loan advisor

inside sales representative

loan officer

account manager

manager in training

Royal United Mortgage

I believe in giving a full opinion, not just good or bad, so this will be a longer review.  However, if you don't want to read the whole thing, the gist is... it's a great company, but the job is definitely not for everyone.

First up, the company itself.  This is a great place to work.  A lot of companies want to have employee engagement, but don't want to commit a lot of resources to that end (because, let's face it, it doesn't make them any money).  Royal United is the first company I've worked for that puts its money where its mouth is.  Free meals, free t-shirts, free prizes if you complete fitness challenges, the list goes on.  They're little things, but it's impressive how appreciated I feel when I come in and get a surprise email that says "free lunch downstairs!".  I've seen reviews where employees say it feels somewhat cult-ish, and I can sort of see why.  Royal does have a very, "this is a wonderful place to work, this is a wonderful place to work" vibe, but usually it's true, so I let it slide.

They also have a freaking amazing 401K match.  20-25% of whatever I put into it?  Aw yeah!

The only complaint I have about the company as a whole is the health benefits package sucks.  You have one choice in insurance, and it's the high premium one.  They are also now charging non-vaccinated people extra money for insurance, so even though they claim they support their employees' decision on the COVID vaccine, they really don't.  Get vaccinated, or pay an extra $70 a paycheck on insurance.

For the job... it's not for everyone.  Recruiters tell you the leads are warm, but they're room temperature at best.  You are essentially calling people to try to convince them to refinance.  Sometimes, people were really looking for that and are happy to talk to you.  Most times, they weren't looking at that at all.  You truly have to be okay being a sales person (think ambulance chaser salesman - have you been injured in a motorcycle accident?).  Be ready to be yelled at, called names, and hung up on, all day.  If that's not your personality, then that's totally fine, but be honest with yourself, please.  If getting yelled at upsets you or offends you, this job is not for you.  I take it (and you have to take it, too) because I know that the few people I do talk to who I help are having their lives changed because of me.  It's worth it in the long run, but there are days when all you want to do is go home and cry.  

You'll see that there's not many people who are here longer than 2 years in the loan advisor position, because that seems to be the cap on how long most people can take the yelling.  You either move up in the business, or you quit (there are of course exceptions).

The training period is really 11 weeks long.  In the first three weeks, you're studying for the Federal exam, which can be grueling.  It is exactly like high school history/government class, so if you fail at standardized tests, you should think twice about taking this job.  Once you get past the Fed, you have an 8 week apprenticeship, which is horrible.  You are in a call center, and only a call center, for 8 weeks.  You do not get to build loans, you do not get to see the end result of your efforts, all you see if the front end (which sucks).  The only way I got through it was telling myself it was only for 2 months, and I had never quit anything because I "couldn't" do it.  I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, but there were several times during the apprenticeship that I looked at other job postings.  I even took an interview for another job at week 3.

Once you get past the apprenticeship, you get to actually do the full job, and things start getting better.  Once you fund your first loan, it will make the whole thing pop for you.  The first person I funded, I helped them be able to retire 5 years earlier than they otherwise would have been able to.  That's a real, tangible difference in their lives, which made all the effort worth it to me.  You just have to get there.

Long term, there are serious highs and lows in the job, and you have to be able to ride them in order to last here.  There will be weeks where you don't get a single person to move forward with you, and you get to tell your boss that you zeroed for the week.  There will be weeks where you get three or four people to move forward, and most of them called YOU to ask for a loan.  You have to be able to take the zero weeks, in the hopes and expectations that eventually you'll get the four loan weeks.

The pay can be great in the loan advisor position, but it can also suck.  Your base pay is similar to a position that is just 8-5PM, minimal effort; however, you're working random hours to try to get someone on the phone to do a loan.  You may be at home, working at 11PM because that's when your client is available.  The money only comes once you fund enough loans, but that can take some time.  You have to be able to live off the low base while building for the higher income.

Working as a Loan Associate at Royal United was a fast-paced, challenging, and often rewarding experience.

A Typical Day at Work:
Each day started with a morning meeting to review goals, performance, and motivation. Then it was straight into making outbound calls hundreds of them in almost 1200 a day to potential clients who had expressed interest in refinancing or securing a home loan. The job is highly metrics-driven, so hitting call numbers and conversions was the focus throughout the day. There were occasional training sessions or one-on-ones with managers to go over performance.

What I Learned:
I learned a lot about the mortgage industry, credit, and how financial products are structured. Beyond technical knowledge, the role really taught me how to communicate persuasively, handle rejection professionally, and stay focused under pressure. It's a crash course in sales and customer service all rolled into one.

Management:
Management was very hands-on. They tracked performance closely and offered both praise and pressure depending on how well you were doing. Most managers genuinely wanted to see their teams succeed, though the high expectations and constant oversight could feel intense at times.

Workplace Culture:
The culture was competitive but supportive. There’s a heavy emphasis on motivation and team spirit—think lots of goal-setting, sales boards, and even competitions. If you thrive in a high-energy, sales-driven environment, it can be motivating. If you're not naturally competitive, it might feel overwhelming.

The Hardest Part of the Job:
The sheer volume of calls and the amount of rejection you face daily is tough. It can be mentally draining, especially when you’re putting in long hours and not seeing immediate results. The pressure to hit numbers consistently can also be stressful.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
When things clicked—when a client said yes, or you closed a deal—it felt incredibly rewarding. Helping people secure better financial terms for their home loans, and knowing you played a part in that, brought a real sense of accomplishment. Plus, there’s good earning potential with commissions if you’re performing well.



I started off with zero mortgage experience, but they took a chance on me.  
This is not an easy job, and they made it very clear to me during my multiple interviews before I was offered a position. 
From the get-go, I could see why - there’s definitely a need to have and show grit and resilience while following and trusting a process that truly works. 
If you don’t want to dial a phone and  battle resistance constantly but also play an important role in helping people solve their financial (and even personal) goals, while having constant support but also accountability - this isn’t the job for you. 
I’ve seen the highs and lows, and being a high paced sales job - I can say the highs are far more rewarding than the lows, as the people who persevere and stick out the lows see success in in their personal and professional development. 
Royal United only promoted from within and there is no tenure requirement for advancement, as it’s all based on merit - this was another huge reason why I wanted to be a part of this team. I was able to showcase my people skills in combination with mastering a process to help hundreds of families accomplish their goals while also finding myself being able to accomplish my own personal goals outside of work as well as growing from an apprentice to loan advisor to team leader to a loan advisor development manager to assistant VP to director and then VP. 
You have to want to put in the work. You have to want to embrace the grind and all the hard parts of the job. You have to know that what’s hard is good. You have to want to be made uncomfortable to see growth. None of these will come naturally as everyone has to earn their spot. You will be provided with an immense amount of support, technology, leads, recognition and accountability - there was never a moment in 10+ years where I didn’t think my supervisor didn’t want what was best for me, personally. 
The culture is excellent and the people working there is even better. There’s a reason Royal United was made the top place to work in Indy.  Also, in Schaumburg, I can say that personally, the leadership team listens and is not afraid of making changes to help benefit the team. The level of transparency is extremely high from the top down. 



A Typical Day at Work:
Every day kicks off with energy and intention. The phones light up early, and we’re dialing with purpose — fun intensity is the name of the game. Whether it’s chasing down a new lead, solving a puzzle for a borrower, or celebrating a teammate’s win, there’s never a dull moment. We move fast, support each other, and keep our eyes locked on our KPIs. There’s structure, but plenty of room for creativity — especially when it comes to how we motivate each other to keep the momentum rolling.

What You Believe You Learned:
I’ve learned what it truly means to lead. Not just in title, but in action. I’ve learned to inspire through clarity, to coach through challenge, and to trust the power of culture. I’ve learned that every conversation matters, that data tells a story, and that momentum is something you build with people, not for them.

Management:
The management here isn’t afraid to get in the trenches. We lead by example and stay close to the action. Expectations are high, but so is support. There’s consistent feedback, and growth is always the goal — whether that’s in performance or in mindset. Leadership pushes us to be our best while giving us the freedom to figure out how we get there.

Workplace Culture:
Electric. Supportive. Competitive in the best way. There’s a healthy dose of humor, a lot of heart, and a shared understanding that we’re building something bigger than a pipeline. We don’t just show up — we show out. The culture thrives on accountability and positive pressure. Wins get celebrated loud. Losses get lessons pulled out fast.

The Hardest Part of the Job:
Keeping energy high when the market’s slow or the results aren’t there yet. It takes resilience to show up with the same level of intensity every single day — but we’ve built systems and teams that catch each other when it’s hard to self-motivate.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
Watching people win — especially when they didn’t think they could. Whether it’s a first submission, a breakthrough week, or a team finally hitting their stride, there’s nothing like seeing that light switch flip on. The relationships, the hustle, and the chance to build something meaningful with people I believe in — that’s the real reward.

I want to tell my story of working for RU, and hopefully let you form your own opinion on whether this would be a good fit for you. 

When I started out, I went through the fed and training, which was some of the most hands on and in depth training and teaching I’ve gotten in my career. Lots of knowledge and experience was passed down on what to say and how to say it, and constantly working to help you improve your craft. My initial class of 14 or so was down to 6 by the time training was over. After a few months two others left, but the other 3 are still working for the company, albeit in different roles. 

For the job itself, the last two years have been relatively easy with interest rates being so favorable it made helping people out more of a no brainer and most of the people you talked to were interested in doing something. That has changed in the last few months as we have had more leads come in looking for a gift card or stimulus or not even anything mortgage related, and you have to work to find out what it is they were actually needing to do and some of these people see that we can help them, and others get mad and won’t let you show them that there is help out there. When you do help someone through the process and it helps change their life, it really feels good, but then you have to jump back into dialing the phone a few hundred times a day to work through finding the next person. 

The work itself has its ups and downs, some months you feel on top of the world doing great things, and other times you feel like you’re crazy because you can’t get anyone to even pick up the phone. 

Benefits are okay for a small company, some are nice like the mental health and wellness benefits for working out and such, but health insurance costs are high, and the 401k match sounds good (25% match) until you realize even if you contribute 10% of your income you only get 2.5% of your income as a match at the end of the year. Other places I’ve worked will give that 5% if you put in 5% as a constant match every pay period. 

Overall pay is based on performance, with no guaranteed raises unless you stay a long time or get promoted, which does make it hard to plan for expenses if you don’t know what you’ll be earning in the future. 

I joined Royal United Mortgage in 2017 and it was a big career change. Other than the fact that I had a mortgage, I really didn't know much about mortgages. I did have a lot of experience in collections & sales in general, so when I joined the team as a loan advisor, I was confident in my own abilities to succeed. I really enjoyed the company from the start - everyone was friendly & helpful - and EVERYONE wanted to work! When I share my story about Royal, I always say that there was a time when it was the most challenging job I had ever had. And, then I always share that it's also the most rewarding job I have ever had. You have the opportunity to change people's lives for the better and make as much money as you want. There is no cap on your success - it is all what you are willing to put into it. Overall, the job is simple and if you follow the process that is taught, you will, undoubtedly, be successful. There is a 2 week classroom training to teach what you need to know to get licensed, followed by an 8 week, hands-on training course that provides you with an opportunity to see what this job is really about. Once you graduate training, you join your new team and you will continue to learn new things every day. It generally takes a good 6 month to a year to really be good at the job and feel comfortable, and after about 2 years, it becomes even easier. Throughout my 4 years, so far, I have earned 2 promotions and have my own team. I really enjoy originating loans AND helping other new loan advisors originate their own loans. I am really happy with my pay at Royal - it allows me to live life how I want & set myself up well for retirement. The management team is supportive and will push you to be successful. Unlike a lot of other companies, I am able to interact easily with all of the executive level management on a daily basis - and I know they care about each employee's success. If you are looking for a new career where the sky really is the limit and you're ready to work hard and earn more money than you ever have, you really should check out Royal United Mortgage. We would love to have you! 

You're a glorified, licensed, telemarketer that happens to be selling refinance mortgages. You're provided leads that apply through pop-up ads and sites like LendingTree and LowerMyBills. Most people get called so many times within the first 5 minutes (because everyone sees the same exact leads*), that when you do get someone on the phone, they're mad off and don't want to do business. The trick is being there when nobody else is like weekends or late nights which is terrible if you want to have any work/life balance. 
*Some team leaders and above see leads that others don't, that's the only exception. 

The compensation can be good if you're averaging 8-10 loans every single month of which each is over 100k. This takes more than working 9-5 and dialing the phone over 300x per day which is expected of you to do every day. So you can make good money here, but at what cost? The average loan adviser is making around $38k-$42k after being there your first year. The high end guys are just over $100k. So there is potential, especially if you have no other obligations other than work. 

The culture has only gone downhill since I've been here (going on 2 years). It was somewhat fun and loose and everyone was happy to help each other. Now it's turning into a micromanaging frat house (minus the fun). There is hazing. When you're an apprentice to begin here, nobody talks to you. You're not really relevant until you pass your Fed Test. Once that happens, they "mold" you into believing that rates/fees do not matter whatsoever. Which may be the case in select cases when someone is absolutely desperate, but that's 1 in 10 proposals you'll send out. Just look forward to not hitting expectations, because when you do, it's still not enough. In fact, overachieving isn't enough either. 

With this all being said, it's not a TERRIBLE place to learn the skillset needed to be successful somewhere else. Get in, get trained, and get out.

I truly enjoy my role and career path with Royal. In all my previous job I was asked to do my work (sometimes the work of others as well) and always improve without compensation for the extra effort and delivery. However here at Royal I truly am compensated for my efforts, and I have more control over the money I make monthly & yearly. All of that is wonderful, and I am making more money than I have ever made before, but what I truly love about this company and career, is that I actually help people. In my past careers I was asked to sell people things that may or may not have benefited them; but now I am an advisor, and that means that I get the discretion to move forward if it makes sense, and to stop the process if it doesn't make sense. And the product can't be sold, because the client either qualifies and we can help them get something done - or they don't and they can't. It's wonderful. 

There are plenty of people who have been here before and felt like it was high pressure sales and they didn't last long - I believe it was for one of to reasons: Either they have never been in a high pressure sales environment (and therefore feel like this is one), or they missed out on the true purpose of their work, which was to simply have a conversation with the client and find out if there was need, and then if there is - do something about it to help the client get something they may have been putting off for years, done. 

I don't know how that is high pressure. To me it is empowering to be able to highlight these programs for clients who may have never known what their home can do for them. Lastly, I really enjoy the day to day adjustments and problem solving this job requires everyday - because nothing is the same, and I love being challenged to acomplish their goals in new and varying ways.  

First and foremost, Royal provides best in-class training on their proven sales process that is designed to serve and educate customers. The approach they take involves being able to actually connect with prospective customers to truly understand their long and short term financial goals while also establishing rapport and excellent relationships. The role of an advisor is apparent vs your typical loan officer - we are advising families on how to accomplish their goals while putting them in better financial positions overall. Not only that, the training also includes a 3 week course to ensure you can pass the federal exam to become licensed. The training on the phones includes constant coaching and developing with resources always available, so you never feel like you're on you're own.
While the training, resources and technology are all there in place - I will say this is a difficult job and is stressful; it's not made for everyone. If you can show grit, resilience, excellent work ethic, are coachable, follow the process and are passionate about helping people - this is a job where you can thrive and have a solid, 6 figure career.  Also, your path to success is determined by you. You can stay in an advisor role or you can move to leadership. They only promote from within and have never hired someone from an outside role into a leadership role; everyone starts from the apprenticeship and works their way up, which is very fair.
Lastly, the environment is excellent - the people are great and the leaders are supportive and very approachable. There's contests, games, incentives and plenty to keep staying on the phones fun while also being reminded of our own personal goals that we're trying to accomplish outside of work, and even given a custom path on how to accomplish them.


Working for Royal United Mortgage has afforded me personal and professional opportunities I didn't think was possible for myself. In my time here thus far I have been able to advance in a career I started out knowing nothing about. The most mortgage related knowledge I had came from buying my first house and I had no idea what I was doing. I started out needing a fair amount of coaching from the leadership to get me to where I wanted to be and they did just that and more. The culture has always focused on exactly what they we say, Work United Win United. 

It has been a career that has changed my life. I have been able to learn, succeed, pay off debts, save money, and add a ton to retirement along the way. Best part? It didn't take long. Within my first year I was finding myself earning more than I imagined I could. Having been happy with subpar employment before Royal has changed everything for me in regards to how much I value working for a company that support success by promoting within and driving their people to be the best versions of themselves.. and the benefits are awesome! If I sound like a huge fan it's because I am. 

If you're looking for a company that trains, educates, supports, and has tons of earning opportunity, it's here! If you're motivated, driven, and want the best for yourself and your family while helping people achieve their financial goals through a refinance or purchase then this is then Royal United is the place for you. 

With the company being founded in the 2008 recession and thriving ever since it's good to know our company isn't going anywhere. "We'll go as far as our people take us" and I can tell you I work with people who are going to the moon and back! 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Loan advisor 34 salaries reported	$68,529 per year
Inside sales representative 4 salaries reported	$70,000 per year
Loan officer 5 salaries reported	$40,000 per year
Account manager 19 salaries reported	$72,632 per year
Manager in training 1 salary reported	$80,000 per year

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