Mortgage Analyst 2

American Equity Investment Life Insurance Company is a leading provider of annuity solutions designed to help clients protect and grow retirement income. Part of Brookfield Wealth Solutions, we partner with more than 40,000 financial professionals and help fund over half a million retirements nationwide. Recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies and named a Top Workplace in Iowa, American Equity fosters a collaborative and purpose-driven culture where employees are empowered to ignite their passion and help shape the future of financial services.

Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, with satellite offices in New York, NY, American Equity provides opportunities for employees to support work across the enterprise, including our sister company, American National, headquartered in Houston, Texas.

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

Responsible for supporting commercial real estate mortgage loan origination and portfolio management. Works closely with Mortgage Originators to evaluate new loan opportunities, and monitor the existing loan portfolio including surveillance, annual financial reviews, analysis of servicing requests and reporting.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Loan Origination:

• Analyzes commercial mortgage loan requests through the review of loan packages, property financial data including cash flows and rent rolls, collateral quality and functionality, and sponsor commercial real estate expertise and financial strength.
• Underwrites and recommends to the Mortgage Originators loan structures and terms to comply with the program’s risk/return parameters.
• Participates in the underwriting and transaction management of commercial mortgage loan opportunities, with responsibility for managing assigned transactions under the guidance of Mortgage Originators.
• Gathers and evaluates economic, demographic and other commercial real estate market data.
• Maintains contact with Correspondents to communicate progress of loan requests and obtain required information and documentation.
• Prepares underwriting summaries, pre-screening and approval presentation materials including transaction structure, underwriting conclusions, investment risks, and mitigating factors, for review by the Mortgage Originators.
• Maintains transaction pipeline and underwriting records, ensuring deal status, supporting documentation, and internal tracking systems remain current and accurate.
• Works with the Closing staff throughout the closing process including the review of third-party property reports and due diligence items and assists the Mortgage Originators in resolving any closing issues.

Portfolio Management/Surveillance:

• Assists in the portfolio management function for existing commercial mortgage loans and asset management of equity investments, including financial analysis and the preparation of various reports.
• Participates in the annual financial review of the commercial mortgage loan portfolio, including analysis of operating statements, rent rolls, market conditions, and other relevant loan information.
• Supports the quarterly review of loans on the Monitor List and Watchlist, and ongoing monitoring of the portfolio to identify heightened risk.
• Works with the Mortgage Originators to complete credit analysis for loan workouts (e.g., discounted payoff, loan modification/restructure, foreclosure, etc.) and to implement solutions.

Loan Servicing:

• Assists Mortgage Originators in the analysis of commercial mortgage loan servicing issues/requests which require underwriting input and approval (maturity extensions, assumptions, lease approvals, escrow releases, etc.).
• Monitors upcoming commercial mortgage loan maturities and payoffs by interacting with the Servicing team.

Other:

• Travels with Mortgage Originators as necessary.
• Helps with special projects as needed.
• Performs other related work as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Direct Reports: None

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting or related field of study; plus, a minimum of three (3) years of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS:

None required for this position.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of commercial real estate property types, real estate finance principles, loan structures, and financial statement analysis.
• Proficient to advanced proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) including financial modeling, commercial real estate cash flow analysis, loan sizing, valuation concepts, and investment return calculations.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and research skills with ability to accurately assess risk factors.
• Strong planning and organization skills with the ability to work on multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Ability to successfully handle pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
• Ability to demonstrate ownership over assigned transactions, servicing requests, reporting and projects through proactive communication, timely follow-up, and effective coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills with ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from individuals and groups.
• Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts and applications.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Strong customer service orientation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work cooperatively and successfully with co-employees and other outside third parties.
• Ability to build and manage external business relationships.
• Ability to travel up to 10% of the time.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.

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