Definition of "Loan Officer"

Employees of lenders or mortgage brokers who find borrowers, sell and counsel them, and take applications. Loan officers employed by mortgage brokers may also be involved in loan processing. In the case of a one-person mortgage broker firm, that person is both the broker and the loan officer. While loan officers are employees, they act more like independent contractors. They are compensated largely, if not entirely, on a commission basis. The typical commission rate is 1/2 of 1% of the loan amount, and successful loan officers earn six figure incomes. Both lenders and mortgage brokers post prices with loan officers to be offered to consumers. The loan officers usually have limited discretion to reduce the price if necessary to meet competition, and full discretion to raise the price if they can. The difference between the posted price and the price charged the consumer is called an Overage, and the loan officer usually gets a share of it.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Mortgage Terms

Prices that assume a more or less standardized set of transaction characteristics that generally command the lowest prices. Generic prices are distinguished from transaction specific ...

The lender's risk that, between the time a lock commitment is given to the borrower and the time the loan is closed, interest rates will rise and the lender will take a loss on selling ...

A computer-driven process for informing the loan applicant very quickly, sometimes within a few minutes, whether the application will be approved, denied, or forwarded to an underwriter. ...

The assumption that the index value to which the interest rate on an ARM is tied follows the same pattern as in some prior historical period. In meeting their disclosure obligations in ...

The definition of a foreclosure bailout loan: a secured loan obtained by a mortgagor in order to save an owner-occupied house that is under foreclosure. It is a refinancing loan and it ...

If you’re a student in medical school, a resident or a medically qualified doctor, you must know the definition of Physicians Mortgage Loan, also known as Doctor Loans. Why? Because, ...

Total costs charged to the borrower that must be paid at closing, by the borrower, the home seller, or the lender. In dealing directly with a lender, settlement costs can be divided into ...

An agreement between a mortgage borrower in distress and the lender that allows the borrower to sell the house and remit the proceeds to the lender. A short sale is an alternative to ...

A documentation option where the applicant's income is disclosed and verified but not used in qualifying the borrower. The conventional maximum ratios of expense to income are not ...

Popular Mortgage Questions