Mario Mercado
Finance Professional | AI-Powered Analysis
I combine strategic risk oversight with AI-driven tooling to build investment analyses, portfolio models, and financial solutions.
About
I am a finance professional leveraging AI to bridge the gap between quantitative analysis and strategic decision-making. My career spans diverse roles in credit risk, financial consulting, and investment operations.
Currently based in San Francisco, I have worked with institutions ranging from Natixis Investment Managers to First Republic Bank. My expertise lies in managing complex financial workflows, from directing tax-loss harvesting cycles for thousands of accounts to evaluating credit risk profiles that influence strategic lending decisions.
I thrive at the intersection of finance and technology, leveraging AI-augmented workflows and financial modeling to mitigate risk and solve complex institutional problems. I use AI to accelerate the development of portfolio analyses, investment models, and financial solutions — turning weeks of manual work into days of rigorous, data-driven output.
I approach high-stakes environments with a tenacious mindset, proven by my ability to navigate peak volumes during critical project phases, master new systems on the fly, and adapt to evolving market demands.
Outside of analyzing markets and conducting financial valuations, you can find me playing soccer or exploring the Bay Area's vibrant food scene.
Experience
Jan 2025 — Present Trade Analyst·Natixis Investment ManagersSan Francisco, CA- Optimized portfolio performance by reconciling hundreds of equity and fixed models, leveraging SQL to identify variances and provide data-driven insights for risk-adjusted rebalancing.
- Streamlined the end-to-end execution of a ~2,400-request tax-loss harvesting cycle, implementing process improvements that increased operational throughput during peak volumes.
- Spearheaded daily financial controls and drift analysis to enable tax-efficient transitions, utilizing Bloomberg and Vestmark to scale rebalancing frameworks across multi-strategy portfolios.
- SQL
- Bloomberg
- Vestmark
- Tax-Loss Harvesting
Dec 2023 — Dec 2024 Consultant·Inspection Engineers, Inc.Miami, FL- Structured financial underwriting and market-entry analysis for land acquisitions, building ROI models to evaluate the viability of commercial and residential investment opportunities.
- Developed disposition strategies for investors to project profitability and guide capital deployment decisions.
- Financial Underwriting
- Market Analysis
- ROI Modeling
Aug 2021 — Jul 2023 Loan Analyst·First Republic BankSan Francisco, CA- Presented ~50 comprehensive financial profiles per quarter to the Executive Loan Committee, driving $40M+ in strategic capital allocation and refinancing transactions.
- Optimized lending pipeline efficiency by managing high-volume deal flows and utilizing data-driven reviews to maximize growth and loan performance.
- Partnered with Relationship Managers to translate raw financial data into growth opportunities, developing credit-risk frameworks that balanced compliance with targeted client acquisition goals.
- Credit Risk
- Pipeline Management
- Executive Communication
- Data Analysis
Mar 2020 — Aug 2021 Compliance Analyst·Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC)Washington, D.C.- Advised on the strategic allocation of $2.1B+ in federal funding, conducting FCC-mandated compliance audits and PQA assessments to ensure resources were effectively distributed for rural healthcare and education infrastructure.
- Translated audit findings and rate deviation filings into reports for Internal Audit and FCC stakeholders, leveraging Tableau to identify operational anomalies and mitigate long-term compliance risks.
- Compliance Audit
- Tableau
- FCC Regulations
- Data Analysis
May 2019 — Mar 2020 Accounting Assistant·MC, Inc.Ashton, MD- Supported financial operations for the $1B+ Silver Line Metro infrastructure project, ensuring fiscal accuracy and utility coordination during critical project-scaling phases.
- GAAP/FASB
- Infrastructure Finance
- Financial Operations
Skills
AI & Development Tools
- Claude Code
- Gemini
- ChatGPT
- VS Code
- CLI
- Git
Data & Analytics
- Python
- SQL
- Tableau
- Large-Scale Data Analysis
- Data Visualization
- Market Research & Analysis
Financial Strategy
- Credit Risk & Underwriting
- Model Reconciliation
- Equity Trading
- Financial Modeling (DCF, P&L, Lease-vs-Buy, Amortization)
- Tax-Efficient Harvesting
- GAAP
- FASB
Operations & Systems
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Bloomberg
- Vestmark
- FactSet
- Salesforce
- Pipeline Management
- Lending Compliance
- Internal Audit
- FNMA Certified
- NetOxygen
- BQE Core CRM
- QuickBooks
- BillQuick
Certifications
Advanced Valuation and Strategy
M&A, Private Equity, and Venture Capital
Finance & Quantitative Modeling for Analysts
Financial Analysis Specialization
Languages: Fluent in Spanish, Native in English
Projects
Adaptive Valuation Engine
One DCF framework that adapts from profitable mega-caps to pre-profit turnarounds. Three case studies (AAPL, FSLY, CVNA) demonstrate how configuration, not structural changes, produces credible output across company profiles.
UHNW Portfolio Transition Analysis
A comprehensive portfolio optimization study for an ultra-high-net-worth technology founder with $25M in investable assets. Transitions a 90% concentrated equity position into a 7-asset-class institutional model with AI-accelerated scenario modeling and risk analysis.
Cartier Santos Investment Analysis
An evaluation whether the Cartier Santos de Cartier is a viable investment or purely a leisure purchase. Grounded in six years of secondary market data, gold spot price history, and a 10-year forward projection benchmarked against gold bullion, the S&P 500, and inflation.
AML Risk Detection & Visualization
An end-to-end AML surveillance solution combining SQL-based detection queries with an interactive Tableau dashboard. Analyzes 5M+ synthetic transactions to identify $187B in high-risk exposure through temporal patterns, institutional corridor analysis, and transaction channel monitoring.
Writing
Contact
I'm actively exploring new opportunities in finance and analytics. Whether you're looking for someone to join your team, want to discuss a potential collaboration, or just want to connect—I'd love to hear from you.
Get In Touch