HELOC Underwriting Manager - Remote / Hybrid / In- Office - Paramus, NJ or Houston, TX

Company Description

At Longbridge, we love seniors and we’re passionate about helping them unlock the power of one of their greatest assets—their home equity.

As a leading provider of home equity solutions for seniors, we’re committed to helping older homeowners make the most of what they’ve worked hard to build, so they can live the retirement they imagined.

And we don’t just do it well, we do it really well. With an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot and over a thousand customer testimonials, we’ve earned a reputation for making it easy and stress-free to access home equity—with guidance every step of the way.

But it’s not just our customers who love us—our team does, too! We’ve been named a Great Place to Work® three years in a row because we believe that when people enjoy what they do and where they do it, everyone wins.

Why Longbridge?

At Longbridge, we don’t just offer jobs, we offer careers that grow with you. Here’s why you’ll love being part of our team:

• Grow With Us – We’re big believers in investing in our people. From top-notch training to clear career paths, we support your professional growth every step of the way. Plus, we love promoting from within—because when you succeed, we all do.
• A Culture That Clicks – We work hard, but we have fun doing it! Whether it’s team-building events, friendly competitions, or just an atmosphere of open communication and collaboration, we make sure work feels less like “just work.”
• Benefits That Have Your Back – We’ve got you covered with best-in-class health plans (medical, dental, vision, HSA, and FSA), generous PTO, paid holidays, company-paid life insurance, and a competitive 401(k) match. Because taking care of our team is just as important as taking care of our customers.

If you’re looking for a place where your work truly makes a difference, we’d love to have you on board. Apply today and let’s do great things together!

Job Description

The HELOC Underwriting Manager is a newly created leadership role responsible for building and leading the Company’s Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) underwriting department from inception through growth. This role will initially function as both an individual contributor and department leader, personally performing HELOC loan underwriting, while simultaneously designing scalable processes, controls, and infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

• Build the department ground up, while performing line level roles as volume and need dictate.
• As the business grows, Hire and manage direct reports to maximize productivity, ensure accurate lending decisions, appropriate controls, effectiveness and efficiency.
• Build capacity plans based on growth, job descriptions as new roles are added, and assist in developing training materials aligned to expected growth and production volumes.
• Manages and performs underwriting of loans, and review of customer and vendor documentation associated with those loans.
• Monitor team performance, coaching, mentoring, training, assuring compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies
• Appraise performance and provide recommendations for promotion, disciplinary action and termination, as appropriate
• Communicates, coordinates, coaches and reviews direct reports to ensure efficient operations, high quality loans decisions, and appropriate levels of productivity and effectiveness.
• Monitors and evaluates HELOC pipeline to ensure quality loan pipeline that drives profitability while managing appropriate levels of risk.
• Partner with credit policy to refine lending policies, and update procedures as needed to improve efficiency or provide additional risk controls for the department which may include testing and review of policies and procedures.
• Initiates projects and manages implementations that result in expense reductions and/or improved service and support
• Partner with Retail and Wholesale Departments, and Sales Managers, to manage HELOC product, process, procedures and the ongoing evaluation of trends, competitor programs, and internal stakeholder needs.
• Manages vendor relations required to support various automated decision tools for HELOC loans (e.g. initial decision, conditions, flood, appraisal, title, etc.).
• Create and maintain a culture of compliance and manage risk appropriately including but not limited to considerations related to Fair Lending, HMDA, RESPA, and CFPB.
• Must comply with applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Patriot Act, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Additionally, all employees must follow policies and procedures to minimize risk by exercising judgment, raising questions to management, and adhering to policy guidelines.

Qualifications

• Have at least five years of experience in Home Equity or Mortgage Underwriting management, demonstrating a solid understanding of HELOC/Mortgage lending and the management of underwriters.
• Strong proficiency in PC applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MS Outlook, is essential
• Produce, read, analyze, and interpret a variety of procedures, manuals, policies, and regulations to ensure compliance and operational efficiency
• Experience with AI applications, particularly in assisting with the development and implementation of decision and process automation
• Experience using MeridianLink Loan Origination System (LOS) – Preferred.
• Above average oral and written communication skills are crucial for success in this role, alongside strong customer service and analytical skills
• We are looking for someone who not only excels in their current tasks but is also a forward thinker, always seeking ways to improve and innovate within the team
• Must be able to work extended hours as needed.

Additional Information

• Working in a growing and dynamic industry
• Full benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, FSA/HSA, and wide array of voluntary products and discounts
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• This is an exempt position
• In addition to base salary 130-140K, this role is eligible for a competitive additional compensation program via monthly production bonus that is based on individual performance.
• LBF is an EEO/AA/Vet/Disabled Employer
• Please note that salaries that are estimated on various job sites may not reflect the actual compensation. Job sites, set the estimated salary, not Longbridge Financial.

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