Real Estate Lending Specialist

MONROE COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION•Monroe, MI

About The Position

The Real Estate Lending Specialist is responsible for leading the home equity lending process throughout the credit union. This role drives product strategy and promotion initiatives, serves in a system administration role for the lending operating system that houses the equity process, and leads loan processing, service support, and post-closing operation. This position provides internal support for the equity lending products and processes. Ensures compliance with operational and regulatory standards and continuously enhances process to improve efficiency and member experience. Additionally, this role supports and collaborates on real estate lending activities. Strong cross departmental collaboration across departments is essential for this role. CORPORATE COMPETENCIES Member Service and Value – Deliver exemplary service internally and external in accordance with the credit union’s service standards and in a professional manner that projects confidence, knowledge, and ability to provide options and solutions to meet member needs within established policies and procedures. Interactions with members provide value and generate goodwill and a positive image of MCCU as a trustworthy financial institution. Accountability/Accuracy/Efficiency – Maintain a superior level of attention to detail and ensure accuracy in all transactions and activities performed. Organized and thorough in completing duties and a reliable team member. Ensure established processes and procedures are complied with and are consistently executed. Display self-motivation. Accept responsibility for own actions and hold others accountable to maintain appropriate levels of performance in accordance with established policies and procedures. Team Player- Possess exceptional collaborative skills to work cross functionally with various departments and operational areas to solve problems and advance ideas and innovation. Maintain positive working relations with all credit union team members to achieve corporate and departmental goals and objectives. Treat people with respect; keep commitments; inspire the trust of others. Decision Making - Consistently apply superior data driven decision-making techniques pertaining to job duties, inquiries, approvals, and requests as they apply to existing policies and procedures, keeping within assigned approval limits and using these instances as a tool for development. Exercise good judgement in making decisions, ensuring appropriate supervisory approvals are obtained. Communication – Exhibit strong communication skills with internal and external stakeholders. This includes appropriate collaboration and engagement of staff and other higher-level executives in information gathering and sharing, project management, and implementation of projects and other assignments. It also includes communication with vendors, members, and other external parties. Respond to inquiries or refer inquiries to the appropriate department or person and exhibit the necessary follow-through with members and/or staff involved.

Requirements

High school graduate or equivalent
A minimum of 2 years of work-related experience is required, with demonstrated experience in real estate lending, HMDA reporting, regulatory compliance, and/or lending operations.
Must have or be able to obtain and maintain an NMLS registration in accordance with SAFE Act requirements.
Understanding of loan interview procedures and loan documentation.
Strong knowledge of federal and state lending regulations.
Proven ability to think critically and solve problems using data analysis and strategic reasoning.
Highly attentive to detail and accuracy in all work.
Strong leadership ability and willingness to help others outside of regular job duties.
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadline in a fast-paced setting.
Excellent verbal and written communication
Ability to take ownership, anticipate issues and work ahead to meet deadlines
Ability to multitask in high-demand, high-volume environment
Ability to cultivate strong relationships with key business partners and vendors
Knowledge of finance industry, or similarly regulated industry

Nice To Haves

Experience administering loan origination or servicing platforms, preferred.
Knowledge of all lending products and services offered by the credit union, preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide end-to-end oversight of MCCU’s real estate lending products, with current emphasis on Home Equity Lending. This includes managing the full product life cycle, from origination through post-closing, focused on product design, experience, process optimization, and performance.
Review and prepare equity disclosures to ensure accuracy and compliance, while monitoring files throughout the lending process for completeness.
Collaborate with Loan Officers to obtain necessary documentation for loan file including ordering, tracking and reviewing AVM, Appraisal, Flood, Title work.
Disburse equity loans and ensure timely tracking on log.
Collaborate with the Mortgage Lending Manager to develop and strengthen promotional and sales strategies that drive performance across both mortgage and home equity products.
Evaluate loan options with loan originator and member financial needs to identify cross-selling opportunities and recommend additional credit union products or services that support the member’s overall financial goals.
Serves an administrator role for lending platform that houses the equity process, ensuring optimal functionality and user access.
Deliver training, guidance, and ongoing support for real estate lending with a strategic focus, promoting consistent understanding of products, processes, compliance requirements, and system usage to ensure alignment with organizational goals and an exceptional member experience.
Maintain accuracy, efficiency, and compliance across all stages of the loan life cycle.
Oversee post-closing activities, including document verification, recordkeeping, and auditing.
Provide daily guidance to lending staff regarding procedures, system utilization, and compliance-related matters, primarily for equity products, while also providing support for Mortgage and Consumer Lending leadership as needed.
Partner with the Mortgage Lending Manager to ensure home equity operations comply with regulatory requirements, align with internal policies, and update policies and procedures as needed
Accept and process home equity loan applications as needed to supplement branch staff, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely follow-up throughout the application process
Stay up to date with industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to drive innovation in marketing efforts.
Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of current credit union lending goals and actively strive to achieve them.
Maintain knowledge of lending regulations and proactively update procedures to maintain compliance.