Mortgage Hardship Specialist

Benefits

At VyStar, we offer competitive pay, an excellent benefit package that includes a 401(k) Plan, an extensive paid technical and on-the-job training program, and tuition reimbursement—available to all full and part time employees. Part time positions start at a minimum of 30 hours per week. We encourage you to become a part of VyStar Credit Union's family of employees.

The mortgage loan hardship specialist processes mortgage financial hardship requests, modifications, and HELOC maturity requests received from members. The incumbent performs multiple duties as a loan processor, reviewing documents, calculating debt ratios, pulling credit reports and automated valuations, and making recommendations to management based on file review. Upon approval, the incumbent prepares the closing package for member signatures, performs core system maintenance within department timelines, and completes quality control functions on the closing package and system changes to ensure accuracy.

All activities related to processing a mortgage hardship request are conducted timely in compliance with credit union policies, private mortgage insurance guidelines, secondary market servicing guidelines, and federal and state regulations. The incumbent reports to the Mortgage Loss Mitigation Supervisor.

• Reviews incoming mortgage loan hardship, modification, and HELOC maturity requests and accompanying documentation for completeness.
• Pulls and reviews credit reports to ensure accurate calculation of housing-to-income and debt-to-income ratios, and reviews automated valuations to determine property value.
• Prepares required hardship departmental worksheets and makes a recommendation to management based on the review.
• Communicates final hardship decisions to the member, including terms and conditions of approval or reasons for declination, and schedules date/time/location for document execution.
• Prepares and sends notice of adverse action for denied hardship requests.
• Completes core system mortgage loan changes required to ensure the loan is serviced in accordance with approved modification terms.
• Notates special payment arrangements in the credit union collection system throughout the modification process.
• Makes special payment arrangements with members during the review process to confirm willingness to make mortgage payments.
• Cross-sells other credit union services.
• Cross-sells other credit union services (duplicate responsibility listed in the original).
• Identifies and makes recommendations to the Mortgage Loss Mitigation Supervisor and/or Mortgage Servicing Manager regarding process improvements, quality service, and increased efficiencies.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• All employees and business units, as the first line of defense, proactively help identify, assess, manage, and report risks within their domain of work.
• Maintains vigilance in safeguarding operations while ensuring compliance with regulatory mandates.
• Risk team serves as the second line of defense, providing oversight and credible challenge.
• Audit team serves as the third line of defense, providing assurance.

• Focus: Focus your full attention by carefully listening to and observing client or member.
• Connect: Consistently be friendly and approachable; demonstrate care.
• Understand: Listen empathetically and ask questions (70%/30% rule).
• Counsel: Recommend solutions based on member needs and objectives.
• Advance: Ensure member expectations are exceeded and verify necessary follow-up actions.

• Minimum of three years’ experience in customer service, collections, or mortgages with a financial institution.
• Knowledge of federal and state regulations related to mortgage lending (Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) and collection activities (Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Federal Bankruptcy Laws).
• Up‑to‑date knowledge of loss mitigation guidelines for private mortgage insurance companies and secondary market servicing guidelines.
• Positive, well‑developed written…