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The differences between loan originators 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 $41,291 average annual salary of a loan originator.
The top three skills for a loan originator include customer service, origination and FHA. The most important skills for a commercial underwriter are real estate, customer service, and financial analysis.
| Loan Originator | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Yearly salary | $41,291 | $59,051 |
| Hourly rate | $19.85 | $28.39 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 10,716 | 31,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A Loan Originator is a potential liaison between borrowers and lenders. They help borrowers complete loan applications and evaluate which loans are most appropriate for the customers.
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.
Loan originators and commercial underwriters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Loan Originator | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Average salary | $41,291 | $59,051 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $60,000 | Between $41,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | South Dakota | Washington |
| Best paying company | Centennial Bank | J.P. Morgan |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Finance |
There are a few differences between a loan originator and a commercial underwriter in terms of educational background:
| Loan Originator | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between loan originators' and commercial underwriters' demographics:
| Loan Originator | Commercial Underwriter | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0% | Male, 48.7% Female, 51.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.4% White, 63.2% 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% |