NQE Pricing Specialist

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) is the nation's number one distributed retail mortgage lender with more than 9,000 employees operating over 700 branches and servicing loans across all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Our company has been recognized ten times on the Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private businesses and has received many awards for our standout culture.

A culture where you can grow! CCM has created an exceptional culture driving employee engagement, exceeding employee expectations, and directly impacting company success. At our core, our entrepreneurial spirit empowers every employee to be who they are to help us move forward together. You’ll get unwavering support from all departments and total transparency from the top down.

CCM offers eligible employees a competitive compensation plan and a robust benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, as well as a 401K. We also offer company-provided short-term disability, an employee assistance program, and a wellness program.

Position Overview:
The NQE Pricing Specialist is responsible for managing the pricing and rate-lock process for Non-QM mortgage loans, with a focus on exception pricing, off-sheet offerings, and risk-based pricing decisions. This role serves as a critical liaison between Sales, Credit, and Secondary Marketing to support pricing that is competitive, compliant, and aligned with CCM’s strategic objectives in a dynamic, exception-driven environment.

Job Responsibilities:

• Report as a member of Non-QM rate lock desk, including issuing lock confirmations, tracking lock expirations, and maintaining compliance with lock policies.
• Assess and price exception scenarios that fall outside standard rate sheets, working closely with Credit and Underwriting teams to evaluate compensating factors and layered risk.
• Issue accurate and timely pricing quotes for Non-QM products, including base and exception-level pricing, off-sheet rates, and custom takeout pricing.
• Analyze loan-level risk characteristics, including credit, assets, income, occupancy, and documentation; determine appropriate pricing overlays or exceptions based on investor appetite and internal guidelines. This includes evaluating non-QM terms such as prepayment penalties (PPP), debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), and alternative income documentation types.
• Collaborate with the Secondary Marketing and Capital Markets teams to ensure that offered pricing aligns with hedge positions, investor guidelines, and market movements.
• Monitor pipeline health and manage pricing exceptions throughout the loan lifecycle, identifying and resolving pricing discrepancies pre- and post-closing.
• Keep abreast of market conditions, LLPA updates, investor guideline changes, and Non-QM trends that may have an impact on pricing or lock policy.
• Document pricing exceptions and justifications thoroughly in the loan origination system and CRM, ensuring transparency and audit readiness.
• Provide insights and reporting to management on exception trends, investor hit rates, lock fallout, and margin impact.
• Ensure all rate lock and pricing actions adhere to compliance standards, investor requirements, and internal controls, especially within the context of the non-QM market.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience in mortgage banking.
• 3+ years of experience in Non-QM pricing or rate lock desk operations, with direct responsibility for exception pricing decisions.
• Advanced experience with Non-QM guidelines, investor overlays, and borrower risk evaluation criteria.
• Excellent analytical, quantitative, and decision-making skills.
• Advanced collaboration and communication skills to interact effectively with Sales, Credit, Capital Markets, and external partners.
• Excellent organizational, task-management, and attention-to-detail skills applied consistently to achieve objectives.
• Experience with pricing engines such as Optimal Blue and LoanSifter. 
• Experience with Encompass loan origination system.

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job. However, this job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.