Brian Knutson Email & Phone Number

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Manage, monitor and report on the daily cash transactions on a global basis, to ensure adequate funds are available for daily operations. Provide analytical and financial analysis support. Actively participate in projects effecting the department. Proactively evaluate and recommend enhancement to cash management & ERP systems globally.• Analysis -Creates efficient and effective operating reports and models -Analyzes financial data, draws conclusions and represents recommendation on decisions or actions -Assists with IC financing analysis -Evaluates potential projects, reviews pricing models and estimates ROI -Periodically updates models to ensure accuracy and consistency -Recommends cost savings or revenue generating opportunities -Assist with development of FX Strategy -Performs risk analysis and modeling -Assists with evaluating effectiveness of hedging programs -Proactively Resolve issues• Cash Management -Manage, monitor and report on daily cash globally -Executes daily borrowing and investing -Assists with Opening and Closing bank accounts globally -Keeps informed of cash management practices in the countries in which we operate -Prepares Cash forecast and income projections -Measures performance against projections -Work effectively with subsidiaries and tax department to ensure effective cash movements -Monitor cash Pool, it’s effectiveness and suggest changes -Facilitate Inter-company cash movement globally -Responsible for gathering and keeping appropriate records to facilitate FBAR filings• Bank Management -Wire transfer initiation for Treasury movements -Ensure compliance with Signature Authorities -Maintain Signature authority records -Manage on-line security for all bank systems -Evaluate, recommend better utilization of existing systems

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

• Manage daily global cash position to ensure adequate liquidity, anticipating short-term borrowing needs and appropriately investing excess cash balances• Manage global foreign exchange risks and interest rate exposures within corporate policy and recommend risk mitigation strategies• Develop and manage global cash flow forecasts • Recommend and implement cost saving, profit maximizing, and improvement opportunities to current treasury systems and processes• Supervise and develop treasury team supporting global operations• Ensure compliance with internal controls, policies and procedures in daily conduct of treasury activities• Assist in the development of policies, procedures, operational controls and standards• Provide back up support for daily cash positioning and reconciling, ensuring adequate working capital liquidity• Resolve issues and questions related to treasury function • Performs weekly, monthly and annual cash forecasts by working with other global finance managers, accounts payable and accounts receivable managers• Performs periodic bank fee analysis and provides insights on performance of banking partners • Support internal clients by providing appropriate banking solutions and satisfying monthly, quarterly and annual reporting requirements for the Controller’s function• Assist with capital markets activities including analyzing capital structure, performing due diligence, securing credit lines and reviewing financial contracts• Develop and foster strong business relationships with cross-functional departments and financial service providers and stay current on relevant Treasury best practices• Maintain and enhance knowledge of current and evolving concepts, practices, processes, laws/regulations, and technologies in financial management• Keep abreast of emerging economic and capital market news and communicate how it may influence company performance

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Leads and assists in the preparation and review of capital appropriation requests to ensure Company guidelines are followed and that capital spending is optimized to achieve minimum Company hurdle rates.- Participates in business decisions through complex financial modeling, operating and trend analysis, value-added assessments, and risk/opportunity analysis. Develops and maintains complex data analysis, key business metrics and financial and business modeling tools. Interprets financial and operational data and identifies areas of risk/opportunity for existing and potential business opportunities. Provides insightful and analytical explanations and makes recommendations to management based on findings.- Coordinates the preparation and compilation of the annual financial plan(annual sales, capital and operating plan) to include but not limited to data analysis, report design, end user support and training, communicating results to management, modeling, time series analysis and presentations of both financial and operational data to enhance management’s ability to plan and monitor Company performance.- Maintains current and future knowledge of regulatory requirements and best accounting/finance practices; makes recommendations on current processes to ensure Company programs and processes are in compliance with GAAP and SOX.- Participates in special projects and strategic initiatives; provides ad-hoc financial analysis as requested

Eden Prairie, Mn

- Assist Treasurer with all aspects of treasury accounting and reporting including A/R securitization, credit facilities debt compliance, cash management and hedging initiatives, plus special projects.- Ensure compliance with debt covenants and concentration limits plus reporting requirements as they pertain to credit agreements for both A/R and inventory credit facilities. -Develop and maintain models for efficient processing and tracking of cash movements within cash management and debt structure.-Manage credit facility examinations that assists in the management of bank requested portfolio performance audits and assessments including those relating to Bluestem credit products and policies, internal financials, internal operational controls; receive audit requests from the 3rd party auditing firm, disseminates to applicable functional areas, sets response dates based upon bank’s request; verify data supplied by the functional areas match the bank’s request; package and save data in secure network directory and provide as required.- Partner with functional business units to remediate issues surfaced as a result of specific audit exceptions in a manner acceptable to Admin. Agent and investor syndication while maintaining integrity and functionality of daily reporting requirements for the Company.- Anticipate and review short-term borrowing needs and ensure adequate liquidity levels as it relates to check run and weekly funding requirements, plus partner with Accounts Payable department to develop and maintain cash management policies and recommend changes as needed.

- Work with Performance and Portfolio Reporting functions to execute fund economics including asset management fees, carried interest and preferred return hurdles and redemption fees.-Coordinate with the Compliance Function and Tax Director to: a. Ensure regulatory and tax implications of cash movements are respected. b. Ensure all corporate formalities are being adhered to (resolutions, etc) c. Track and monitor internal loans within the fund structure.- Assist in development of models and tracking tools for efficient processing of cash movements within the fund structure.- Process investor distributions and capital calls working with Investor Relations, Accounting, Portfolio Manager, and Cash Management functions to facilitate, calculate, and report.- Forecast and predict future capital calls based on deal-flow and current liquidity needs.- Work with portfolio manager on cash forecasting and ad-hoc reporting, plus partner with Cash Management staff to develop and implement global treasury best practices.-Assist underwriters in optimizing bond structure in order to best utilize potential collateral

• Senior Financial Analyst-Managed and facilitated M.I.N.T. (Mortgage Interest Networking Trust), which is a commercial paper facility utilized by corporation to fund mortgage warehouse lending receivables.-Ongoing SOX and internal audit control testing and validation of daily and monthly procedures.-Managed and developed an accurate and detailed tracking method for all forecasting and planning liquidity assumptions based on a three-year time horizon.-Provided quantitative analysis and recommendations to Management regarding ALM treatment and the possible impact of future funding assumptions.• Structured Finance Deal Manager-Lead capital markets team in continued successful execution of MBS\ABS issuance and whole loan sale transactions to specialized secondary institutional investment markets.-Specialization in one or more product types including and not exclusive to Jumbo A, Alt A, Sub-prime, Home Equity, Negotiated Conduit Assets and re-performing/non-performing.-Assist underwriters in optimizing bond structure in order to best utilize potential collateral and product make-up for ideal marketing and offering efficiency.-Develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal parties such as Trading/Analytics, Risk and Value Analytics, Credit Risk, Primary and Master Servicing to fully understand aspects of distributing , originating, servicing and valuation of products.-Ongoing interactions and negotiations with rating agencies, bond insurers and investors, plus other players in the secondary market.-Created and maintain an accurate and detailed tracking method for all outstanding EPD and other recourse claims as they pertain to Rep. & Warranty violations post deal close.-Partner with other areas of RFC to problem-solve on specific issues or transactions and assist in generating and implementing ideas relating to program efficiencies.