Here’s something I wish more lenders said out loud: policy is not procedure.  They’re related but they’re not interchangeable. And when...

Over the past nine posts, we’ve explored mortgage fraud from every angle—what it looks like, how it evolves, and most importantly, how to...

Every lender has exceptions. The question is: are you managing them or are they managing you? I've seen shops where “exceptions” were the...

When you're in the thick of underwriting, it's easy to get caught up in the momentum of closing. The emails, the deadlines, the "just...

If you’ve ever sat in a credit committee meeting and heard someone say, “Well, it fits the ratios…” you know where this is going. Ratios...

When I started underwriting, fraud detection was largely all manual. You reviewed docs by eye, made a few calls, and hoped your instincts...

There’s a common misconception in lending that the collateral will “save you” if the deal goes sideways. But anyone who’s had to enforce...

I’ve always believed that underwriting isn’t just a technical skill—it’s a human one. Sure, we look at numbers, documents, and ratios....

There’s a moment in every underwriter’s career when you realize: you’re not just approving loans, you’re choosing borrowers. And who you...

There’s something uniquely unsettling about title fraud. It’s not just the financial damage—it’s the human cost. Imagine discovering your...

A lot of lenders talk about being flexible. And that’s great—until every deal becomes a one-off exception. That’s when flexibility turns...

One of the most valuable habits I picked up early in my underwriting career was simple: never rush the credit report. I used to treat it...

I’ve seen “risk appetite” was tossed around like a buzzword - right up there with “synergy” and “alignment.” But spend enough time in...

There’s a quiet moment most underwriters know well—when the numbers don’t quite line up, or a document just doesn’t look… right. You...

There’s a moment in many lending careers when policy stops being just a reference document and starts becoming a principle to live by....

One of the most unsettling things about mortgage fraud is how believable it can look... until it isn’t. I’ve reviewed files that, at...

Some of the most revealing lessons I’ve learned as an underwriter didn’t come from textbooks or courses—they came from files that didn’t...

There’s a rhythm to underwriting, a cadence you find after years of reviewing applications, scanning credit reports, and picking up on...

s One of the most fascinating shifts happening in risk management today is the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI). What once...

When interest rates start to decline, it can feel like the pressure valve in the financial system loosens just a little. Borrowing...