An underwriter is an individual that provides underwriting services for a financial institution. Underwriters evaluate and assess an individual or party’s risk for a fee. This is typically in the form of a commission, spread, or premium. Underwriters may be seen across the wider world of finance, but are a bit more prevalent in the insurance and mortgage industries.
Underwriting is a crucial step in applying for a mortgage or refinancing a property and can decide whether a loan is approved or not. It is the process where the mortgage provider verifies the borrowers’ income, debt, assets, and property value. Afterward, the mortgage provider will reach its final decision regarding the loan’s approval based on the underwriters’ recommendation.
Essentially mortgage loan underwriters ensure that a borrower meets all of the requirements for a mortgage provider. In addition to that, underwriters look into a property’s appraised price to guarantee that the property is worth its purchase price and loan amount.
Mortgage underwriters ask for documentation from the borrower in order to reach their decision. If an application is denied, a prospective borrower may appeal the decision. This may take some time and require more documentation from the borrower.
Before applying for a mortgage, you can do the following to increase your chance of approval by an underwriter: look into your credit history & savings, verify your income and employment, and verify your savings.
Most if not all underwriters have a diploma from a college or university, usually in the field of finance, economics, or statistics.