license, and background checks are standard across banking roles.
Most banks are community banks; the compliance applies the same at a small institution, so classify by duties and post a range where required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a banker do?
A banker serves customers at a bank or credit union, opening and servicing accounts, processing transactions, recommending products, and building relationships, though the exact work depends on the role. A retail or relationship banker opens accounts and handles service and referrals. A personal banker focuses on cross-selling and growing a book of relationships. A bank teller processes routine transactions at the window. A private banker manages a named book of high-value client relationships. A commercial banker manages business relationships and credit. Across all of them, the common thread is serving customers, handling money or financial products accurately, and following banking compliance rules like BSA/AML and privacy requirements. Because banker is an umbrella term, a strong job description names the specific role you are hiring for and the duties that go with it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a banker exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
Most front-line banking roles are non-exempt and owed overtime, though it depends on duties. Bank tellers are clearly non-exempt, since the work is routine transaction processing with no discretion on matters of significance, and the role is almost always hourly. Personal bankers and most retail bankers are usually non-exempt because their primary duty is serving customers and selling or cross-selling products, which the rules exclude from the administrative exemption. A private banker can be exempt when the primary duty is genuinely analyzing a client's finances and advising, but not when the role is measured mainly on selling products. Senior commercial bankers who exercise real discretion on matters of significance and are salaried at least $684 a week are more often exempt. The title never decides it, so classify by actual duties and default to non-exempt when classification is unclear. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a personal banker and a private banker?
A personal banker serves the general branch customer base, while a private banker serves a named book of high-value clients. The personal banker works the branch pipeline: opening accounts, cross-selling deposit and credit products, and meeting referral and sales goals for whoever walks in or calls. The private banker is assigned specific clients, typically professionals, business owners, and long-standing depositors with meaningful balances, and handles their deposit, credit, and service needs end to end instead of putting them into the queue. A private banker also coordinates investment, trust, and lending specialists on the client's behalf and refers loan requests to a registered or licensed originator rather than taking the application personally. Pay and classification follow the same split: a personal banker working to sales goals is usually non-exempt, while a private banker whose primary duty is analyzing a client's finances and advising can meet the administrative exemption if salaried at least $684 a week. Classify by actual duties. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a banker make?
Banker pay varies widely by role. Using federal data from May 2024, bank tellers had a median annual wage of $39,340, and loan officers had a median of $74,180, while securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents, the closest occupation for personal and investment bankers, had a median of $78,140. Personal bankers in practice often earn a base in the range of roughly $40,000 to $55,000 plus incentives, lower than the blended sales-agent figure. Commercial and investment bankers earn substantially more, well above these medians, but those are senior or enterprise roles. For a community bank or credit union, a teller is the entry-level hourly hire, a personal banker is the mid-range role, and a private or commercial banker sits above both. Set your range using current data for the specific role, your market, and any commission, and post a range where your state requires one. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a banker, a teller, and a personal banker?
They are different roles on the same branch team. A bank teller is the entry-level, transaction-focused position: processing deposits, withdrawals, and payments at the window and balancing a cash drawer, paid hourly and clearly non-exempt. A banker, often called a retail or relationship banker, opens accounts, handles service requests, recommends products, and builds relationships, sitting a step above the teller. A personal banker is a sales-weighted version of the banker role, focused on cross-selling products and growing a book of relationships against sales goals. A typical branch career path runs teller to personal banker to branch manager. Use the specific title that matches the work, since each has different duties, pay, and classification. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do bankers need a license or background check?
It depends on the role, but screening is standard across banking. Tellers and most branch bankers need no professional license, though anyone who will take a residential mortgage application, or offer or negotiate terms for compensation, must be registered in the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System, the NMLS, at a federally insured depository institution or state licensed at a non-depository lender, so state that as a requirement or condition of hire when it applies. A banker who only refers those requests to an originator needs no credential, but a background check is standard across banking roles and a credit check is common, because employees handle money and sensitive financial data. Federal banking law also restricts hiring people with certain disqualifying convictions. State the licensing, background, and credit-check expectations clearly in the posting, and build verification into your hiring process before extending or finalizing an offer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do small community banks and credit unions have to follow FLSA overtime rules?
Yes. The Fair Labor Standards Act applies based on the employee's duties and the employer's coverage, not the size of the institution, so a small community bank or credit union owes overtime to its non-exempt employees the same as a large bank. A teller is non-exempt regardless of how small the branch is, and a personal banker is usually non-exempt as well. Putting any of these roles on a salary with no overtime is a common misclassification that creates real liability. The compliance does not scale down with the institution. The practical advantage for a small institution is that the rules are simpler to set up once and keep current with a structured onboarding and recordkeeping process. Confirm specific classifications by actual duties. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a banker job description include?
A strong banker job description names the specific role up front, whether retail banker, personal banker, teller, private banker, or commercial banker, since that shapes the duties, pay, and classification. Include a short institution summary, a job summary that frames the role, and responsibilities grouped into customers and service, transactions and accuracy, products and referrals, and compliance and security. State the required experience, any NMLS registration or state license if the role will take residential mortgage applications, and the background and credit-check expectations. The most valuable additions that generic templates skip are the per-role FLSA classification with the non-exempt caveat for tellers and personal bankers, and a salary range where your state's pay-transparency law requires one. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
