Underwriting Manager

Job Type
Full-time

Description

Position Summary

The Underwriting Manager is responsible for the leadership, supervision, performance, and overall effectiveness of HUNT Mortgage's residential mortgage underwriting department.

The position ensures that mortgage loans are underwritten accurately, consistently, efficiently, and in accordance with applicable agency, government, investor, regulatory, and company requirements.

The Underwriting Manager is responsible for maintaining underwriting quality, managing departmental workflow, establishing performance expectations, developing underwriting staff, and ensuring timely decisions that support company production objectives.

An essential responsibility is fostering a collaborative, solutions-oriented underwriting environment that balances sound credit decisions and regulatory compliance with operational efficiency and exceptional service to Mortgage Consultants and borrowers.

The Underwriting Manager will work closely with Sales, Processing, Closing, Secondary Marketing, Compliance, and executive management to identify operational challenges, improve workflows, and support the organization's overall success.

Key Responsibilities

1. Underwriting Department Leadership & Management

- Provide leadership, direction, and supervision to the underwriting team. Manage daily underwriting operations, including loan assignments, pipeline management, workload distribution, and underwriting priorities.
- Establish and monitor departmental productivity, quality, and turnaround time expectations.
- Ensure underwriting resources are appropriately allocated to support production demands.
- Conduct regular meetings with underwriting staff to review performance, guideline changes, operational challenges, and departmental priorities.
- Provide coaching, training, feedback, and performance evaluations.
- Identify staffing needs and participate in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding underwriting personnel.
- Promote accountability, professionalism, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

2. Underwriting Quality & Credit Risk Management

- Ensure mortgage loans are underwritten in accordance with applicable Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA, investor, and company requirements.
- Maintain consistent underwriting standards and sound credit risk practices. Review complex loan scenarios, exceptions, and escalated underwriting issues.
- Provide technical guidance and support to underwriters regarding guideline interpretation and credit decisions.
- Ensure underwriting conditions are appropriate, clearly communicated, and supported by applicable requirements.
- Identify recurring underwriting deficiencies and implement corrective measures. Coordinate with Compliance and Quality
- Control to address audit findings, loan defects, and investor concerns.
- Monitor repurchase risk, investor eligibility, and loan quality trends.
- Maintain appropriate controls and escalation procedures for underwriting exceptions.

3. Workflow Management & Operational Efficiency

- Monitor underwriting pipelines and ensure loans are reviewed within established turnaround time expectations.
- Evaluate underwriting procedures to identify inefficiencies, unnecessary conditions, duplicate reviews, and workflow bottlenecks.
- Implement strategies to improve initial underwriting and resubmission turnaround times. Work collaboratively with Processing to improve file quality and underwriting submission readiness.
- Identify opportunities to streamline underwriting conditions and reduce repeated requests for documentation.
- Promote effective utilization of the loan origination system, automated underwriting systems, and available technology.
- Collaborate with Technology and Operations to implement workflow enhancements and automation opportunities.
- Monitor departmental performance and recommend operational improvements.

4. Sales & Operations Collaboration

- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with Mortgage Consultants, Processors, Closers, and other departments.
- Provide timely and constructive assistance with complex borrower scenarios and guideline questions.
- Encourage early identification and resolution of potential underwriting issues.
- Ensure underwriting decisions and conditions are communicated clearly and professionally.
- Work with Sales and Processing leadership to improve communication and reduce unnecessary delays.
- Promote a solutions-oriented approach while maintaining sound underwriting standards. Participate in discussions regarding new products, investor programs, and operational initiatives.
- Support a collaborative culture in which departments work together to achieve successful loan closings.

5. Investor, Agency & Regulatory Compliance

- Maintain current knowledge of agency, government, investor, and regulatory underwriting requirements.
- Monitor and communicate guideline changes affecting underwriting procedures. Ensure underwriting staff receive appropriate training and guidance regarding policy updates.
- Coordinate with Compliance to ensure underwriting practices meet applicable regulations.
- Review investor overlays and ensure loans meet applicable delivery requirements. Address investor underwriting questions, loan suspense issues, and post-closing underwriting deficiencies when appropriate.
- Maintain accurate underwriting procedures and departmental reference materials.

6. Underwriting Staff Development

- Evaluate individual underwriter productivity, accuracy, guideline knowledge, and decision-making.
- Identify training needs and develop plans to strengthen technical underwriting skills. Promote consistent application of underwriting guidelines across the department. Mentor less-experienced underwriters and support professional growth.
- Encourage independent decision-making within established authority and company policy.
- Develop cross-training opportunities to strengthen departmental flexibility and coverage. Establish clear expectations for communication, accountability, and performance.

7. Departmental Reporting & Strategic Initiatives

- Prepare and review reports relating to underwriting volume, turnaround times, productivity, quality, and outstanding conditions.
- Identify performance trends and recommend corrective actions.
- Participate in companywide operational improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with executive management on staffing, capacity planning, and departmental objectives.
- Assist with implementation of new products, technology enhancements, and underwriting procedures.
- Perform additional management responsibilities and special projects as assigned.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

- Extensive residential mortgage underwriting experience, including conventional and government loan programs.
- Thorough knowledge of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA, and investor underwriting requirements.
- Prior underwriting management, supervisory, or team leadership experience preferred. Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex income, asset, credit, collateral, and borrower eligibility scenarios.
- Strong understanding of automated underwriting systems, including Desktop Underwriter (DU) and Loan Product Advisor (LPA).
- Experience with mortgage loan origination systems and underwriting technology.
- Strong analytical, organizational, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain underwriting quality in a production- oriented environment.
- FHA Direct Endorsement (DE) and VA underwriting authority or experience preferred, as applicable.

Performance Expectations

Performance will be measured through:

- Achievement of established underwriting turnaround times.
- Underwriter productivity and workload management.
- Quality, accuracy, and consistency of underwriting decisions.
- Reduction in preventable loan defects, investor suspense items, and repurchase exposure. Effective management of underwriting conditions and resubmissions.
- Staff development, accountability, and departmental performance.
- Improvement in communication and collaboration with Sales and Operations. Successful implementation of workflow and technology improvements.
- Compliance with agency, investor, regulatory, and company requirements. Contribution to company production goals and operational efficiency.

Position Objective

The Underwriting Manager is expected to build and lead a knowledgeable, efficient, consistent, and service-oriented underwriting department that supports HUNT Mortgage's production goals while maintaining the highest standards of credit quality, compliance, and risk management.

The position requires a leader who understands that underwriting is both a critical risk management function and an essential partner in delivering a positive mortgage experience.

Salary Description
$85,000.00-$100,000.00/year