Mortgage Lending Underwriter – Residential Loans (Non-QM & Jumbo)
Kirkland, WA
Bring your residential underwriting experience to a lender focused on residential and construction mortgages.
As a Mortgage Lending Underwriter, you will review complex mortgage applications submitted through internal and external channels. This role requires strong analytical expertise, attention to detail, and a solid understanding of credit risk and lending guidelines to make sound underwriting decisions.
Mortgage Lending Underwriter Responsibilities:
- File Triage: Scrub mortgage packages for completeness and quality, pulling insights from income docs, statements, and credit data.
- Credit Judgment: Weigh borrower strength, deal context, and capacity to repay to form a clear go/no-go view.
- Policy Alignment: Keep decisions inside house credit guardrails, investor expectations, and applicable regs.
- Decision Messaging: Deliver outcomes and rationale to origination and ops so everyone knows the “why” and next steps.
- Valuation & Collateral Check: Validate property reports and supporting materials against program criteria and valuation logic.
- Disposition Calls: Greenlight, rework, or decline based on quantified risk and compensating factors.
- Market & Rule Tracking: Monitor shifts in underwriting norms, product overlays, and regulatory updates; adjust practices accordingly.
- Exit Financing Matchmaking: Pair eligible files with the right permanent/agency programs to ensure a viable take-out.
- Workflow Partnering: Coordinate with internal counterparts to keep files moving and cut cycle time.
Mortgage Lending Underwriter Qualifications:
- At least 8 years of experience in mortgage underwriting (including conventional, non-QM, and construction loans)
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in finance or related field
- Strong knowledge of underwriting principles, risk assessment, and industry regulations
- Experience with Encompass and must have manual underwriting experience
- Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Detail-oriented with the ability to meet deadlines under pressure
Company Benefits:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- Annual bonus
- 401k with a 3% match
Compensation: $85-$100k