How to Become Mortgage Loan Officer

According to the Mortgage Banker's Association, approximately 99 percent of the homes purchased in the U.S. are financed with a mortgage. With such a demand for mortgages, becoming a mortgage loan officer may be a career option worth looking into.

Check job postings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that nine out ten loan officers in the United States work for institutions such as banks, credit unions and other related financial institutions such as mortgage lenders. Look at the websites for local banks in your area to see which career positions are available. You can also look at job posting websites such as Monster, CareerBuilder and Hot Jobs.

Qualification match. See how your experience and background lines up with the job requirements for the position you're interested in applying for. Typically, a loan office has a bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics or a related field. Experience working in a bank or for a lending institution can be beneficial, but is not always required. This type of experience may be substituted for the education requirements as well.

Licensure. Loan officers working in banks or credit unions typically are not required to obtain a mortgage broker license. Working as a loan officer for another type of institution may require you to obtain your mortgage broker license. It may be a state requirement where you'll be processing loans for you to obtain a license. Mortgage News Daily breaks down the licensing requirements by state, so you can follow the guidelines for the state you'll be working in if you need to obtain a license.

Salary range. Working as a mortgage loan officer can be a salaried position, a commission position or a combination of the two. Some institutions pay loan officers a salary based on experience. Other institutions pay for each mortgage file that the loan officer processes and closes. Finally, some companies pay the loan officer a salary (which is typically lower than a straight salaried loan officer) and then pay a commission for each mortgage file that is processed and closed.