CRA Mortgage Loan Originator

First Financial Bank•Joliet, IL

About The Position

The CRA Mortgage Loan Originator originates mortgage loans through established referral partners, community organizations, trade organizations, local business leaders, realtors, and other sources. The role focuses on promoting mortgage lending options in Low to Moderate Income (LMI) areas to support homeownership. The originator self-sources leads, converts them into applications, presents personalized mortgage products and solutions, prepares disclosures, obtains intent to proceed, collects borrower documents needed to satisfy loan conditions, and coordinates with internal departments to support a strong customer experience and timely loan closings. The role manages routine to moderately complex residential mortgage originations, emphasizing CRA and government loan products, underwriting requirements, and compliance. It manages the origination process from lead generation through application, documentation, disclosures, and coordination with internal partners through closing. The position operates independently within bank policies, lending guidelines, CRA objectives, and regulatory requirements, and assesses customer needs to recommend products or referrals. The associate must meet applicable state and federal compliance requirements and related bank policies, including Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering, OFAC, suspicious activity reporting, and lending and deposit compliance requirements. The position has no required supervisory responsibilities.

Requirements

At least 2 years of experience originating CRA residential mortgages.
Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university, or four years of related experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
An established referral network capable of providing CRA mortgage leads.
Prior experience using loan originating software and MS Office products.
Strong product knowledge and understanding of underwriting requirements for FHA, VA, USDA, and CRA-specific mortgage programs.
Must have or be able to obtain a Mortgage Loan Originator License with NMLS.
Must be trained in all areas of mortgage lending and maintain employer- and industry-required continuing education.

Nice To Haves

4 years of experience originating CRA residential mortgages.
Bilingual proficiency in Spanish and English.

Responsibilities

Consistently achieve monthly loan production volume specified in the MLO Agreement.
Generate new business to help meet established CRA and fair banking goals.
Develop and maintain a business plan for growth of the business area.
Network with community organizations, local business leaders, housing trade organizations, realtors, builders, and other referral sources to generate mortgage leads, with a focus on CRA products.
Evaluate potential customers’ needs and offer appropriate mortgage products and services, or refer them to an appropriate Bank specialist.
Prepare and compile mortgage applications and information for processing; ensure loan documentation is complete.
Oversee timely loan closing and funding.
Provide ongoing relationship servicing to current mortgage customers to maintain goodwill and gain additional business.
Respond to mortgage inquiries and assist with mortgage servicing requests.
Promote and refer other Bank products and services when appropriate to customer requirements.
Provide data to support marketing and sales promotion programs.
Work directly with the Community Development Operating Council on CRA loan initiatives in the local market.
Host consumer education events with internal and external partners.
Meet applicable legal, regulatory, and Bank policy compliance requirements.