# Bank Statement Analysis Report: What Goes in the File - Author: TrueBankFlow (https://truebankflow.com) - Published: 2026-10-16 - Category: Analysis software and reports - Canonical: https://truebankflow.com/blog/bank-statement-analysis-report > What a bank statement analysis report needs for the loan file: monthly totals, averages, exclusions, notes and line citations an underwriter can check. A bank statement analysis report for the loan file should show monthly deposit totals, the qualifying and total averages, recurring income, NSF and overdraft events, flagged transactions, and every exclusion and note, each tied to statement lines. An underwriter should be able to check any figure without opening a spreadsheet. ## What sections does a bank statement analysis report need? A bank statement analysis report needs eight sections: a header that identifies the borrower, accounts and period, then monthly totals, averages, recurring income, NSF and overdraft events, flagged transactions, exclusions and notes. Each section answers one question the underwriter would otherwise ask by email. ### A report template outline Use this outline as a starting point. The example values are made up. 1. **Header.** Borrower name, account names with the last four digits, statement months covered, date prepared and the preparer's name. Example: "Harbor Print Co., checking ending 4417, January to June, prepared by A. Rivera." 2. **Monthly deposit totals.** One row per month with total deposits, excluded deposits and qualifying deposits. Example: January $41,200, $3,000 excluded, $38,200 qualifying. 3. **Averages.** The total average and the qualifying average, with the months used. Example: $40,467 total and $37,717 qualifying over six months. 4. **Recurring income.** Each source, its cadence and its average amount. Example: biweekly, $4,250. 5. **NSF and overdraft events.** Date, amount and fee for each, with a count. Example: 2 NSF events. 6. **Flagged transactions.** Date, amount, description, statement line and the reason for the flag. 7. **Exclusions.** Each deposit removed from the qualifying figures, with the rule that removed it. 8. **Notes.** The reviewer's comments, source documents requested and open items. ### How long it should be One to three pages is normal. The monthly table and averages fit on the first page, and the flags and exclusions follow. TrueBankFlow's homepage describes its export as monthly totals, qualifying and total averages, recurring income sources, NSF and overdraft events, flagged transactions, and the exclusions and notes the user added, delivered as a PDF, with Excel also listed on the Lending team plan. ## Exclusions and notes in the analysis report Exclusions and notes are the parts of the report that record judgment. An exclusion removes a deposit from the qualifying figure, and a note explains a choice or an open question. Without them, the averages look like facts when they are partly decisions. ### What an exclusion entry needs Four things: the date, the amount, the description as it appears on the statement, and the reason. "March 9, $4,400, transfer from savings ending 2210, own-account transfer" lets a reader agree or disagree in seconds. "Excluded: transfer" does not. ### Write the rule, not just the result Name the rule behind each exclusion: own-account transfer, loan proceeds, refund, one-time sale awaiting documentation. A reader who sees the same rule applied to every matching line learns that the desk is consistent. [Which transfers come out of average monthly deposits](/blog/average-monthly-deposits#which-transfers-come-out-of-average-monthly-deposits) sets out the rules most desks apply to transfers. ### What belongs in notes - A statement that was unreadable and how it was handled. - A deposit the borrower explained, with the document received. - A decision to include something a rule would normally remove, and why. - An item still open at the time of writing. Keep notes short and dated. They are part of the record, and an underwriter reads them before the numbers. ## How should a bank statement analysis report cite statement lines? A report cites a statement line by naming the statement month, page and the line's date and amount, so the reader can find the entry in seconds. The citation turns a total into something checkable. Without it, the reader has to trust the preparer. ### A workable citation format Use the same short form everywhere: month, page, date, amount. For example, "Mar stmt p.2, 3/14, $4,250.00". For a total, cite the range or attach the list of lines behind it. For a group of recurring deposits, list each date and amount once, then refer to the group by name. ### Why a link back matters Citations let a second reviewer sample the report in minutes. They also protect the preparer. If a figure is questioned later, the trail shows how it was built. TrueBankFlow links each total back to the statement lines behind it and flags unusual items with their date and statement line, which covers much of the citation work. ### Common mistakes - Citing a month but not a page. - Giving an amount that is rounded, so it does not match the statement. - Using a bank's internal reference where the reader needs a date. - Citing a line in a statement that is not included in the file. For how an analyzer should expose citations in the first place, read [what to look for in a bank statement analyzer](/blog/bank-statement-analyzer). ## Analysis report gaps that bring underwriter conditions Analysis report gaps bring underwriter conditions when a reader cannot answer a basic question from the page: which accounts are covered, why a deposit was excluded or where a figure came from. Each unanswered question becomes a request to the broker or analyst, which delays the file. ### The gaps that cause most conditions - **A missing account.** The header lists one account, but the statements show transfers to another. - **Unexplained exclusions.** A line with no reason, or a reason with no rule. - **Unsourced large deposits.** A flag with no note on what was requested. - **Averages without the months.** A figure that does not say whether it covers three, six or twelve months. - **No preparer or date.** The reader cannot tell how current the analysis is. ### A pre-submit check Before sending, read the report as if you had never seen the statements. Can you tell what was averaged, what was removed and why? Can you find any total's source lines? If a question needs the borrower or the preparer to answer, add the answer to the report. For where the report sits in the wider process, see the [business loan underwriting process](/blog/business-loan-underwriting-process), and for the outputs behind every section, see [what bank statement analysis gives a lender](/blog/bank-statement-analysis-for-lenders). Teams that want a report with this structure generated from their statements can [request a spot with TrueBankFlow](/get-started). The product is in early access, and the writing of the notes stays with you. If you prepare analyses by hand, [writing up a manual analysis](/blog/bank-statement-analysis-for-loan#writing-up-the-loan-statement-analysis-for-the-underwriter) covers that route.