Bidding wars for producing mortgage loan officers are back with a vengeance — and it’s largely in the hopes of capitalizing on an upcoming refinance wave, recruiters and executives tell HousingWire.
The expense associated with originating mortgage loans has been escalating, with the current average cost approximating $11,600 per loan. A substantial component of this expense is attributed to Loan Officer Compensation (LO Comp), which typically constitutes 1% to 2% of the loan amount and represents nearly half of the total origination cost. This heightened compensation framework is primarily propelled by the considerable cost of lead acquisition, further aggravated by the lower conversion rate of leads.
Today’s best loan officers operate differently and expect more.