Job Summary
We are seeking a seasoned Senior Loan Processor for a direct hire opportunity in Laguna Niguel, CA, supporting larger and more complex private-lending transactions secured by premium California real estate. This is a high-impact role for an experienced lending professional who can independently underwrite, process, and close business-purpose mortgage loans ranging from approximately $1.5M to $5M.
The ideal candidate brings strong credit judgment, disciplined file ownership, and the confidence to work with sophisticated borrowers, brokers, investors, and internal leadership. This role offers the opportunity to join a professional, relationship-driven lending environment where speed, accuracy, sound risk management, and proactive communication are highly valued.
This is an excellent fit for someone who thrives in a fast-paced private money, hard money, bridge, commercial, or business-purpose lending setting and wants to own transactions from accepted request through funding.
Key Responsibilities
- Independently underwrite, process, and close complex private-lending transactions from accepted commitment through funding.
- Analyze borrower strength, guarantor capacity, liquidity, ownership structure, source and use of proceeds, repayment ability, exit strategy, collateral quality, LTV, LTC, lien priority, and DSCR where applicable.
- Lead borrower and guarantor diligence, including interviews, business-purpose confirmation, entity review, and identification of complex deal issues such as trusts, multiple guarantors, subordinate financing, and cross-collateralization.
- Coordinate commitments, applications, disclosures, borrower checklists, appraisals, title, escrow, insurance, legal review, and final funding conditions.
- Maintain accurate pipeline reporting, provide daily file updates, document activity in CRM systems, and communicate proactively with brokers, borrowers, investors, and internal stakeholders.
- Escalate material credit, collateral, title, closing, or compliance concerns immediately while maintaining complete, accurate files with no preventable closing errors.
Compensation and Benefits
- Direct hire opportunity.
- Salary range: $110,000 to $140,000 per year.
- Location: Laguna Niguel, CA.
Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans
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The pay transparency policy is available here:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf
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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https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf
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.
Required Qualifications and Skills
- Own senior-level loan processing, underwriting, and closing for complex private-lending transactions.
- Manage business-purpose loan files from accepted commitment through closing and funding.
- Lead credit analysis, borrower diligence, collateral review, title review, escrow coordination, and funding condition clearance.
- Support annual production expectations of approximately $150M in closed origination volume with target loan sizes of $1.5M to $5M.
- 5 to 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in private money, hard money, bridge, commercial, or business-purpose mortgage lending.
- Substantial hands-on underwriting and closing experience with loans of $2.5M or greater.
- Strong knowledge of borrower, sponsor, guarantor, collateral, liquidity, cash-flow, sources and uses, repayment, and exit strategy analysis.
- Ability to review appraisals critically and assess real estate collateral, value support, lien position, title exceptions, and closing risk.
- Deep understanding of loan documents, credit documents, entity documents, title, escrow, insurance, promissory notes, deeds of trust, assignments, guaranties, and closing procedures.
- Working knowledge of income-property analysis, including NOI, DSCR, cap rates, and rent rolls.
- Familiarity with sophisticated ownership structures, including LLCs, LPs, trusts, syndications, and multi-guarantor structures.
- Working knowledge of federal and California business-purpose lending requirements, with 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, judgment, follow-through, and attention to detail.
- Ability to respond quickly, solve problems decisively, and manage time-sensitive files without sacrificing accuracy or risk discipline.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in finance, real estate, accounting, business, or a related field, or equivalent depth of practical lending experience.
- Experience with premium California real estate, sophisticated borrowers, investor-facing transactions, or high-value bridge lending.
- Experience mentoring newer processors or contributing to underwriting templates, pipeline procedures, and closing process improvements.
- ACT CRM experience or similar relationship and pipeline management system experience.