A loan officer is an individual who is employed by a lending institution such as a commercial bank, consumer bank, savings and loan association, savings bank, credit union or finance company. This person gathers and reviews all requested documentation from the borrower to determine if the borrower meets the bank’s requirements for the borrower’s desired loan type. If the requested amount is within the loan officer’s approval authority and it has been determined, after careful review of the documentation, that the borrower has met the bank’s requirements for the loan, the loan officer can approve the loan and issue a check to the borrower on behalf of the bank. The loan amount may exceed the loan officer’s approval authority in some cases. In those scenarios, the loan officer will forward the loan application, along with all documentation, to the senior management committee for further review, processing and approval.
