Mortgage Loan Originator

Alliance Portfolio is scaling its average loan size from roughly $1.2M-$1.5M to $2.5M-$5M and needs a seasoned private-lending professional who can independently underwrite, process, and close larger, more complex transactions - sophisticated borrowers, ownership structures, and premium California real estate. This is not an entry-level or administrative role: the successful candidate will own each transaction from accepted request through funding, applying disciplined credit judgment and decisive problem-solving while protecting investor capital and preserving the speed and responsiveness that distinguish private lending.

Position Snapshot & Performance Expectations

Annual Production

$150M in closed origination volume (~$35M per quarter).

Loan Size & Volume

$1.5M-$5M target loan size; ~60-80 closings annually depending on transaction mix.

Initial Response

Preliminary commitment/term sheet within 1 business hour of complete deal information and internal approval.

File Launch

Borrower package, timeline, and interview scheduled; appraisal, prelim title, escrow, and insurance ordered within 1 business day of accepted commitment.

Closing Speed

Close within ~10 business days of signed commitment, subject to borrower cooperation and timely due diligence.

Escalate material credit, collateral, title, or compliance issues immediately; maintain complete files with no preventable closing errors.

Pipeline & Relationships

Daily, concise pipeline updates; Alliance relationship discipline with priority brokers; all activity documented in a CRM; prompt post-closing/cancellation appreciation outreach.

Key Responsibilities

• Underwriting & credit judgment - analyze borrower/sponsor/guarantor strength, ownership structure, liquidity, source and use of proceeds, repayment ability, and exit strategy; evaluate collateral, LTV/LTC, lien priority, and cash flow/DSCR where applicable; review appraisals critically rather than at face value; prepare concise credit analyses and recommend approve, revise, or decline with clear rationale.
• Borrower diligence & deal structuring - lead borrower/guarantor interviews covering character, experience, use of proceeds, and business-purpose confirmation; recognize complex issues (trusts, multiple guarantors, subordinate financing, cross-collateralization); help structure amount, pricing, term, reserves, covenants, and protections appropriate to the risk.
• Documentation & closing - issue commitments, applications, disclosures, and borrower checklists; order and coordinate appraisal, title, escrow, insurance, and legal review; review preliminary title for vesting, lien priority, and exceptions; confirm every funding condition is satisfied or documented before funds release.
• Pipeline leadership & relationships - lead daily origination meetings with clear, accurate status on every file; maintain complete pipeline and relationship records in ACT; build trust with brokers, borrowers, and investors through proactive communication; serve as a senior resource, mentor newer processors, and help refine underwriting templates and closing procedures.
• Compliance - confirm business-purpose vs. consumer-purpose classification on every file; ensure adherence to applicable federal and California lending requirements; elevate compliance concerns immediately.

Qualifications

• 5-7+ years of progressively responsible experience in private money, hard money, bridge, commercial, or business-purpose mortgage lending, with substantial hands-on underwriting and closing responsibility on loans of $2.5M or greater.
• Strong command of borrower/guarantor and collateral analysis, cash-flow and liquidity review, sources and uses, exit analysis, and credit presentation.
• Deep knowledge of loan, credit, and entity documents; title and escrow requirements; insurance; appraisals; promissory notes, deeds of trust, assignments, guaranties; and closing procedures.
• Working knowledge of income-property analysis (NOI, DSCR, cap rates, rent rolls) and sophisticated ownership structures (LLCs, LPs, trusts, syndications).
• Working knowledge of federal and California requirements for business-purpose lending, with the ability to identify and elevate consumer-purpose or compliance concerns.
• Exceptional organization, written and verbal communication, and judgment — this role has no margin for casual errors or incomplete follow-through.
• Proficiency with mortgage-industry software, CRM/pipeline systems, PDF tools, Word, and Excel.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, real estate, accounting, business, or a related field preferred, or equivalent depth of practical lending experience.

Preferred: committee presentation experience; established California title/escrow/appraisal/insurance/legal relationships; bridge, value-add, or construction lending experience; experience mentoring team members or improving underwriting systems.

The Person Who Will Thrive Here

• Sound judgment - analytical without paralysis, decisive without carelessness, willing to challenge assumptions respectfully.
• Ownership - treats every file, deadline, and communication as their responsibility until the transaction is complete.
• Grace under pressure - calm, clear, and constructive when transactions become complicated or time-sensitive.
• Trustworthy - protects confidential information, investor capital, and the company's reputation with integrity.
• Professional confidence - communicates credibly with experienced borrowers, brokers, investors, and executives.
• Positive contribution - hardworking, self-motivated, systematic, cooperative, persistent, with a sense of humor and perspective.