Branch Operations Manager

About the role

The Branch Operations Manager I oversees various aspects of the company's retail operations, focusing on efficiency, quality of loan files, and customer service. The role involves managing a team of loan processors, ensuring compliance with regulations, and maintaining a high standard of customer service.

Responsibilities

• Increase quality of loan files and reduce rush requests by managing the loan pipeline proactively.
• Evaluate and oversee loan channel performance on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
• Maintain and manage production metrics for the team, balancing workload to meet production goals.
• Coach and hold team members accountable for the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of loan files, ensuring compliance with all regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Ensure understanding of Underwriting and Funding requirements, processes, and standards among the team to prevent delays and issues with loans.
• Establish a department culture emphasizing teamwork and aligning with company values, promoting positive and professional relationships based on mutual respect.
• Hire, train, coach, discipline, and exit team members.
• Provide training and guidance to employees on disclosures, internal systems, and branch logistics and procedures.
• Resolve issues related to loan files, branch employee relations, and systems.
• Review and approve loan files and supporting documentation for completeness.
• Respond to and coach team members on issues that represent higher risk or fall outside of their scope of responsibility.
• Identify and escalate potential fraud issues.
• Partner with the training team to ensure compliance with state-specific and federal consumer mortgage lending laws.
• Ensure compliance and take action required to address audit findings.
• Identify and stay current on changes in industry regulations, recommending changes to internal policies, procedures, policies, and systems to incorporate new or updated requirements.
• Manage non-production and administrative support staff.
• Participate in regular branch, district, or regional staff meetings.
• Assist with processing loans when necessary.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required, some college courses/technical training preferred, with eight years total work experience in progressively responsible positions in mortgage loan processing, including some time spent in management/supervisory-level positions.
• Strong knowledge of mortgage lending processes, including Underwriting, Funding, and Loan Processing, conventional/FHA, USDA VA, and Bond Program underwriting requirements, regulatory compliance, and asset protection.
• Strong knowledge of valid documentation related to consumer mortgage applications, such as tax returns, financial statements, and records, as well as verification of income and deposits.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and regulatory requirements/guidelines related to consumer mortgage lending and internal processes and controls.
• Results and metric-driven, capable of motivating a team to reach goals and drive initiatives.
• Manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment, leading with a strong sense of urgency and responsiveness.
• Ability to be patient and train less experienced team members, respond to questions, and build capability.
• Strong management and critical thinking skills, including the ability to evaluate facts and data to draw conclusions.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Highly organized.
• Prior experience using internal data entry systems, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Intermediate math skills.