Post job

Mortgage analyst vs underwriter

The differences between mortgage analysts and underwriters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an underwriter has an average salary of $61,751, which is higher than the $32,763 average annual salary of a mortgage analyst.

The top three skills for a mortgage analyst include origination, financial statements and excellent organizational. The most important skills for an underwriter are customer service, investor guidelines, and mortgage loans.

Mortgage analyst vs underwriter overview

Mortgage AnalystUnderwriter
Yearly salary$32,763$61,751
Hourly rate$15.75$29.69
Growth rate4%-4%
Number of jobs22,2088,510
Job satisfaction-3
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age3944
Years of experience2-

What does a mortgage analyst do?

Mortgage analysts are financial professionals who are responsible for executing mortgage or loan applications by assessing financial risks and rewards. These analysts are required to analyze the financial and supporting documents on incoming applications to determine whether they are consistent with the internal and insurer policies. They must determine their borrowers' creditworthiness by evaluating property values based on appraised market prices. Mortgage analysts should also collaborate with credit bureaus and reporting agencies to investigate the credit ratings of loan applicants.

What does an underwriter do?

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.

Mortgage analyst vs underwriter salary

Mortgage analysts and underwriters have different pay scales, as shown below.

Mortgage AnalystUnderwriter
Average salary$32,763$61,751
Salary rangeBetween $13,000 And $77,000Between $39,000 And $96,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBoston, MA
Highest paying stateNew YorkMassachusetts
Best paying companyCitiGoogle
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between mortgage analyst and underwriter education

There are a few differences between a mortgage analyst and an underwriter in terms of educational background:

Mortgage AnalystUnderwriter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Mortgage analyst vs underwriter demographics

Here are the differences between mortgage analysts' and underwriters' demographics:

Mortgage AnalystUnderwriter
Average age3944
Gender ratioMale, 54.1% Female, 45.9%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 9.6% White, 69.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%9%

Differences between mortgage analyst and underwriter duties and responsibilities

Mortgage analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage a pipeline of fund TRID loans for completeness so they can be deliver and purchase by the required investor.
  • Examine bankruptcy documentation for possible misrepresentation of employment and income at the time of origination.
  • Review loan documents relating to origination, collateral valuations and perform accounting audits & research.
  • Work closely with attorneys on daily basis to discuss need documents and possible mitigation or litigation strategies on foreclosure and bankruptcy matters
  • Cite for excellence in interpersonal communications, teamwork, QC review, flexibility and reliability.

Underwriter example responsibilities.

  • Attain Jr. underwriter status and AUS underwriting authority.
  • Manage AUS findings and analyze approvals and results accordingly.
  • Complete initial review of appraisals, borrower credit documents, and DU/LP findings according to Fannie Mae and investor guidelines.
  • Research and develop SBA program.
  • Work on project putting together HPR policy.
  • Resolve issues preventing final disposition of REO properties.
  • Show more

Mortgage analyst vs underwriter skills

Common mortgage analyst skills
  • Origination, 10%
  • Financial Statements, 8%
  • Excellent Organizational, 6%
  • Strong Analytical, 5%
  • Real Estate, 5%
  • Investor Guidelines, 4%
Common underwriter skills
  • Customer Service, 11%
  • Investor Guidelines, 6%
  • Mortgage Loans, 5%
  • Underwriting Guidelines, 5%
  • Financial Statements, 4%
  • FHA, 3%

Browse business and financial jobs