Mortgage Underwriter (Full Time )

• To work within the given service standards.
• To ensure regular customer liaison during all stages of mortgage applications.
• Assess mortgage applications received direct from customers, branches, agents and introducers for compliance with lending criteria, mortgage indemnity, money laundering and the Society’s procedures manuals.
• Provide clear instructions for all information including references, credit checks, etc, required to enable applications to be approved.
• Apply judgment-based underwriting for cases outside automated decisioning, balancing risk appetite with customer outcomes.
• Assess complex mortgage applications for specialist lending products, ensuring compliance with building society policies and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct detailed affordability and credit risk analysis, including manual underwriting for non-standard income profiles (e.g., self-employed, complex income, adverse credit, buy-to-let, or non-standard property types).
• Underwrite and approve mortgage applications per specified level, when all references, credit checks, valuations, etc, are received and apply special conditions to mortgage offers.
• Receive reports of title and ensure that all special conditions are complied with before instructing Customer Service Team to complete the case.
• Regularly contribute to team meetings within the section and be proactive in supporting the team in developing service standards and working systems.
• Be involved in one off projects as they arise e.g. rate changes, new product launches, etc.
• Ensure that the procedures manuals are up-to-date.
• Provide guidance and training to junior underwriters and support continuous improvement in underwriting processes.
• Contribute to product development insights, leveraging underwriting experience to inform specialist lending propositions.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of FCA regulations, building society governance, and specialist mortgage market trends.
• Ensure that staff and members’ data is secure, accurate and used correctly in line the Society GDPR policy and standards. Adhere to the Society Financial Crime Policy, the controls and report any internal or external incidents of actual or suspected fraud, money laundering or financial crime, either in accordance with the internal money laundering process (Suspicious Activities Report) or via the Society’s Whistleblowing Policy. Complete and pass an annual dedicated financial crime and bribery prevention computer based training test.
• Any other duties that may from time to time be allocated and that are commensurate with the grading of the post.

Skills & Experience • Proven experience in mortgage underwriting, ideally within a building society or mutual environment.
• Strong background in specialist lending (e.g., self-employed, complex income, adverse credit, buy-to-let, or non-standard property types).
• Manual underwriting expertise, with ability to make judgment-based decisions outside automated systems.Track record of handling complex cases and exceptions, ensuring compliance and customer fairness.
• Strong communication skill oral and written
• IT Skills
• Positive attitude
• Self-Motivated
• Initiative
• Be able to rise to the challenges presented in a demanding environment
• Team Player
• Negotiating skills
• Ability to act in good faith toward retail customers
• Ability to enable & support retail customers to pursue their financial objectives

Qualifications

Essential

• Minimum of GCSE Maths and English Grade C
• Good numerical, written and verbal communication
• Confidence in using Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

Desirable

• Knowledge of regulatory issues in underwriting
• CeMap
• 3 A levels grades A-C