Loan Exception Desk

Acra Lending•Irvine, CA

About The Position

The Loan Exception Desk is responsible for overseeing the review, analysis, and approval recommendation process for mortgage loan exception requests within the Company's Non-QM lending platform. This role serves as a key risk management function, balancing loan production objectives with portfolio performance, investor guidelines, and regulatory requirements. The role requires strong credit judgment, deep knowledge of Non-QM lending, and the ability to structure solutions that support responsible lending while maintaining acceptable risk levels.

Requirements

DE, SAR, or equivalent mortgage underwriting certifications.
Experience working with private-label securitizations and institutional investors.
Background in portfolio lending or non-agency credit risk management.
Experience establishing and maintaining a formal exception approval framework.
Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Accounting, or related
8+ years of mortgage underwriting, credit risk, or lending experience.
5+ years of Non-QM mortgage experience.
3+ years of management or leadership experience.
Significant experience with delegated authority and credit exception approvals

Responsibilities

Review and evaluate loan exception requests outside published underwriting guidelines.
Assess borrower creditworthiness using compensating factors and holistic credit analysis.
Evaluate credit, income, asset, collateral, occupancy, reserve, and documentation exceptions.
Make approval, decline, or modification recommendations based on risk-adjusted decision-making.
Establish consistent risk assessment methodologies across loan programs.
Ensure exception decisions align with company risk appetite and portfolio objectives.
Analyze complex borrower scenarios, including: Bank statement loans DSCR loans Asset utilization loans Foreign national loans ITIN loans Jumbo Non-QM transactions Investor property financing
Develop alternative structures to mitigate identified risks.
Collaborate with underwriting and sales teams to create viable lending solutions.
Maintain oversight of underwriting guideline exceptions.
Identify emerging risk trends and recommend policy revisions.
Monitor exception volume, approval rates, and loan performance.
Participate in credit policy committee meetings.
Maintain detailed records supporting all exception decisions.
Manage and develop a team of exception analysts and senior underwriters.
Provide guidance on complex credit scenarios.
Partner with: Underwriting Sales Capital Markets Secondary Marketing Compliance Quality Control Servicing
Act as final escalation point for complex exception requests.
Produce and analyze exception tracking reports.
Monitor performance of approved exceptions against portfolio expectations.
Present exception trends and risk analyses to executive management.
Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for exception management.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state mortgage lending regulations.
Support internal and external audits.
Maintain documentation supporting exception rationale and approvals.
Assist in preparation for investor, warehouse lender, and regulatory reviews.