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What does a loan officer do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a loan officer do

Loan officers are responsible for assisting borrowers on the best type of loans to avail and guiding the clients throughout the application process. A loan officer must be highly knowledgeable about different lending products, payment plans, loan regulations, and essential files for fast loan approval. Loan officers also act as the first point of contact, conducting an initial screening of the customers, process loan contracts and appropriate documentation, update account records, and respond to customer's inquiries. A loan officer also has the right to reject loan applicants who do not meet loan qualifications.

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Loan officer responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real loan officer resumes:

  • Manage a multifacete commercial real estate investment firm.
  • Supervise and manage the processing staff and also underwrite conventional loans for correspondent lenders.
  • Follow up leads for refinance loans gather all applications and necessary paperwork to qualify applicants from origination to close of escrow.
  • Analyze available resources to determine suitable mortgage products (FHA, FNMA/FHLC) to meet clients' purchasing or refinancing goals.
  • Originate and process various loan products including government, conventional, portfolio, construction, USDA mortgages, home equity line/loans.
  • Originate FHA, VA, conventional, jumbo, and USDA loans, according to specific lender guidelines in broker environment.
  • Prepare UCC filings to secure company assets.
  • Identify the ambiguity in the distinction of Jr.
  • Promote and cross-sell credit union services and lending products.
  • Review the application for completeness and run AUS to ensure loan is eligible.
  • Initiate and process commercial, SBA loans, consumer, and mortgage loans.
  • Create marketing presentations and flyers (circulate flyers locally) to acquire new clients.
  • Engage vendors to obtain necessary reports, title work, UCC searchs and attorney review.
  • Process loans to obtain a thorough understanding of programs and underwriting principles, including SBA guidelines.
  • Administer banking and administration requirements in close liaison with other areas of the business for the Sr.

Loan officer skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Loan Officers are proficient in Customer Service, Origination, and Loan Origination. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Initiative, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Loan Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 17%

    Process payday loan agreements - Verify customer data for qualification - Collect on insufficient funds accounts - Provide excellent customer service

  • Origination, 13%

    Followed up leads for refinance loans gathered all applications and necessary paperwork to qualify applicants from origination to close of escrow.

  • Loan Origination, 5%

    Managed the entire life cycle of residential mortgages from application to closing with responsibility for loan origination, underwriting and servicing.

  • FHA, 5%

    Originate, support underwriting staff and close FHA, State Bond Programs, Conventional, and In-house non-conforming residential mortgage loans.

  • NMLS, 5%

    Completed quarterly updates on all regulations and requirements to maintain NMLS nationwide licensing program.

  • Loan Products, 4%

    Analyzed risk of lending money to proposed customers and recommended appropriate loan products to meet customer expectations and meet underwriting criteria.

"customer service," "origination," and "loan origination" are among the most common skills that loan officers use at work. You can find even more loan officer responsibilities below, including:

Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a loan officer to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "information on an application affects the potential profitability of a loan, so loan officers must pay attention to details." Additionally, a loan officer resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "prepared loan packages, carried out detail oriented processes and actively followed up throughout the loan process. "

Initiative. Another essential skill to perform loan officer duties is initiative. Loan officers responsibilities require that "loan officers may act as salespeople in promoting their lending institution, so they must contact people and businesses to determine their need for a loan." Loan officers also use initiative in their role according to a real resume snippet: "designed, implemented, and evaluated staff training and development programs, customer service initiatives, and performance measurement criteria. "

Interpersonal skills. loan officers are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to loan officer responsibilities, because "loan officers must be able to guide customers through the application process and answer their questions." A loan officer resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "use appropriate interpersonal styles and communication methods to gain sale of loan products. "

Most common loan officer skills

The three companies that hire the most loan officers are:

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Compare different loan officers

Loan officer vs. Personal lines underwriter

A personal lines underwriter works at insurance companies to ensure that clients are eligible to receive insurance services. Their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing insurance applications, verifying client information, studying financial histories and occupational risks, and conducting interviews. They may also perform clerical support tasks such as preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, and updating databases. Moreover, a personal lines underwriter typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.

The annual salary of personal lines underwriters is $23,889 higher than the average salary of loan officers.Even though loan officers and personal lines underwriters are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require credit reports, underwriting guidelines, and customer complaints in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a loan officer are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "origination," "loan origination," and "fha." On the other hand, a job as a personal lines underwriter requires skills like "dexterity," "insurance policies," "underwriting decisions," and "loss ratio." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Personal lines underwriters earn the highest salaries when working in the insurance industry, with an average yearly salary of $81,104. On the other hand, loan officers are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $42,046.On average, personal lines underwriters reach similar levels of education than loan officers. Personal lines underwriters are 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Loan officer vs. Foreclosure specialist

A foreclosure specialist is a real estate professional that manages foreclosure processes. Serving in this role means that you will have responsibilities such as ensuring that aspects related to foreclosure meet all government regulations from the federal level to the state level and that deadlines are met and duly communicated to all parties involved. You may have to work with mortgage holders that run the risk of default, in which case you will be tasked with renegotiating loan agreement changes.

On average, foreclosure specialists earn a $4,729 lower salary than loan officers a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Loan officers and foreclosure specialists both require similar skills like "fha," "fnma," and "fannie mae" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real loan officer resumes. While loan officer responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "origination," "loan origination," and "nmls," foreclosure specialists use skills like "foreclosure process," "insurer," "loss mitigation," and "litigation."

Foreclosure specialists earn similar levels of education than loan officers in general. They're 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Loan officer vs. Mortgage consultant

A mortgage consultant is an individual who helps customers and businesses identify the best option for mortgage deals based on their financial resources. To maintain an excellent relationship with clients, mortgage consultants must possess a broad knowledge of the company's products to answer all the clients' queries and concerns. They help clients gather and analyze documents that are required for loan approval and create accurate mortgage information. They also develop relationships with banks and real estate agents to help promote bank mortgages for clients.

On average scale, mortgage consultants bring in lower salaries than loan officers. In fact, they earn a $6,883 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on loan officers and mortgage consultants resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "origination," and "loan origination.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a loan officer is likely to be skilled in "multifaceted," "loan programs," "credit analysis," and "customer complaints," while a typical mortgage consultant is skilled in "cross-selling," "credit history," "business development," and "title reports."

Mortgage consultants earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $36,576. Loan officers earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $42,046.mortgage consultants typically earn similar educational levels compared to loan officers. Specifically, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Loan officer vs. Underwriter

An underwriter's duties depend on the line of work or industry involved, such as mortgage companies, insurance, or lending firms. However, an Underwriter's responsibility will mainly revolve around using their extensive expertise on how a company will achieve financial gains, and assessing the possible financial risks of a client by reviewing various aspects to determine their capacity to uphold monetary obligations. Most of the time, the Underwriter's tasks will also involve evaluating a client's credit history, health, assets, overall financial history.

Underwriters average a higher salary than the annual salary of loan officers. The difference is about $15,934 per year.While their salaries may vary, loan officers and underwriters both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "origination," and "fha. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A loan officer uses "loan origination," "nmls," "multifaceted," and "mortgage products." Underwriters are more likely to have duties that require skills in "investor guidelines," "mortgage loans," "financial statements," and "credit decisions. "underwriters enjoy the best pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $78,233. For comparison, loan officers earn the highest salary in the finance industry.underwriters reach similar levels of education compared to loan officers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of loan officer

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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