What does a loan originator do?

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.
Loan originator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real loan originator resumes:
- Supervise and manage the processing staff and also underwrite conventional loans for correspondent lenders.
- Complete yearly the NMLS continuing education requirements.
- Direct lender with FNMA while maintaining all loan servicing.
- Increase revenues and product awareness by cross-selling service lines and packages.
- Complete a rigorous training program and have obtained 25 NMLS state licensing requirements to be a loan originator.
- Review FHA case number assignments, mortgage credit rejects and refinances authorizations to determine qualification.
- Utilize automated underwriting engines to assess credit and collateral risk during conventional and FHA lending.
- Participate in all steps relate to loan origination including meeting with prospects, counseling borrowers and receiving mortgage applications.
- Perform all functions associate with loan origination for residential purchase and refinance, including loans associate with current government restructuring programs.
- Perform controllership duties including payroll, preparation of financial statements, banking, and communications with outside CPA firm.
- Work primarily with jumbo loan market with unique income and property situations to meet customer's goal of refinancing or purchasing.
Loan originator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Loan Originators are proficient in Customer Service, Origination, and FHA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Initiative, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Loan Originators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 18%
Provided exemplary customer service to both internal staff and external customer by explaining credit decision and offering alternative options when needed.
- Origination, 9%
Perform all functions associated with loan origination for residential purchase and refinance, including loans associated with current government restructuring programs.
- FHA, 6%
Reviewed FHA case number assignments, mortgage credit rejects and refinances authorizations to determine qualification.
- Va, 6%
Orchestrated & implemented sale and refinance transactions of conforming/nonconforming FHA/VA loans.
- Phone Calls, 6%
Generated 100+ phone calls daily to solicit new business, to interview applicants and to ascertain if loan eligible.
- Excellent Interpersonal, 5%
Exhibit excellent interpersonal skills in order to provide guidance and direction to clients.
Common skills that a loan originator uses to do their job include "customer service," "origination," and "fha." You can find details on the most important loan originator responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a loan originator to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "information on an application affects the potential profitability of a loan, so loan officers must pay attention to details." Loan originators often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "manage, maintain and execute all details in loan origination process for refinance, home purchase and conforming and non-conforming loans. "
Initiative. Many loan originator duties rely on initiative. "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.," so a loan originator will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways loan originator responsibilities rely on initiative: "facilitated all loan origination initiatives, including actively soliciting clientele. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of loan originators is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday loan originator duties, as "loan officers must be able to guide customers through the application process and answer their questions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "served as the go-to person in the processing department due to in-depth knowledge, capability and excellent interpersonal skills. "
The three companies that hire the most loan originators are:
- Regions Bank53 loan originators jobs
- Wintrust Financial50 loan originators jobs
- Hilltop Holdings46 loan originators jobs
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Loan originator 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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, loan originator responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "origination," "va," and "phone calls." Meanwhile a typical foreclosure specialist has skills in areas such as "foreclosure process," "insurer," "loss mitigation," and "litigation." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that foreclosure specialists earn slightly differ from loan originators. In particular, foreclosure specialists are 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a loan originator. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Loan originator vs. Closer
The duties of a closer depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to ensure that they understand and adhere to all terms of the agreement, completing all requirements and necessary documents, and maintaining records of all transactions. A closer must also monitor the regular payments of clients to ensure their compliance with the agreement, answer any inquiries, perform follow-up calls, and address any issues or concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real loan originator resumes. While loan originator responsibilities can utilize skills like "origination," "phone calls," "excellent interpersonal," and "nmls," closers use skills like "cleanliness," "punctuality," "dependability," and "food orders."
In general, closers achieve similar levels of education than loan originators. They're 3.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Loan originator vs. Finance analyst assistant
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.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from loan originator resumes include skills like "origination," "fha," "va," and "phone calls," whereas a finance analyst assistant is more likely to list skills in "financial statements," "data analysis," "financial analysis," and "purchase orders. "
Finance analyst assistants make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $89,658. On the other hand, loan originators are paid the highest salary in the transportation industry, with average annual pay of $46,524.Most finance analyst assistants achieve a similar degree level compared to loan originators. For example, they're 4.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Loan originator vs. Mortgage consultant
Even though a few skill sets overlap between loan originators and mortgage consultants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a loan originator might have more use for skills like "va," "phone calls," "loan programs," and "referral business." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of mortgage consultants require skills like "bank products," "cross-selling," "credit history," and "business development. "
In general, mortgage consultants earn the most working in the finance industry, with an average salary of $36,576. The highest-paying industry for a loan originator is the transportation industry.The average resume of mortgage consultants showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to loan originators. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.3%.Types of loan originator
Updated January 8, 2025











