What is a loan officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
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If you want to be in charge of whether people are issued loans or not, then becoming a loan officer is a great place to start. Most generally, your day will consist of evaluating, authorize and even recommending approval for people or businesses that have submitted a loan application.

While movies generally paint loan officers in a bad light, these people are just doing their jobs. The majority of the time, the people asking for a loan don't even qualify. For the most part, loan officers work in banks and other financial institutions. And it's recommended that you earn a bachelor's degree. But the majority of your education will come from learning on-the-job. You'll be turning loans down left and right after no time!

ScoreLoan OfficerUS Average
Salary
3.6

Avg. Salary $45,817

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
7.3

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
5.4
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.31%

Black or African American 9.05%

Hispanic or Latino 15.66%

Unknown 4.63%

White 63.89%

Gender

female 44.66%

male 55.34%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress Level
7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
5.6

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Loan Officer career paths

Key steps to become a loan officer

  1. Explore loan officer education requirements

    Most common loan officer degrees

    Bachelor's

    61.1 %

    Associate

    16.7 %

    High School Diploma

    10.6 %
  2. Start to develop specific loan officer skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Customer Service17.39%
    Origination13.44%
    Loan Origination5.30%
    FHA5.16%
    NMLS5.15%
  3. Complete relevant loan officer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New loan officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a loan officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real loan officer resumes.
  4. Research loan officer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage a multifacete commercial real estate investment firm.
    • Supervise and manage the processing staff and also underwrite conventional loans for correspondent lenders.
    • Follow up leads for refinance loans gather all applications and necessary paperwork to qualify applicants from origination to close of escrow.
    • Analyze available resources to determine suitable mortgage products (FHA, FNMA/FHLC) to meet clients' purchasing or refinancing goals.
  5. Prepare your loan officer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your loan officer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a loan officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Loan Officer Resume templates

    Build a professional Loan Officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Loan Officer resume.
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  6. Apply for loan officer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a loan officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First Loan Officer Job

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Average loan officer salary

The average Loan Officer salary in the United States is $45,817 per year or $22 per hour. Loan officer salaries range between $30,000 and $69,000 per year.

Average Loan Officer Salary
$45,817 Yearly
$22.03 hourly

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How do loan officers rate their job?

4.5/5

Based On 2 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Loan Officer reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2023
Pros

The diverse experiences and achievements.

Cons

Few members of the organization understand what you do and proper recognition for achievements can be limited.


profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022
Pros

Helping People, secure a better financial future

Cons

Having to Decline applicants


profile
4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

when a person being assisted to obtain a loan to uplift their lives

Cons

when more loans are deliquent


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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