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Underwriter skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Janet Ruiz,
Robert Hoyt, Ph.D.
Underwriter example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical underwriter skills. We ranked the top skills for underwriters based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.8% of underwriter resumes contained customer service as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an underwriter needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 underwriter skills for your resume and career

1. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how underwriters use customer service:
  • Provide exemplary customer service to both internal staff and external customers by explaining credit decision and offering alternative options when needed.
  • Provided exceptional customer service to internal and external clients by effectively coordinating various stages of the loan process with all stakeholders.

2. Investor Guidelines

An investor guideline refers to general standards, strategies, and parameters relating to investments; the set guidelines get altered from time-to-time.

Here's how underwriters use investor guidelines:
  • Performed modification eligibility analysis per investor guidelines.
  • Remained updated to all recommended foreclosure prevention alternatives offered to the homeowner ensured all investor guidelines were adhered to and met.

3. Mortgage Loans

Here's how underwriters use mortgage loans:
  • Analyzed and approved or disapproved residential loan modification applications of homeowners who were in default on their mortgage loan payments.
  • Examine loan documentations for accuracy and completeness while working with Mortgage loan officers and processors to secure all required documents.

4. Underwriting Guidelines

Underwriting guidelines are a set of rules and requirements an insurer provides to its agents and underwriters. The underwriter then uses these instructions to judge the prospective insured, whether to accept, modify or reject it. These guidelines help the insurers set the criteria for the customer and let them know the amount of money that should be offered to the client, or whether not to offer an insurance policy in the first place.

Here's how underwriters use underwriting guidelines:
  • Performed accurate review of real estate loans using specific guidelines to determine whether loan was underwritten in accordance with underwriting guidelines.
  • Maintained knowledge of all applicable underwriting guidelines by completing all underwriter training programs, learning any business unit policy and/or guidelines.

5. Financial Statements

A financial statement is a report of an individual or a company that includes all the information about the declared assets, the use of money, income, and also the contribution of shareholders over a certain period.

Here's how underwriters use financial statements:
  • Conducted detailed review of financial statements, credit reports, and required modification documentation to ensure that investor criteria are upheld.
  • Performed analysis of business and personal financial statements and/or tax returns in addition to online credit scores and business intelligence.

6. FHA

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) stands for a government agency in the United States that offers housing insurance to FHA-approved lenders who follow certain conditions.

Here's how underwriters use fha:
  • Cross trained on Rural Development and FHA Products though primary responsibilities have been focused on conventional underwriting.
  • Utilized automated and manual systems to underwrite FHA mortgage modifications.

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7. Credit Decisions

Here's how underwriters use credit decisions:
  • Partnered effectively with Relationship Managers in delivery and negotiation of credit decisions with clients; managed and optimized portfolio credit risks.
  • Executed credit decisions for residential mortgage applications, while regulating credit worthiness of potential borrowers with signing authority up to $ 350K

8. Underwriting Process

Here's how underwriters use underwriting process:
  • Identify, investigate and determine and inconsistencies, discrepancies, negative underwriting practice trends and policy misinterpretation in the underwriting process.
  • Analyze, research and verify information during the underwriting process while meeting productivity and quality standards in fast paced production environment.

9. Financial Analysis

Here's how underwriters use financial analysis:
  • Performed financial analysis, assessed non-financial areas within a credit relationship, evaluated credit risk and recommended appropriate loan structuring.
  • Completed quarterly financial analysis of assigned book of business and provided appropriate action plans and recommendations for process improvements.

10. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how underwriters use excellent interpersonal:
  • Maintain excellent interpersonal relations with Mortgage Counselors.
  • Possess excellent interpersonal, analytical, and organizational skills.

11. Strong Analytical

Here's how underwriters use strong analytical:
  • Review financial documents to determine workout eligibility and negotiation skills as well as strong analytical and problem solving ability.
  • Underwrite conventional mortgages using strong analytical abilities, decision making skills and risk analysis tools.

12. Income Documentation

Here's how underwriters use income documentation:
  • Review loan documentation to insure correct income documentation has been obtained and calculated to ensure customer meets necessary guidelines for approval.
  • Review of all income documentation and requesting re-verification of employment and income if necessary based on file's underwriting guidelines.

13. Loan Applications

A loan application is a form of request presented by a person to a financial institution for the approval of a loan. This application form carries detailed information regarding the petitioner's identification information, financial competence, and sources of income that indicate whether he can return the loan back or not.

Here's how underwriters use loan applications:
  • Reviewed a high volume of loan application documentation including: income verification, enrollment documentation, and identification to determine validity.
  • Maintain accurate information in an underwriting activity log regarding loan application status on computer system with updates on a daily basis.

14. Tax Returns

Here's how underwriters use tax returns:
  • Investigated both personal and business tax returns and subsequently utilized well documented policies and procedures to evaluate customer credit risks.
  • Reviewed and analyzed tax returns for individual and self-employed borrowers to ensure maximum income is used to qualify borrower.

15. Excellent Organizational

Here's how underwriters use excellent organizational:
  • Utilized excellent organizational skills to properly determine premium factors and provide quality service to large accounts.
  • Operated collaboratively across multi-functional teams, ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced and changing environment with excellent organizational skills.
top-skills

What skills help Underwriters find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What type of skills will young underwriters need?

Janet RuizJanet Ruiz LinkedIn profile

Director – Strategic Communication, Insurance Information Institute

The mathematical mind, meet the meaningful purpose (Liberty Mutual). Underwriters are the heart of the insurance process, gathering and researching pertinent information and then, using finely tuned analytical skills to evaluate the acceptability of business and institutional risk. Underwriters are more than just analysts - they are the core relationship builders with agents and clients. They are responsible for managing a profitable portfolio of business by distributing agents and brokers. An underwriting career includes a dynamic blend of analytical and marketing skills. Research, Analytics, Communications, Relationship Building, Marketing.

What technical skills for an underwriter stand out to employers?

Robert Hoyt, Ph.D.Robert Hoyt, Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Department Head and Dudley L. Moore Jr. Chair of Insurance, University of Georgia

The ability to collect information, work with data, and translate this into insights and knowledge is key in insurance going forward. An important focus in our classes is helping students apply what they are learning to real business situations through projects that are often carried out in teams. The growth of digital strategies in insurance means that emerging graduates are excited by and embrace the use and application of such approaches. However, the ability to engage with people to assist them in managing their personal or business risks is what matters most in this business. At the end of the day, building relationships and trust are the key in insurance.

List of underwriter skills to add to your resume

Underwriter skills

The most important skills for an underwriter resume and required skills for an underwriter to have include:

  • Customer Service
  • Investor Guidelines
  • Mortgage Loans
  • Underwriting Guidelines
  • Financial Statements
  • FHA
  • Credit Decisions
  • Underwriting Process
  • Financial Analysis
  • Excellent Interpersonal
  • Strong Analytical
  • Income Documentation
  • Loan Applications
  • Tax Returns
  • Excellent Organizational
  • Credit Worthiness
  • Credit Reports
  • Credit Analysis
  • Credit Risk
  • Origination
  • Underwriting Decisions
  • Renewal Business
  • Due Diligence
  • Return Analysis
  • Strong Negotiation
  • Automated Underwriting
  • Insurance Policies
  • Fannie MAE
  • Loan Packages
  • Underwriting Authority
  • USDA
  • Risk Analysis
  • DU/LP
  • Loan Decisions
  • Loan Approval
  • Cash Flow Analysis
  • Underwriting Systems
  • Commercial Property
  • Enterprise Risk Management
  • Federal Regulations
  • Freddie Mac
  • Conventional Loans
  • LTV
  • Bank Statements
  • FNMA
  • FHLMC
  • QC
  • RESPA
  • Program Guidelines

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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