Meeting in the Middle

Written By: John Hoxsey
Certified Master Loan Processor (CMLP)

How is it that two extreme opposite personalities both end up, not only in the same business, but working side-by-side, every second of the day? Sounds like the recipe for World War III. Yet that is exactly where every person who goes by the title “loan officer” or “processor” finds themselves.

The major problem we face is the extreme personality differences between the typical processor and the typical loan officer. The stereotypical processor is detail oriented, wants everything to fit inside a perfect box, and wants everything to be handed in “just-so”. The stereotypical loan officer is your evil twin. They typically do not like to fill out forms, “waste” time going over details, or hand in anything “just-so”. With loan officers it is all about talking and selling; with processors it is all about details and work-flow.

I could make a form for everything. For the longest time I had the attitude that my form MUST be filled out or the file is not ready. In reality, there were many times when a loan officer filled out the form partially and then included the items that were not on the form behind the form in the submission. (i.e. instead of writing the HOI contact info, the HOI declaration page was behind the submission form.)

This used to really push my buttons. Until I asked the question, who needs to bend more; me or them? Well the truth is, we both do, but the reality is that neither of us can become the other, so we must learn to meet in the middle.

Just as it would be impossible for me to change my personality completely to be that of an “all sales, no details” mindset, it is equally impossible for the loan officer to change to an “all details, no sales” mentality. It’s physically and psychologically impossible for both of us. We are hard-wired from birth with our personalities, and it is a cruel irony that such opposite personalities must work side by side in this business.

HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that we all can’t learn, improve, and therefore, find balance. We must both admit that we all can be unreasonable at times. We processors, want every “i” dotted, and every “t” crossed. The LO doesn’t care about either, as long as the loan closes. We processors, know that it’s those “i’s” and “t’s” that get the loan closed faster and smoother. The LO doesn’t care, as long as the loan closes. And on the flip side, the LO knows what it’s like to deal with customers every day, all day. We processors, typically, don’t deal with that aspect of the business. We just want the info we need to process the loan.

We must both learn to acknowledge where we are being ridiculous and shooting all common sense out the window. In short, we must learn to “think of the other person”. Try and see things from the other’s perspective, and try to understand that we simply are wired different. We need to have a mutual respect for each other.

I believe that it’s important for all employees of a business to understand each other’s jobs. Typically, processors start out as loan officers, and so they have experienced the sales side, but often, that memory fades over time. The LO typically has never been a processor, and would never want to. We processors have probably never been an underwriter or a closer, and many managers have never done any of their employee’s jobs before, and wouldn’t know where to start if the need should arise.

And, while, it’s not feasible at all companies to initiate this, I believe, that if all employees and managers simply committed to having a willing mindset, we could all gain a better understanding of each other’s work load. If we have an attitude of being willing to do our part to ensure that we are making each other’s jobs easier and not more difficult, then how much better would the world be? We really need to effectively communicate to each other what we need. Often times, the problem is in the communication, or lack of it.

I believe that the only way to make peace with warring personalities is to try and both figure out how to work together, instead of shooting bullets back and forth, and/or trying to change each other.

Now, that we all are ready to take on this new mindset, here is some suggested reading material to get us on our way to peace:

- Mars and Venus in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting Results at Work by: John Gray, PhD (and for those who hate to read, this comes in an audio book too)

- Communication Miracles at Work: Effective Tools and Tips for Getting the Most from Your Work Relationships by Matthew Gilbert

- People Styles at Work: Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better by Robert Bolton

Anything written by John Maxwell (books and audio available)

Remember - Your reputation is your business.

Happy Processing!!!

About the Writer. As one of NAMP's volunteer writers, John Hoxsey is currently a NAMP member in good standing and is a NAMP Certified Master Loan Processor (CMLP). If you would like to become a volunteer writer for NAMP, please email us at: blog@mortgageprocessor.org.