Senior Mortgage Underwriter

Hancock Whitney Corp.; New Orleans (LA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Hancock Whitney Corp. seeks a Senior Mortgage Underwriter to approve or deny mortgage loans, review applications for completeness, and ensure compliance with investor guidelines and regulatory requirements.

The role entails underwriting FHA, VA, RD, and portfolio loans, reviewing appraisals, income/docs, and credit history, and communicating with processors and lenders to finalize loan decisions.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of mortgage underwriting experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree plus 2+ years related experience.
• FHA DE designation required; VA LAP designation preferred.

Responsibilities

• Underwrites FHA, VA, RD, and portfolio loans.
• Ensures appraisals meet investor and bank requirements.
• Reviews employment, income, and asset documentation.
• Evaluates credit history and scores to investor requirements.
• Reviews for fraud and regulatory compliance.
• Assembles loan documents and maintains loan files.
• Coordinates approval requirements with originators and closers.

Skills

Mortgage underwriting

Regulatory compliance

Documentation review

Credit analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

FHA DE designation

VA LAP designation

Job description

Job Summary

The Senior Mortgage Underwriter approves or denies mortgage loans; reviews mortgage loan applications for completeness to ensure that it meets the guidelines for loan product requested and ensures file complies with regulatory and legal guidelines.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Underwrites conventional Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Veterans Affairs (VA), Rural Housing Development (RD), and portfolio loans.
• Ensures that appraisals meet investor and bank requirements and that the value conclusion is reasonable and well supported.
• Reviews all employment, income, and asset documentation to ensure that it is accurate and satisfies investor requirements.
• Reviews credit history and scores to ensure the borrower's credit meets the investor requirements.
• Reviews all documents and information for potential fraud or misrepresentation and for regulatory compliance.
• Reviews and evaluates information on mortgage loan documents to determine if buyer, property, and loan conditions meet establishment and government standards.
• Evaluates acceptability of loan to corporations that buy real estate loans on secondary mortgage markets, where existing mortgages are bought and sold by investors.
• Approves or rejects loan application, or requests additional information.
• Records loan rejections, specifying investor and institution guidelines and basis for declining application, such as insufficient cash reserves.
• Determines terms and acceptability of risk of prospective business.
• Sets prices for prospective mortgage loan applicants.
• Approves or rejects loan application, or requests additional information.
• Assembles documents in loan files, including acceptance or denial, and returns files to originating mortgage loan office.
• Maintains database on new and existing business.
• Manages and utilizes systems to ensure they accurately reflect the loan request and information (current loan origination system and other investor conduit systems, etc.).
• Communicates and coordinates necessary approval requirements and files status with appropriate persons (originator, processor, closers, Realtors, builders, etc.).
• Participates in implementing second review committee for denied loans.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

Minimum Required Education, Experience & Knowledge

6+ years’ experience preferred Bachelor's degree and 2+ years related experience and/or equivalent combination of education and experience

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: An FHA DE designation is required and a VA LAP designation is preferred.

Essential Mental & Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel if required to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to work under stress and meet deadlines.
• Ability to operate related equipment to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to read and interpret a document if required to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to lift/move/carry approximately 10 pounds if required to perform the essential job functions. If the employee is unable to lift/move/carry this weight and can be accommodated without causing the department/division an “undue hardship” then the employee must be accommodated; hence omitting lifting/moving/carrying as a physical requirement.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious beliefs, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, physical or mental disability or history of disability, genetic information, status as a protected veteran, disabled veteran, or other protected characteristics as required by federal, state and local laws.

Employer Culture & Values

When you choose a career with Hancock Whitney (Nasdaq: HWC), we pledge a heartfelt promise: You can grow. You have a voice. You are important. You also share in a rich regional heritage and embrace core values—timeless ideals vital to our culture since the 1800s—that inspire how we serve clients, communities, and each other: Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility.

Company Overview

A fast-growing organization consistently rated among America’s strongest, safest financial services institutions, our company is based in Gulfport, Mississippi. Our bank and subsidiaries provide contemporary, comprehensive consumer, commercial, and wealth financial products and services at regional headquarters and 200-plus financial centers across a vibrant Southeast corridor including Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Each day, our nearly 4,000 associates carry on a mission to help people achieve their financial goals and dreams. We come to work to create opportunities for the people we serve in the communities we call home. Together, we continue building a company solidly focused on being better, going beyond, and doing more to secure success for the people and businesses depending on us. Let our legacy lead to your future.