Use Microsoft Word's AI to Draft Credit Memo Sections

What This Does

Microsoft Copilot in Word can draft, rewrite, and expand sections of your credit memo directly inside the document you're already working in. No copy-pasting between tools required.

Before You Start

• You have Microsoft Word open (desktop app or Word online)
• You're logged in with a Microsoft 365 work account with Copilot access (most organizations buy the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on; smaller ones may have free basic access; ask IT if you're not sure)
• You have your deal data in front of you (loan amount, borrower financials, collateral info)

Steps

1. Find the AI feature

Open your credit memo template in Word. Click the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of the document to open the Copilot side panel.

Microsoft moved Copilot off the Home ribbon in 2026, so this corner button is now the one entry point. Keyboard shortcuts: F6 works everywhere; Alt + C (Windows) and Cmd + Ctrl + I (Mac) are rolling out. If you prefer the old placement, right-click the corner button and choose Move to ribbon.

2. Tell it what you need

Click inside your credit memo where you want to draft a section (e.g., the Business Overview section). In the Copilot panel, type your request. For example:

"Write a 2-paragraph business overview for a credit memo. Business: Johnson Landscaping LLC, a 9-year-old commercial landscaping company serving municipal and HOA contracts in suburban Chicago. Annual revenue $1.8M, 12 employees, owner-operated."

Copilot will generate the text directly in your document at your cursor location.

3. Review and use the result

Read the generated text carefully. Copilot gets the structure right but may include generic statements that need verification against your actual borrower data. Click Keep it to accept, or Regenerate for a different version. Then place your cursor at the next section and repeat.

Real Example

Scenario: You're writing a credit memo for a $900K equipment loan to Midwest Cold Storage Inc., a 14-year-old refrigeration and cold storage business. You need a business overview and industry analysis section.

What you type: "Write a business overview paragraph for a credit memo. Company: Midwest Cold Storage Inc., 14 years in operation, cold storage and refrigeration services, $3.1M revenue, serves food distributors and regional grocery chains, owner has 22 years industry experience."

What you get: A 3-4 sentence professional business overview covering company history, service lines, customer base, and management depth, formatted for a credit memo.

Tips

• Use Copilot for the narrative sections (business overview, industry analysis, management assessment): it excels at prose. Keep your own hand on the financial analysis numbers.
• If Copilot's draft misses a key detail, highlight the sentence and ask it to "revise this to include [specific fact]" in the panel.
• For the risk factors section, try: "List 5 key risks for this credit and suggest a mitigant for each."

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.