Senior Underwriter Residential Mortgage

About Georgia Banking Company

Georgia Banking Company is a growing, service-driven community bank committed to delivering exceptional financial solutions with a personal touch. We focus on strong relationships, local decision-making, and a culture of integrity, accountability, and teamwork. Our mortgage team plays a critical role in helping individuals and families achieve homeownership through responsible, high-quality lending.

Position Summary

The Residential Mortgage Underwriter is responsible for evaluating and underwriting morgage loan applications in accordance with GBC’s credit policies, investor guidelines, regulatory requirements, and secondary market standards. This role ensures sound credit decisions, timely turn-times, and a positive borrower and partner experience. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, sound judgment, and a commitment to delivering high-quality credit decisions while supporting GBC’s relationship-banking model.

Key Responsibilities: 

Underwriting & Credit Decisioning

• Review and underwrite conventional, portfolio, and government-backed residential mortgage loans (e.g., FNMA, FHLMC, FHA, VA depending on bank offerings).
• Analyze borrower credit, income, assets, collateral, and overall risk profile to determine loan eligibility.
• Ensure all decisions comply with investor guidelines, federal regulations, and internal credit policy.
• Issue clear, actionable conditions and communicate requirements to loan officers, processors, and branch partners.
• Maintain responsibility for final credit approval within assigned lending authority.

Quality, Compliance & Risk Management

• Validate accuracy and completeness of AUS findings (DU/LP) and manually underwrite when required.
• Review appraisal reports, title commitments, flood certifications, and supporting documentation for compliance and risk.
• Identify potential fraud, red flags, or inconsistencies and escalate appropriately.
• Ensure adherence to TRID, ECOA, HMDA, Fair Lending, and all applicable regulatory standards.

Collaboration & Communication

• Partner closely with mortgage processors, loan officers, branch teams, and secondary marketing to ensure smooth loan flow.
• Provide guidance on structuring loans, resolving documentation issues, and interpreting guidelines.
• Communicate underwriting decisions clearly, professionally, and in a timely manner.
• Support a culture of service, responsiveness, and relationship-based lending.

Operational Excellence

• Meet or exceed established turn-time expectations and service-level agreements.
• Maintain accurate documentation and system updates in LOS platforms (e.g., Encompass or similar).
• Participate in ongoing training to stay current on investor updates, regulatory changes, and industry best practices.
• Contribute to process improvements that enhance efficiency, quality, and customer experience.

• At least 7 years of residential mortgage underwriting experience.
• Familiarity with Encompass is a plus. 
• Strong knowledge of FNMA/FHLMC/FHA/VA/USDA guidelines and general secondary market standards.
• Ability to analyze complex financial documentation including tax returns, self-employed income, and layered risk profiles.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and ability to balance risk with customer experience.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Familiarity with Georgia real estate and lending regulations.