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The differences between consumer loan underwriters and commercial underwriters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a commercial underwriter has an average salary of $59,051, which is higher than the $53,525 average annual salary of a consumer loan underwriter.
The top three skills for a consumer loan underwriter include financial statements, loan applications and strong analytical. The most important skills for a commercial underwriter are real estate, customer service, and financial analysis.
| Consumer Loan Underwriter | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Yearly salary | $53,525 | $59,051 |
| Hourly rate | $25.73 | $28.39 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 17,495 | 31,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A consumer loan underwriter, or often known as a loan officer, is a financial professional who works at a credit union or other financial institution to approve or disapprove loans to clients. Consumer loan underwriters must review and verify the information provided by loan applicants and then decide on approving or denying a loan according to the policies of the institution. They must determine maximum loss potential by identifying all loans that are associated with a borrower where fraud may have occurred. Consumer loan underwriters must also demonstrate experience in underwriting conventional and FHA loans.
A commercial underwriter is responsible for processing commercial loan applications, evaluating payment agreements and terms of service, validating customers' information, and requesting additional documents as needed. Commercial underwriters analyze the credit qualifications of an applicant, including financial history, account statements, and outstanding loan applications, if any. They identify potential credit risks for the loan request and advice the applicants for alternative loan options according to their needs and qualifications. A commercial underwriter responds to the applicants' inquiries and concerns regarding their loan applications and provides timely decisions for their requests.
Consumer loan underwriters and commercial underwriters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Consumer Loan Underwriter | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Average salary | $53,525 | $59,051 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $76,000 | Between $41,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Marcus & Millichap | J.P. Morgan |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a consumer loan underwriter and a commercial underwriter in terms of educational background:
| Consumer Loan Underwriter | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between consumer loan underwriters' and commercial underwriters' demographics:
| Consumer Loan Underwriter | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% | Male, 48.7% Female, 51.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 5.5% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |