Senior Loan Processor & Underwriter

Job Summary

A direct hire opportunity is available for a Senior Loan Processor & Underwriter in Aliso Viejo, CA. This role is designed for a seasoned private lending professional who can independently underwrite, process, structure, and close larger, more complex real estate transactions.

The ideal candidate has deep experience with private money, hard money, bridge, commercial, or business-purpose mortgage lending and is comfortable managing sophisticated borrowers, complex ownership structures, and premium California real estate collateral.

This is a high-impact role in a fast-paced, relationship-driven lending environment where speed, accuracy, credit judgment, and investor protection are essential. The position offers the opportunity to own each transaction from accepted request through funding, serve as a senior resource to the team, and contribute to improved underwriting and closing processes.

Key Responsibilities

- Independently underwrite and process complex private lending transactions from accepted request through funding.
- Analyze borrower, sponsor, and guarantor strength, ownership structures, liquidity, source and use of proceeds, repayment ability, exit strategy, collateral, LTV, LTC, lien priority, and DSCR where applicable.
- Lead borrower and guarantor diligence, including interviews, business-purpose confirmation, deal structuring, risk assessment, and escalation of material credit, collateral, title, or compliance concerns.
- Coordinate commitments, applications, disclosures, checklists, appraisals, title, escrow, insurance, legal review, funding conditions, and final closing documentation.
- Maintain accurate daily pipeline updates, document activity in the CRM, support broker and borrower relationships, and help preserve a fast, responsive lending process.
- Mentor newer processors and contribute to refining underwriting templates, closing procedures, and file quality standards.

Compensation and Benefits

- Salary range: $110,000 to $140,000 per year.
- Job type: Direct hire.
- 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

- Own complex private lending files from accepted commitment through funding.
- Prepare concise credit analyses and recommend approval, revision, or decline with clear rationale.
- Lead daily origination and pipeline updates with accurate file status and next steps.
- Coordinate appraisal, title, escrow, insurance, legal review, closing conditions, and funding readiness.

- 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 understanding of borrower, guarantor, sponsor, liquidity, cash flow, source and use, collateral, LTV, LTC, DSCR, and exit strategy analysis.
- Experience reviewing appraisals critically and evaluating income-property metrics such as NOI, DSCR, cap rates, and rent rolls.
- Deep knowledge of loan documents, credit documents, entity documents, title and escrow requirements, insurance, promissory notes, deeds of trust, assignments, guaranties, and closing procedures.
- Working knowledge of sophisticated ownership structures, including LLCs, LPs, trusts, syndications, multiple guarantors, subordinate financing, and cross-collateralization.
- Working knowledge of federal and California requirements for business-purpose lending, with the ability to identify and escalate consumer-purpose or compliance concerns.
- Strong proficiency with mortgage-industry software, CRM or pipeline systems, PDF tools, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.
- Exceptional organization, written communication, verbal communication, judgment, follow-through, and attention to detail.
- Ability to work with urgency while maintaining accuracy, complete files, and disciplined credit standards.

Preferred Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in finance, real estate, accounting, business, or a related field preferred, or equivalent depth of practical lending experience.
- Experience with premium California real estate collateral and sophisticated borrower profiles.
- Prior experience mentoring processors or improving underwriting, closing, or pipeline management procedures.
- Familiarity with ACT or similar CRM systems.