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The differences between underwriters and loan originators 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 $41,291 average annual salary of a loan originator.
The top three skills for an underwriter include customer service, investor guidelines and mortgage loans. The most important skills for a loan originator are customer service, origination, and FHA.
| Underwriter | Loan Originator | |
| Yearly salary | $61,751 | $41,291 |
| Hourly rate | $29.69 | $19.85 |
| Growth rate | -4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 8,510 | 10,716 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
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.
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.
Underwriters and loan originators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Underwriter | Loan Originator | |
| Average salary | $61,751 | $41,291 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $96,000 | Between $28,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | South Dakota |
| Best paying company | Centennial Bank | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Transportation |
There are a few differences between an underwriter and a loan originator in terms of educational background:
| Underwriter | Loan Originator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between underwriters' and loan originators' demographics:
| Underwriter | Loan Originator | |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 54.0% Female, 46.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |