Ask the Underwriter: Dionne Bass on Pre-Qualifying Loans, Self-Employed Income, and Smarter Mortgage Training

Ask the Underwriter: Dionne Bass on Pre-Qualifying Loans, Self-Employed Income, and Smarter Mortgage Training

Today on Ain’t My First Mortgage Podcast, Skip talks with Dionne Bass (“Ask the Underwriter”), a former underwriter who now trains mortgage professionals and real estate agents to better understand the mortgage process. Bass specializes in proper loan pre-qualification, spotting issues that can slow approvals, and improving personal SOPs so LOs don’t rely too heavily on AI tools without understanding the inputs.  She offers targeted trainings including FHA, USDA, and a popular self-employed borrower class that breaks down tax returns, income analysis, and the “why” behind underwriting decisions so originators can ask better questions. She highlights common pre-approval breakdowns tied to incomplete application and credit report review across FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional guidelines, and notes many struggle when switching between government and conventional self-employed reviews. She recommends bite-sized virtual training with case studies.  #mortgagepodcast #mortgageindustry #loanofficer #mortgagebroker #underwriting #asktheunderwriter #preapproval #prequalification #creditreport #loanprocessing #mortgagetraining #realestateagents #selfemployedborrower #selfemployedmortgage #incomeanalysis #taxreturns #conventionalloans #fhaloans #usdaloans #valoans #manualunderwriting #loanorigination #mortgagelending #referralpartners #mortgageeducation Episode Highlights: 00:00 Welcome Dionne Bass 00:16 Meet Ask the Underwriter 01:55 Prequalify Beyond AI 05:25 SOPs and Front End Work 07:15 Credit Report Pitfalls 10:15 Deep Dive Self Employed 12:22 Agency Guideline Differences 13:27 Training Format Case Studies 15:03 Connect and Closing Thanks

Turning Mortgage Data into Actionable Leads with Kortney Lane-Schafers

On today’s episode of Ain’t My First Mortgage podcast, Skip interviews Kortney Lane-Schafers, VP of Growth and Client Advocacy at MMI, about using mortgage data to drive production and reduce the LO rollercoaster. Kortney says the best part of the industry is relationships, while the biggest challenge is shifting market cycles. She explains MMI’s evolution into “MMI 1,” combining the MMI Data Center, a communication platform, and MonitorBase monitoring so loan officers can find opportunities, communicate, and track their database in one place.  Key updates include the MMI 1 mobile app with integrated Chat MMI voice-driven AI for fast reports and a real-time leaderboard. They discuss retention challenges and how monitoring alerts, opportunity surfacing, and consumer tools like Pathways Home and a branded private home search help deliver value, confidence, and proactive outreach. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:30 Meet Kortney Schafers 01:59 People and Market Challenges 03:44 Data to Beat Volatility 04:36 Napa Wine Interruption 07:01 MMI One Platform Overview 08:52 Pathways Home and Search 10:13 Mobile App Launch 11:00 Chat MMI AI Search 12:37 Export and CRM Integration 13:27 Conference Takeaways 14:02 Talk To Search 14:25 Real Time Leaderboard 16:35 Why Data Wins 17:22 Bring Value To Meetings 19:33 Retention And Monitoring 24:19 Predictive Opportunity Alerts 26:01 Remove Friction Take Action 27:36 Adoption Make It Easy 28:09 Connect With Kortney 28:44 Closing Thanks

More Than the Loan: Why Getting Involved Changes Everything

Today Skip welcomes Karley Bond, a First Horizon market manager for West Tennessee and North Mississippi with 20 years in mortgage lending and active involvement in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and Tennessee MBA. Bond explains the value of industry association participation—education, advocacy, leadership development, and especially networking, mentorship, and relationships. She shares time management strategies like prioritization and time blocking while balancing work, volunteer leadership, and family.  They discuss avoiding burnout by focusing on relationship-based mortgage banking and impact-driven service. Bond highlights the industry’s aging workforce and the need for recruiting through MBA’s Mortgage Banking Bound 100-hour certificate program and state Future Leaders programs. She also discusses pursuing the Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) designation and advises new loan officers to build systems, seek coaching, and commit to lifelong learning. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Welcome and Intro 00:56 Why Industry Involvement Matters 03:46 Mentors and Saying Yes 05:52 Time Blocking and Priorities 08:34 Avoiding Burnout Through Service 12:09 Aging Industry and New Talent 14:01 Mortgage Banking Bound Explained 16:45 CMB Designation Journey 20:03 Career Advice and Systems 22:10 Connect and Closing

How MLO’s Can Drive Branch Referrals at Banks and Credit Unions with Ralph Remy

Today Skip welcomes Ralph Remy, Senior Director of Client Digital Experience at National MI, about growing mortgage production by better leveraging bank and credit union branches as an internal referral source. Remy explains that poor branch leads often stem from lack of training, and urges loan officers to start with education that teaches tellers and bankers “cues and clues” to identify mortgage opportunities without overselling.  His top advice: educate branch partners, be present and engaged in branch huddles, and clearly communicate a value statement so teammates can confidently refer. He and Skip also emphasize reciprocal referrals—sending deposit, credit card, or investment business back to the branch—to strengthen the partnership and generate mortgage referrals tenfold. Episode Highlights: 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:58 Why Branches Are Gold 03:14 Educate for Better Referrals 04:53 Branch Huddles That Work 07:24 Three Tips to Start Today 09:32 Make Referrals a Two Way Street 11:45 Treat Branch Like Top Realtors 13:11 Tampa Bay Rays Trivia Break 15:10 Final Advice and How to Connect

Scaling Production and Growth with Laura Witte

On the show today, Skip welcomes back a good friend and top producer Laura Witte, Co-owner/Founder and Loan Officer at Highland Mortgage in Atlanta, Georgia, recognized as the top producing woman mortgage originator in Georgia with 130+ million in volume and a career-high year.  Laura and Skip discuss how she builds trust and puts borrowers at ease, emphasizing respect for clients at any credit or price point. She shares advice for loan officers scaling from 25M to 50M and beyond: maintain belief and persistence, adopt a growth mindset, stop micromanaging, build and trust a support team (including hiring an assistant early, even part-time), and rely on repeatable processes.  She also stresses diversifying mortgage products, continuous education, protecting personal time, and connecting goals to a personal “why,” shaped by losing her childhood home to foreclosure.  Episode Highlights: 00:00 Welcome Back Laura 00:19 Meet Laura Witte 01:00 Top Producer Milestone 02:21 Comfort First Approach 04:04 Mindset to Level Up 05:40 Trust and Build a Team 08:28 Hiring Before the Chaos 10:21 Diversify and Keep Learning 11:54 Find Your Why 13:50 Working With Your Spouse 15:15 Dogs and Quick Laughs 15:42 Gamer Trivia and Favorites 17:26 How to Reach Laura 17:49 Final Thanks and Wrap