This case follows a senior loan officer who is reviewing requests from two customers of the bank to raise their credit limits. The two businesses are alike in many ways, but the loan officer believes one represents a greater problem. The students must use a ratio and financial analysis (all ratios are provided, as the challenge is not calculating ratios but interpreting them) to identify which of the two is worthy of concern. The emphasis in this case is on interpretation rather than calculation, though an instructor can explore definitions and calculations as desired. By hinting that there is a conclusion that can be reached, students are motivated to view their analyses as supporting a judgement. Just as ratios essentially link line items to provide insight, judgement links ratios to tell a story. An intentional feature of this case is that the judgement is relatively clear, and students will finish with a sense of success.
