Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Mortgage Specialist Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Mortgage Specialist Assistant provides hands-on support to loan officers and mortgage operations teams throughout loan origination and closing. This role focuses on document collection and verification, workflow and pipeline management in a Loan Origination System (LOS), borrower communication, underwriting condition clearance, and compliance with federal and state mortgage regulations (TRID, RESPA, TILA, HMDA). The ideal candidate combines strong technical knowledge of LOS tools (e.g., Encompass, Calyx, Blend), a working understanding of AUS (DU/LP), and excellent customer service skills to drive high-quality, timely loan closings.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Mortgage Customer Service Representative
Loan Processor I / Junior Loan Processor
Loan Officer Assistant or Administrative Assistant in lending

Advancement To:

Senior Loan Processor / Mortgage Specialist
Underwriting Technician or Junior Underwriter
Loan Officer / Mortgage Loan Originator
Mortgage Operations Supervisor or Branch Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Closing Coordinator / Escrow Coordinator
Title and Post-Closing Processor
Compliance Analyst / Quality Control Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage end-to-end document collection for mortgage loans, proactively requesting, tracking, and validating income, asset, employment verification, tax returns, bank statements, ID, and other borrower documentation to meet investor and underwriting requirements.
Operate and maintain loan files in the Loan Origination System (LOS) such as Ellie Mae Encompass, Calyx Point, or Blend: update borrower data, upload documents, maintain audit trails, and ensure accurate status flow from application to closing.
Prepare, populate, and deliver initial disclosures, Loan Estimates (LE) and Closing Disclosures (CD) in compliance with TRID timing requirements, coordinating with processors, loan officers, and closing agents.
Run Automated Underwriting Systems (AUS) like Desktop Underwriter (DU) and Loan Product Advisor (LP), interpret results, and prepare clear summaries of AUS findings and recommend next steps to the processor or underwriter.
Serve as primary point of contact for borrowers to provide timely status updates, manage expectations, resolve documentation questions, and reduce fall-out by ensuring prompt completion of conditions.
Review credit reports and credit supplements, identify discrepancies, follow up on disputed items, document explanations for underwriters, and coordinate re-issues or dated documentation as needed.
Coordinate appraisal orders, review appraisal reports for discrepancies, ensure appraiser certification and licensing compliance, and follow up on appraisal conditions or repairs required by underwriting.
Order and review title commitments, liens, payoff statements, and coordinate with title/escrow companies to resolve title exceptions and ensure clear title at closing.
Monitor the loan pipeline daily, prioritize files based on closing date and risk, escalate critical conditions to underwriting or management, and maintain a target-driven workflow to meet SLAs and closing timelines.
Create and maintain detailed condition checklists for each loan file, send condition packages to borrowers and third parties, verify condition satisfaction, and obtain documented evidence for underwriting signoff.
Coordinate with underwriters to understand underwriting feedback, clarify documentation sufficiency, obtain clear-cut approvals, and prepare loan files for final approval and clear-to-close.
Prepare closing packages and funding documents, coordinate with funding departments, wire/payoff teams, and closing agents to ensure accurate disbursement of funds and execution of closing statements.
Execute post-closing tasks including reviewing final signed loan packages, confirming recorded documents, delivering files to investor or warehouse requirements, and completing post-closing audits or corrections.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and investor-specific guidelines (TRID, RESPA, TILA, FHA/VA/USDA rules) and maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory changes that impact origination and closing.
Maintain accurate, auditable notes in the LOS and CRM to reflect borrower communications, condition status changes, document uploads, and any borrower concessions or rate-lock changes to support transparency and QC.
Assist with pre-approval and pre-qualification activities: verify borrower stated income and assets for initial approvals, prepare pre-approval letters, and support loan officers in originating new business.
Facilitate electronic signatures (eSign) workflows, troubleshoot borrower access issues, and ensure compliant execution of documents through certified eSign platforms.
Communicate with real estate agents, vendors, and attorneys to coordinate contingencies, inspection requirements, and closing logistics while safeguarding borrower confidentiality and privacy.
Maintain, monitor, and track rate locks, extensions, and re-locks in coordination with pricing desk or secondary market to ensure loans meet investor delivery timelines and price tolerances.
Prepare investor delivery packages and work with the secondary marketing or shipping team to package loans to investor or correspondent specifications, coordinate buy-backs or repurchase requests if needed.
Conduct routine quality control checks on active files to identify documentation gaps, consistency issues, and potential compliance exceptions prior to underwriting or funding.
Support escalation and remediation of exception loans: gather supplemental documentation, coordinate with underwriting management, and document mitigation actions to minimize repurchase risk.
Maintain and update borrower contact logs, CRM records, and daily status reports for loan officers and branch managers to support pipeline visibility and sales forecasting.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist with training of new hires and cross-training teammates on LOS best practices, investor overlays, and internal checklist standards.
Help maintain and improve process documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and knowledge base articles for consistent loan processing and QC.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives: identify bottlenecks in the origination workflow and propose operational or technology solutions to improve cycle time and borrower experience.
Support special projects such as system migrations (LOS upgrades), investor onboarding, or audit responses by compiling required documentation and workflow mapping.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient with Loan Origination Systems (LOS): Ellie Mae Encompass, Calyx Point, or similar; able to create and manage loan files and maintain audit trails.
Experience running and interpreting AUS (Desktop Underwriter DU and Loan Product Advisor LP) and applying AUS findings to file conditions.
Strong working knowledge of mortgage disclosure requirements and compliance frameworks: TRID, RESPA, TILA, HMDA, and investor overlays (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, USDA).
Document management and validation: income/asset verification, VOE/VOI/VOA, tax transcripts, bank statements, and e-signature platforms (DocuSign, Authentisign).
Credit report analysis and dispute resolution experience with major credit bureaus.
Appraisal and title review skills including ordering, reviewing, and addressing appraisal repairs or title exceptions.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel for reconciliation and reporting, Outlook, Word) and familiarity with CRM systems for borrower tracking.
Experience preparing and delivering Loan Estimates and Closing Disclosures and ensuring TRID timelines are met.
Knowledge of investor delivery requirements, packaging loans for sale, and basic post-closing delivery steps.
Ability to manage rate locks, extensions, and coordinate pricing with the secondary/lock desk.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication for borrower interaction, team collaboration, and vendor coordination.
High attention to detail and a strong focus on accuracy and compliance documentation.
Strong organizational and time-management skills to prioritize multiple loans and meet tight closing deadlines.
Problem-solving mindset with the ability to anticipate and resolve documentation or underwriting issues.
Customer-service orientation with empathy and the ability to de-escalate stressed borrowers.
Team player who can work collaboratively across processors, underwriters, loan officers, and third-party vendors.
Adaptability and ability to learn new LOS tools, investor guidelines, and regulatory changes quickly.
Integrity, confidentiality, and professional handling of sensitive borrower financial information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Finance
Business Administration
Economics
Real Estate or Mortgage Banking

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–3 years of experience in mortgage loan processing, loan origination support, or a related mortgage operations role.

Preferred:

2–5 years of direct mortgage processing or underwriting support experience, with demonstrated proficiency in LOS platforms (Encompass, Calyx) and AUS tools (DU/LP). Prior experience with FHA/VA loans and investor delivery preferred.