Senior Loan Processor & Underwriter

AppleOne has partnered with a company seeking a Senior Loan Processor & Underwriter for a direct hire opportunity in Aliso Viejo, CA. This is a high-impact private lending role for a seasoned mortgage, bridge, hard money, commercial, or business-purpose lending professional who can independently underwrite, process, and close larger, more complex transactions.

This position is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-moving lending environment where judgment, accuracy, communication, and ownership matter. The role focuses on premium California real estate, sophisticated borrowers, complex ownership structures, and loan sizes typically ranging from $1.5M to $5M.

You will own each transaction from accepted request through funding, protecting investor capital while maintaining the speed and responsiveness that define successful private lending. This opportunity offers strong visibility, meaningful responsibility, collaboration with experienced lending professionals, and the chance to serve as a senior resource within a performance-driven, team-oriented culture.

Key Responsibilities

- Underwrite and analyze borrower, sponsor, and guarantor strength, liquidity, repayment ability, source and use of proceeds, ownership structure, collateral value, LTV/LTC, lien priority, exit strategy, and DSCR where applicable.
- Lead borrower and guarantor diligence, including interviews, business-purpose confirmation, transaction structuring, risk assessment, reserves, covenants, and appropriate loan protections.
- Manage documentation and closing coordination, including commitments, applications, disclosures, borrower checklists, appraisal, title, escrow, insurance, legal review, and funding conditions.
- Review preliminary title, appraisals, entity documents, insurance, loan documents, deeds of trust, guaranties, assignments, and closing packages for accuracy and risk exposure.
- Provide clear daily pipeline updates, maintain complete CRM records, communicate proactively with brokers, borrowers, investors, and internal stakeholders, and support strong relationship management.
- Identify and escalate material credit, collateral, title, compliance, or consumer-purpose concerns promptly while maintaining complete files with no preventable closing errors.

Compensation and Benefits

- Direct hire opportunity.
- Salary range: $110,000 to $140,000 per year.
- Location: Aliso Viejo, CA.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

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For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

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We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Additional Skills

Required Qualifications and Skills

- Independently underwrite, process, and close private lending, hard money, bridge, commercial, or business-purpose mortgage transactions.
- Manage complex loan files from accepted commitment through funding, including borrower diligence, third-party coordination, documentation, and closing conditions.
- Evaluate high-value California real estate collateral, sophisticated borrower profiles, entity structures, credit risk, liquidity, exit strategy, and investor protection.
- Lead pipeline communication, maintain CRM documentation, support broker relationships, and contribute to process improvement and team development.

- 5 to 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in private money, hard money, bridge, commercial, or business-purpose mortgage lending.
- Hands-on underwriting and closing experience with loans of $2.5M or greater.
- Strong command of borrower and guarantor analysis, collateral analysis, cash-flow review, liquidity review, sources and uses, exit analysis, and credit presentation.
- Deep knowledge of loan, credit, and entity documents, title and escrow requirements, insurance, appraisals, promissory notes, deeds of trust, assignments, guaranties, and closing procedures.
- Working knowledge of income-property analysis, including NOI, DSCR, cap rates, and rent rolls.
- Experience reviewing sophisticated ownership structures such as LLCs, LPs, trusts, syndications, and multiple guarantor arrangements.
- Working knowledge of federal and California requirements for business-purpose lending, including the ability to identify and escalate consumer-purpose or compliance concerns.
- Proficiency with mortgage-industry software, CRM or pipeline systems, PDF tools, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.
- Exceptional organization, written and verbal communication, professional judgment, and follow-through.
- Ability to work with urgency, accuracy, discretion, and composure in time-sensitive transactions.

Preferred Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in finance, real estate, accounting, business, or a related field, or equivalent depth of practical lending experience.
- Experience with ACT or similar CRM and pipeline management systems.
- Prior experience mentoring processors, improving underwriting templates, or refining closing procedures.
- Strong professional presence with experienced borrowers, brokers, investors, executives, and referral partners.
- Demonstrated success managing annual closed origination volume of approximately $150M or similar high-volume, high-value lending production.