Mortgage Underwriter

Job Description

Job Description

We are looking for a Mortgage Underwriter to join a banking team in Kalamazoo, Michigan on a contract basis with the potential for a long-term opportunity. This position focuses on evaluating residential mortgage applications with a careful, risk-aware approach while ensuring alignment with lending standards, investor expectations, and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate brings strong underwriting expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate decisions clearly in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:
• Assess residential mortgage files by examining borrower credit profiles, income sources, assets, debts, and supporting documentation to determine overall eligibility.
• Review property-related documentation, including appraisals, to confirm collateral quality, accuracy, and acceptability for lending decisions.
• Analyze loan scenarios against applicable investor rules, internal lending policies, and regulatory standards to support compliant underwriting outcomes.
• Use sound judgment to identify risk, determine appropriate conditions, and issue approval, suspense, or denial decisions based on file findings.
• Verify that each loan package is complete, accurate, and sufficiently documented before a final underwriting determination is made.
• Communicate decisions, stipulations, and supporting rationale to processing and internal lending partners in a timely and clear manner.
• Recommend compliant solutions or alternative structuring options when exceptions or complex borrower circumstances arise.
• Stay current on residential mortgage underwriting practices, guideline updates, and changing industry regulations that affect loan decisions.• At least 3 years of experience underwriting residential mortgage loans.
• Working knowledge of conventional, FHA, VA, and other residential lending programs.
• Experience evaluating appraisal reports and assessing collateral-related risk.
• Ability to interpret credit reports, tax returns, income documents, asset statements, and related financial records.
• Strong analytical skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for interacting with internal stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple active loan files and meet deadlines in a high-volume environment.
• Proficiency with mortgage loan origination and underwriting platforms.