Consumer Underwriter

Description

What You'll Be Doing

The Consumer Underwriter provides consistent, independent, and timely credit analysis and underwriting decisions for consumer lending requests across Bank Iowa. This role applies Bank Iowa consumer credit policy, the Consumer Product Matrix, Underwriting Guide, and approved decision standards across all markets. The position supports DecisionPro-automated decisioning by reviewing applications that require manual analysis or professional credit judgment. The Consumer Underwriter works closely with regional lenders while independently assessing risk and making decisions within delegated authority. 

Core Responsibilities

• Analyze and underwrite secured and unsecured consumer loan requests requiring manual review or additional credit analysis in accordance with Bank Iowa credit policies, product parameters, and approved underwriting standards. 
• Evaluate borrower creditworthiness, including income and debt-to-income calculations, repayment capacity, debt obligations, collateral, credit history, and overall credit risk. 
• Review collateral information and title or ownership documentation, when applicable. 
• Make consumer credit decisions and approve exceptions within delegated lending authority; provide recommendations and escalate requests requiring additional approval. 
• Review applications referred through DecisionPro that require manual underwriting or additional judgment, ensuring decisions, conditions, exceptions, and supporting rationale are clearly documented. 
• Apply consumer credit requirements consistently and objectively to support sound risk management, fair lending, regulatory compliance, and consistent customer experience. 
• Clearly and promptly communicate credit decisions, conditions, and documentation requirements to lenders.

General Responsibilities

• Partner with lenders across Bank Iowa to provide underwriting guidance and support while maintaining independent credit judgment. 
• Serve as a resource for questions involving consumer credit policies, underwriting standards, DecisionPro rules, and complex consumer credit situations. 
• Identify recurring underwriting issues, exceptions, policy gaps, or DecisionPro concerns, and recommend improvements or clarification as appropriate. 
• Support the ongoing validation of automated underwriting rules to ensure alignment with approved credit standards. 
• Support internal reviews, audits, regulatory examinations, consumer credit quality monitoring, and reporting related to underwriting trends and exception activity. 
• Assist lenders in structuring consumer credit requests that meet customer needs while remaining within Bank Iowa credit standards and approved risk parameters.

Requirements

Required Education & Experience

• Knowledge of consumer credit underwriting, including credit analysis, income and debt evaluation, collateral, repayment capacity, and secured and unsecured lending. 
• Understanding of consumer lending regulations, fair lending requirements, and the ability to consistently apply lending policies and underwriting standards. 
• Ability to exercise independent credit judgment, assess risk, and make decisions within delegated authority. 
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and attention-to-detail skills, with the ability to effectively partner with lenders and employees across the organization. 
• Ability to work with automated loan decisioning and loan origination technology and identify opportunities to improve underwriting processes and practices.

Preferred Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field. 
• Three or more years of progressive experience in consumer, retail, mortgage, commercial, or credit underwriting, with direct consumer lending or underwriting experience preferred. 
• Banking or financial services experience preferred. 
• An equivalent combination of education and relevant credit experience may be considered.

What you’ll love about us

Our team members love working here, and the prevailing reason is this: our people. In addition to the great team you will be a part of, here are some of the other reasons why our team members love working here:

• A competitive financial package - we want you to bring your best so in addition to your compensation, every team member receives a bonus opportunity, a generous 401k match, and discretionary profit sharing.
• Robust benefits and wellness - we are proud to offer health, dental and vision insurance as well as a wellness program designed to help drive down your premiums for benefits-eligible team members. Our wellness initiatives promote positive change and allows our team members to think big.
• Blending work and life – As a people-centered organization, each team member is provided a generous PTO bank. Bank Iowa team members receive 11 paid observed holidays, 100% paid parental leave, an opportunity for sabbatical leave, generous bereavement, and an employee assistance program designed to support team members throughout various stages in their lives.
• Continued learning opportunities – Bank Iowa enables great things and supports team member development at every stage of your career. Our development approach focuses on your innate talents and developing those into areas of strengths. Learning experiences are available in formal & informal training settings, as well, on-the-job training. Development programs are available in-person and online. Our tuition reimbursement program is available to support formal education programs.
• Community Involvement – Our team members are active members of their communities and people-centered. Bank Iowa aspires to be a center of influence in each of the 22 communities we are located in. In addition to company-sponsored volunteer opportunities, we offer paid volunteer time off (VTO), which allows team members to give their time to organizations they care about, without having to use PTO.
• Recognition – Bank Iowa is proud of our team members who “Live our Values”. Our peer nominated recognition program presented annually, recognizes and celebrates team members who exemplified our values from the past year.

Our People-Centered Culture

At Bank Iowa our purpose is to Empower People, Inspire Success and Foster Growth. Bank Iowa is one of the leading independent Ag banks and the second-largest family-owned bank in the state of Iowa. Our bank family consists of team members and clients throughout Iowa who we serve in our 22 communities.

At Bank Iowa, we’re proud to put people first, and we value our team members as much as our clients. We support team member development by focusing on their innate talents and developing those into areas of strength. We offer an environment where people care about each other, like family. If you’re looking for a career with colleagues who have the opportunity to bring their best, think big, and enable great things, Bank Iowa is the place for you.

Bank Iowa is an equal opportunity employer with a passion for creating an inclusive environment where all people are truly welcomed, valued and respected – for all of who they are – regardless of differences. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military service, national origin, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.