Perhaps most important to you is the value that the certification will have for you; i.e., will it complement your current skill set, will it provide you with additional recognition. Industry-recognized certifications such as CPA, CISA, CIA, CFE help to promote a profile of audit competency. Unfortunately, the converse is true with some other bank-audit-related certifications which are of marginal to fair value. You have to be honest in your research and due-diligence. Preparing and passing the CIA, CISA, or CFE examinations is no cake-walk; and it should be obvious that the CPA examination, even in the new computerized version, is almost never passed for all sections on the first attempt. Banking and financial institution risk is continually changing, and it would appear that the certifications that will offer the widest recognition are those most considered to be of value across industries; i.e., CIA, CFE, CISA, CPA, etc.