Homeowners Assistance Counselor

General Function

Under moderate supervision, the Homeowner's Assistance Department Counselor initiates contact and provides assistance to consumer and mortgage loan customers who are in default. The counselor counsels and guides the customer to achieve workout alternatives based on the customer's circumstances while complying with all investor, company, federal, and insurer guidelines. The counselor works to minimize potential losses on delinquent loans by contacting borrowers, agents, mortgage brokers, real estate agents, title companies, attorneys, investors, and insurers to work toward resolution of the delinquency in accordance with departmental and legal guidelines, while ensuring company and investor goals.

Responsible and accountable for risk by openly exchanging ideas and opinions, elevating concerns, and personally following policies and procedures as defined. Accountable for always doing the right thing for customers and colleagues, and ensures that actions and behaviors drive a positive customer experience. While operating within the bank’s risk appetite, the counselor achieves results by consistently identifying, assessing, managing, monitoring, and reporting risks of all types.

• Pursues communication with defaulted customers utilizing manual dialing to offer potential workout alternatives and contacts delinquent customers to obtain payment commitments.
• Makes collection/demand calls with an account load defined by the applicable capacity model.
• Analyzes the customer's situation and collateral risk to present alternative solutions, including forbearance plans, repayment plans, modifications, assumptions, pre‑foreclosure/short sales, and deed‑in‑lieu; assists in identifying, negotiating, and pursuing the appropriate loss mitigation option that best maximizes customer satisfaction and investor return.
• Reviews, negotiates, and recommends action on requests for proposed foreclosure or repossession alternatives within the time frames established by management.
• Identifies, evaluates, and resolves reasons for delinquency.
• Explains all workout options within company, investor, and insurer guidelines and knows the requirements of each one.
• Skip‑traces accounts for possible leads to find customer information to contact them.
• Quotates reinstatement amounts, payoffs, and sets up repayment plans within the system.
• Pursues resolution on referrals of non‑delinquent customers who request alternatives to allow ownership retention.
• Ensures that all requested documentation has been obtained from the customer.
• Monitors all accounts associated with the Soldiers and Sailors Act to ensure compliance with all required guidelines.
• Records all collection efforts via the collection system.
• Recommends additional actions with management assistance on delinquent accounts.
• Escalates calls and/or problem accounts to supervisor, repossession, legal, or collection agencies as appropriate.
• Provides feedback to management for ideas on process improvement and suggestions for the specialty collections unit.
• Provides administrative support as directed by management.

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum two years of collections, support, or related customer service experience; loss mitigation experience is preferable but not required.
• Knowledge of basic mortgage default timelines/processes (bankruptcy, escrow, foreclosure).
• Knowledge of bank‑owned, investor, and insurer guidelines for the mortgage and consumer companies.
• Required to know and adhere to FDCPA, Privacy Act, state laws, and other bank policies in regards to collection guidelines.
• Excellence in consulting and advising customers via telephone and written communication.
• Excellent customer service skills with both external and internal customers.
• Excellent communication, comprehension, listening, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work independently with medium level of supervision.
• Ability to analyze and suggest resolution to problems.
• Understanding of debt collections in any stage of delinquency (up to 180 days, charge‑off, and bankruptcy). Foreclosure, bankruptcy and REO…