Mortgage Underwriter Job Description, Skills and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a mortgage underwriter. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a mortgage underwriter.
Who is a Mortgage Underwriter?
A mortgage underwriter is a lender’s employee who investigates your finances further before authorizing a loan. The mortgage underwriter examines the loan structure, the borrower’s credit, income, debt load, and the property being financed to see if the loan matches the lending program’s risk profile.
Working with an underwriter can be intimidating for many people, especially first-time homebuyers.
Mortgage underwriting is a portion of the larger mortgage origination process that a lender employs to evaluate if the risk of giving a mortgage loan to a specific borrower is acceptable (particularly the risk of the borrower defaulting. The five C’s of underwriting cover the majority of the risks and terms that underwriters consider: credit, capacity, cash flow, collateral, and character. (Capacity, collateral, and character are the three canons of credit in the United Kingdom.)
To assist the underwriter in determining the loan’s quality, banks and lenders develop guidelines and even computer models that examine various components of the mortgage and provide recommendations about the risks involved. The underwriter, on the other hand, is always in charge of deciding whether to approve or deny a loan.
However, Underwriting is the procedure by which your preferred mortgage lender assumes your financial risk in exchange for a fee (this is the interest you pay on the loan).
Before deciding whether or not to accept your application, they must first determine the level of risk you represent as a borrower. They accomplish it by conducting a series of eligibility checks in compliance with their lending standards as well as broader legal requirements.
A home lending counselor, loan officer, or mortgage broker will gather the appropriate paperwork for your application before it is sent to an underwriter. They send this information to a mortgage underwriter, who will review your credit history and evaluate your present financial status.
The underwriting process, which is carried out by an underwriter, is required for your mortgage to be approved. When you apply for a house loan, a loan processor will usually organize your application before sending it to a loan underwriter. The underwriter will assess whether you are eligible for the loan. An underwriter will analyze your mortgage application and determine whether you are likely to be able to repay the loan during the underwriting procedure. The underwriter will next decide whether to approve, hold, or reject your mortgage application.
Mortgage Underwriters’ primary responsibility is to determine whether or not the asset purchasers will be able to repay the loan. They must ensure that the lender optimizes profit while minimizing risk and losses. To perform a faultless Underwriting process, they can use a variety of software systems and external expertise. During the underwriting process, mortgage underwriters examine a large number of papers.
As a mortgage underwriter, you’ll be in charge of deciding whether or not a borrower can get a loan. You’ll look over the relevant paperwork to see if the borrower is eligible for a certain mortgage program. If you’re ready to work as a mortgage underwriter, the steps below will assist you.
Lenders and underwriters check for four important factors when approving a loan.
- Income: One of the first questions an underwriter will ask is how much money you have and how frequently you receive it. W-2s, recent pay stubs, and recent bank statements are usually requested. Your lender may want additional documentation if you are self-employed or operate a business. Your employment will almost always be verified by a lender.
- Property: During the underwriting process, your lender will order an appraisal of the home you wish to buy. This is to keep you from overpaying and to keep the lender from loaning more than the house is worth. The underwriter will decide whether or not the property is within your budget and fits the loan requirements.
- Assets: Checking and savings accounts, equities, bonds, and other assets are examples of assets. The more assets you have, particularly valuable assets, the better. Your underwriter will also look to see whether you have any financial reserves, which might assist in determining how long you’d be able to make your mortgage payment if you lost your job.
- Credit: Your credit history, as well as your credit score, will be examined by the mortgage underwriter. The underwriter will look at your credit history to see if you’ve paid your current and previous payments on time. Late payments, excessive credit utilization, and bankruptcies will all be investigated using the credit score. Your debt-to-income ratio will also be considered by your underwriter.
Mortgage Underwriter Job Description
Below are the mortgage underwriter job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a mortgage underwriter job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
A Mortgage Underwriter verifies that the customer complies with all of the mortgage application’s requirements. They oversee the entire process, from the initial request for information through the final documentation and signing of the mortgage paperwork. A Mortgage Underwriter’s essential duties and responsibilities may include:
- Complete and double-check mortgage application documents
- Determine eligibility, and examine the applicant’s credit history and financial information.
- Respond to lender and broker inquiries and questions
- Establish acceptance process, credit terms, price, and conditions during application.
- Develop and maintain commercial ties with brokers and clients
- Examine all mortgage applications and accompanying documentation to ensure that all information required for approval is included.
- Determine the accuracy of the application and documentation, and look into the applicant’s job and financial background.
- Identify loan risk, and request further information on any papers as needed.
- Ascertain that all information is true, that compliance criteria are followed, and that it is consistent with corporate policy after it has been gathered.
- Document reasons for loan acceptance or denial should be so that clients and loan officers will be well-informed.
- Examine and approve loan applications as well as supporting paperwork.
- Analyze loan risk and, if necessary, seek additional information
- Create reports based on the results of the assessment.
- Make decisions on loan eligibility and approving or rejecting applications.
- Review and define loan conditions.
- EnEnsuredherence to regulatory requirements.
- Assuring adherence to company policies and procedures.
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, or a similar field.
- A minimum of two years of mortgage underwriting or lending experience is necessary.
- Knowledge of home loans and residential mortgages, such as FHA, USDA, VA, conventional loan rules, and loan products
- Microsoft Office and automated underwriting systems are useful skills to have.
- Excellent communication and decision-making abilities
Essential Skills
- Exceptional Risk Assessment Skills: Underwriting is a highly technical function that necessitates a high level of skill due to the difficult task of recommending the final mortgage structure. On the other hand, risk assessment is a necessary skill. Candidates who do not have comprehensive risk assessment skills are unqualified to put together profitable mortgages and may create loan arrangements that are more likely to default. Underwriters must be risk assessment experts to ensure that the lending institution does not lose money on its mortgages.
- Ability to Think Analytically to Make Strategic Decisions: Underwriters, as previously said, is in charge of putting together the final mortgage structure. Underwriters, on the other hand, must be analytical thinker thinkers to structure together. Underwriters must look at homeowners holistically rather than simply the basic risk assessment numbers when determining whether or not they are a good fit for a mortgage. This entails examining a variety of borrowers’ qualities, such as credit, capacity, and collateral.
- Strong commitment to ethics: A strong commitment to ethics is also required of underwriters. They’re the ones that stand in the way of a loan officer meeting her quota. They also act as a buffer between a bank and its Fair Housing Act obligations, loan origination numbers, and profit margins on mortgages. No matter how much pressure they receive from outside sources to accept or deny specific loans, underwriters must be committed to obeying the laws, regulations, and standards of mortgage lending.
- Communication skill: Underwriters must be able to interact effectively with other members of the team, even if they work remotely. If there isn’t a constant and open line of communication between underwriters, originators, and processors, the company’s ability to process loans will suffer. They must be able to work well with others, know how to quickly obtain information from other members of the lending team, and be able to clearly articulate the reasons why an application was flagged or rejected so that the loan officer can send that vital information to the applicant.
- Analytical: Underwriters who lack a keen eye for detail are working in the wrong field. Underwriters must consider not just the risk of the line of credit, but also the risk of the homeowners. This technique necessitates a keen eye for data analysis. Underwriters must be able to evaluate a variety of borrowers’ qualities, including credit, capacity, and collateral; failure to do so will expose your company to financial danger.
- Goal-Oriented: Successful mortgage underwriters are driven to exceed management’s expectations and will frequently establish smaller targets for themselves to do so. Someone who is not self-motivated will only be motivated to do the bare minimum and will not devote the time necessary to improve their professional skills.
- Collaborative: To ensure a “smooth” loan application process, your team members must all recognize the importance of working together to achieve the same goal: swiftly closing and funding loans. A healthy, productive, and cohesive working environment requires an underwriter who will take the time to interact with, educate, learn from, and cooperate with their coworkers.
- Problem-Solving skill: To get a loan through the pipeline, your underwriting staff will have to think outside the frequently. Someone who refuses to collaborate with other team members or think outside the box to overcome obstacles will be immediately characterized as lazy, uncooperative, or worse, cruel when it comes to giving shelter to your consumers.
- Mathematical skill: Mortgage underwriters must have great mathematics skills because they deal with a lot of financial data.
How to Become a Mortgage Underwriter
- Obtain Mortgage Underwriter Education: A bachelor’s degree is required for most loan officers. Business and finance are two typical degrees for prospective mortgage underwriters. While certificate programs in finance are available, mortgage underwriters may find it more helpful to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business with a finance specialization. With courses in financial management, financial markets, and financial statement analysis, the programs help students prepare for their future jobs.
- Pursue Internships or entry-level positions: Start with an internship or entry-level position with a financial institution to gain hands-on mortgage experience, enhance your competence, and expand your repertoire of mortgage knowledge. You’ll be able to learn how to read credit reports and histories, analyze numerous risk variables to determine what qualifies a mortgage applicant, interact with senior underwriters to refine your talents, and hone your communication skills to ensure world-class customer service.
- Obtain a license as a mortgage underwriter: Mortgage loan officers must complete the standards for a Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) license in their state. This entails completing courses and passing an exam, as well as passing a background and credit check. Pre-licensure coursework typically totals 20 hours. To demonstrate skill in areas like risk management and coverage analysis, mortgage underwriters can pursue an optional designation such as the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) from the credential in the organization on The Institutes.
- Earn Mortgage Underwriter Certification: After earning a position, most loan officers must complete some on-the-job training. This training could consist of a few months of informal training with seasoned loan officers and/or company-specific instruction.
Where to work as a Mortgage Underwriter
- Financial Institutions
Mortgage Underwriter Salary Scale
In the United States, the average mortgage underwriter income is $84,401 per year or $43.28 per hour. The starting salary for entry-level occupations is $66,243 per year, with the most experienced professionals earning up to $115,000 per year.
In the United Kingdom, the average mortgage underwriter income is £31,994 per year or £16.41 per hour. The starting salary for entry-level occupations is £26,239 per year, with most experienced individuals earning up to £41,029 per year.