Credit Risk Underwriting Specialist

Tri Pointe Homes Holdings, Inc.•Scottsdale, AZ

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Tri Pointe Connect, the mortgage affiliate of Tri Pointe Homes, is looking for an experienced individual to join our talented group in Arizona as a Credit Risk Underwriting Specialist. This is a hybrid position working out of our Operations Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. Position Summary: Key contributor to Tri Pointe Connect’s Credit Risk Department, responsible for loan-level underwriting reviews, credit-quality audits, lending-authority support, and vendor oversight across Conventional, Government (FHA/VA/USDA), Jumbo, and Non-QM products to ensure high-quality, salable, and compliant loans. This role strengthens risk governance through meticulous file audits, income validation, data integrity checks, defect trending, and second-level underwriting oversight.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Business, Finance or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
5+ years of recent credit risk audit and/or mortgage underwriting experience across Conventional, Government (FHA/VA), Jumbo, and Non-QM products.
Government underwriting designations (DE, VA Automatic), SAR preferred.
Strong understanding of agency guidelines, investor overlays, regulatory compliance, manual underwriting logic, and ATR/QM requirements for non-agency products.
Advanced skills in tax-return analysis, self-employment income reconstruction, and rental income evaluation.
Expertise in loan origination systems, Encompass preferred.
Strong communication and audit documentation skills (written and verbal), with the ability to articulate nuanced credit-risk concerns clearly.
Demostrated ability to explain discretionary decisions and findings when reviewing loans for audit.
Detail-oriented with a strong focus on accuracy.
Demonstrates the ability to perform effectively under strict deadlines in a dynamic environment.

Nice To Haves

Government underwriting designations (DE, VA Automatic), SAR preferred.
Encompass preferred.

Responsibilities

Conduct in-depth audits and re-underwrites across Conventional, Government, Jumbo, and Non-QM loans to ensure compliance with agency, investor, and internal Tri Pointe Connect guidelines.
Recalculate income using agency/investor methodologies, including complex self-employed income, rental income, K-1 analysis, and layered-risk borrower assessment.
Validate AUS findings (DU/LPA) and confirm data alignment between LOS, AUS, and documentation.
Perform second-level underwriting reviews for new underwriters seeking initial lending authority, validating accuracy, guideline comprehension, and risk assessment. Conduct second-level reviews for existing underwriters seeking expanded authority in additional products such as FHA, VA, and/or Jumbo.
Document findings, recommend approval of lending authority, and provide coaching feedback where skill gaps are identified.
Maintain calibration standards to ensure lending authority aligns with Tri Pointe Connect’s credit-risk expectations and investor requirements.
Audit and evaluate the work of domestic and offshore third-party QC vendors, including pre-funding, post-closing, and targeted audit activities.
Confirm that QC vendor findings are accurate, consistent, and aligned with agency/investor requirements and internal credit standards.
Maintain vendor performance logs, participate in calibration calls, and support scorecard development.
Identify and escalate repurchase exposure, defect trends, risk indicators, data inconsistencies, and misrepresentation concerns to the Director of Credit Risk.
Support development of internal credit policies, audit matrices, income guides, scorecards, and calibration frameworks.
Contribute to executive-level reporting, trend dashboards, defect analytics, and quality insights.