Pre-Approval Specialist

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) is the nation's number one distributed retail mortgage lender with more than 9,000 employees operating over 700 branches and servicing loans across all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Our company has been recognized ten times on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private businesses and has received many awards for our standout culture.

A culture where you can grow! CCM has created an exceptional culture driving employee engagement, exceeding employee expectations, and directly impacting company success. At our core, our entrepreneurial spirit empowers every employee to be who they are to help us move forward together. You’ll get unwavering support from all departments and total transparency from the top down.

CCM offers eligible employees a competitive compensation plan and a robust benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, as well as a 401K. We also offer company-provided short-term disability, an employee assistance program, and a wellness program.

Position Overview:

The Pre-Approval Specialist is responsible for turning complete borrower files into accurate, well-structured, and clearly communicated mortgage pre-approvals. The role evaluates the complete financial profile, determines loan eligibility, identifies the most appropriate financing structure, prepares the pre-approval package, and presents the results to the borrower and referring Realtor. This is a highly visible, client-facing role. The Pre-Approval Specialist works closely with the Loan Officer, Client Experience Coordinator, Operations Manager, and referral partners to provide fast, accurate, and dependable pre-approval decisions.

Job Responsibilities:

• Review borrower applications, intake information, credit reports, income documentation, assets, liabilities, real estate owned, and other supporting documentation.
• Calculate and validate qualifying income, including salary, hourly, variable, self-employed, rental, retirement, and other eligible income sources.
• Analyze assets, reserves, funds to close, liabilities, credit history, and debt-to-income ratios.
• Run and review automated underwriting findings, including Desktop Underwriter and Loan Product Advisor.
• Determine borrower eligibility and recommend the most appropriate loan program and structure based on the borrower’s financial circumstances and goals.
• Maintain working knowledge of conventional, FHA, VA, jumbo, portfolio, and Non-QM lending guidelines.
• Identify qualification concerns, documentation gaps, guideline issues, and potential risks before pre-approval is issued.
• Escalate complex, high-risk, or exception-based scenarios to the Operations Manager or Loan Officer when appropriate.
• Prepare accurate pre-approval letters, written approval summaries, loan scenarios, and supporting presentation materials.
• Conduct borrower pre-approval consultations by phone or video.
• Proactively call or email Realtors when meaningful qualification, timing, or offer-related information should be discussed.
• Prepare revised figures and property-specific pre-approval letters when borrowers are considering or making offers.
• Supports qualification refreshes, and other financing requests while clients are actively searching for a home.
• Support refinance scenario reviews and quotes as assigned.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and timely notes, statuses, activities, and next steps within the company CRM and loan systems.

Qualifications and Skills:

• 3+ years of residential mortgage experience involving borrower qualification and pre-approval review.
• Experience reviewing automated underwriting findings through DU and LPA.
• Jumbo, portfolio, Non-QM, self-employed borrower, and complex-income experience, preferred.
• Experience with Encompass, preferred.
• Experience with Blend, mortgage CRM platforms, and Mortgage Coach or similar presentation software, preferred.
• Active NMLS license or commitment to obtain NMLS.
• Knowledge of conventional, FHA, and VA lending guidelines.
• Proficiency in calculating and evaluating income, assets, reserves, credit, liabilities, and debt-to-income ratios.
• Skilled in independently analyzing files and clearly explaining the reasoning behind the recommended loan structure with concise rationale.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent prioritization and time-management skills.
• Skill in managing multiple active files, changing priorities, and time-sensitive offer requests without sacrificing accuracy.
• Demonstrated ownership, sound judgment, and willingness to escalate concerns early.
• Excellent attention to detail and pattern recognition skills to identify inconsistencies and trends.
• Skilled in exercising measured, sound judgment under pressure and communicating decisions clearly to internal partners, borrowers and Realtors by phone, email, and video.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job. However, this job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.