Non-Agency Credit Underwriter - Home Lending Operations Consumer Underwriting

Make a direct impact on responsible home lending by delivering clear, well-supported credit decisions. You’ll help protect customers and the firm by applying disciplined underwriting and fair lending practices. This role offers variety across credit, income, asset, and collateral analysis, with opportunities to deepen expertise in complex files. You’ll partner closely with cross-functional teams to keep the loan process accurate and efficient. If you enjoy balancing risk management with customer-focused service, this role is for you.

Job summary

As a Non-agency Credit Underwriter in the home lending underwriting team, you review mortgage loan applications to assess creditworthiness, repayment capacity, and collateral risk, and you render accurate, well-documented underwriting decisions. You apply credit policy, applicable investor or agency guidelines, and regulatory requirements while supporting fair and consistent treatment of customers. Depending on assigned authority and business need, you may also support second reviews, peer discussions, coaching, or knowledge sharing.

Job responsibilities

• Underwrite non-agency, agency, and home equity mortgage loan files within assigned authority by applying credit policy, investor or agency guidelines, product requirements, and applicable laws and regulations
• Analyze borrower income, employment, assets, liabilities, credit history, repayment capacity, and other relevant risk factors
• Review loan applications, disclosures, and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and consistency
• Evaluate property and collateral documentation (including appraisal and title-related information, as applicable) to assess collateral risk and property condition
• Calculate qualifying income and debt ratios and validate funds and assets using documented verification methods
• Identify documentation gaps, inconsistencies, and policy exceptions and set clear, appropriate underwriting conditions
• Render timely, well-supported approval, suspension, or denial decisions within delegated authority and escalation requirements
• Communicate underwriting decisions, conditions, and rationale clearly to loan officers, mortgage processors, closers, quality assurance partners, risk partners, and other appropriate stakeholders
• Identify potential fraud or misrepresentation indicators and escalate concerns through established processes
• Apply fair lending practices and consistent treatment of customers throughout the underwriting process
• Maintain current knowledge of policy, investor or agency guidance, product changes, and regulatory updates while meeting productivity, quality, and turnaround-time expectations

Required qualifications, capabilities and skills

• Experience underwriting non-agency, agency, and/or home equity mortgage loans
• Ability to assess creditworthiness, repayment capacity, and collateral risk and document a clear underwriting rationale
• Skill in reviewing income and employment documentation (e.g., pay documentation, tax returns, and related supporting materials) and analyzing complex income scenarios when required
• Skill in reviewing asset documentation (e.g., bank and investment statements) and validating funds and reserves
• Skill in reviewing credit reports and debt obligations and evaluating overall repayment capacity
• Ability to identify documentation deficiencies, inconsistencies, and elevated risk indicators and determine appropriate conditions or escalation paths
• Working knowledge of applicable mortgage underwriting requirements, including investor or agency guidelines and relevant regulatory expectations
• Knowledge of fair lending principles and commitment to consistent treatment of customers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to explain decisions and conditions to internal partners
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage an underwriting pipeline while balancing quality, productivity, and service expectations

Preferred qualifications, capabilities and skills

• Experience underwriting complex borrower profiles (e.g., self-employed income, multiple properties, or significant asset complexity)
• Experience conducting second reviews or quality review of underwriting decisions
• Experience coaching peers or contributing to training/knowledge sharing within an underwriting team
• Familiarity with automated underwriting findings and integrating results into a documented credit decision, where applicable
• Experience identifying and escalating potential fraud or misrepresentation concerns using established procedures