Who we are
About Sara Kraft
Over more than twenty years inside community banks and credit unions, I did the actual work: designing underwriting frameworks, standing up credit functions, developing analysts, and leading teams through complexity. At Wings Credit Union, I grew the commercial credit department from scratch into a team of 20+ supporting a portfolio of over a billion dollars. At Bremer Bank, I came up through the work itself: intern, processor, analyst, manager, before leading enterprise-wide credit program development following a charter unification project. That was the first of several mergers I've been part of over the course of my career.
Those merger experiences shaped something important in how I think about institutional change. The technical work matters. But the outcomes people remember, and the ones that actually stick, are determined by how well the people were cared for along the way. That conviction hasn't left me. It's also why I became a consultant.
What I Do
I work with community banks and credit unions on the things that matter most in commercial lending: third-party loan portfolio review, credit process and workflow improvement, and team and individual development across the lending function.
My loan review work gives institutions a candid, experienced outside perspective, grounded in something most reviewers can't claim: I've been on the receiving end. I've worked directly with OCC and NCUA examiners through commercial exams, completed confirmatory due diligence on potential merger targets, and collaborated with third-party reviewers on loan review projects from the institution side. I know what examiners are actually looking for, what due diligence buyers need to trust, and what makes a loan review finding useful rather than just technically correct. That experience shapes everything about how I structure and communicate my work.
Analyst and team development has been part of my work for most of my career. I attended and later helped host the RMA Commercial Lending Academy, and at Bremer I helped build both a customized lending program and a separate initiative focused on writing skills.
That history is the foundation for AnalytiQ™. The skills that determine success in commercial lending -- how to think through a credit, how to tell a story that earns trust -- aren't the ones most analysts arrive with from a degree program. This work is my way of closing that gap.
How I Work
Laurel Peak is a solo practice. When you work with me, you work with me. I stay deliberately small so I can stay genuinely engaged with every client.
That said, I've spent two decades building relationships across the Minnesota, upper Midwest, and national commercial lending community, and I have relationships with other experienced consultants as well. If your situation calls for a larger team, a different specialty, or honestly just someone who isn't me, I'll tell you and make the introduction. Getting you to the right resource matters more than keeping you in my pipeline.
I take the time to understand your situation before I offer a perspective. When I do, you'll get my honest read.
Credentials & Background
I hold an MBA and a Bachelor of Music, along with a PMP and a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner credential. I'm based in the Twin Cities and am an active member of the RMA community.
Outside of work, you'll find me walking my cattle dog, cooking and baking, or connecting people who should probably already know each other.
If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear what's on your mind.
