loan officer

loan specialist

loan coordinator

intern

specialist

Veterans United Home Loans

I worked here for 4 1/2 years in numerous different positions. I started in customer service (one of the easiest jobs to get your foot in the door) and worked my way up to one of the higher-paying jobs, and it was amazing at first. They sell it as this amazing company that cares about its employees and they do to an extent. If you've had jobs at places where the management is trash, no PTO or benefits, and the employees could care less about their work or you, then it is a leg up for sure. You'll think you've hit the jackpot! It has lots of great benefits, free food, free events, small groups, lots of opportunities for bonuses and you are bound to meet some new lifelong friends. If you're the type of person that is looking for a full-time stable job with good benefits and retirement then you will think this job is Heaven. So now for the bad side: management is very much hit or miss. I was very likable and became friends with a lot of higher-ups and job coaches not because I kissed up to them, or was married to or family with someone - but because I took a genuine interest in class and asked LOTS of questions. I also had a favorable personality, so of course they loved that. What they don't tell you is that they assign you to different teams based on how you performed in training. which I guess in theory makes some sense, but it's for sure not fair. So if you participated and were likable, you got with the best team and the best manager. But if you were maybe a little slower to learn, argumentative, negative, or just didn't talk in class you get put on a low-performing team with a hard-a** for a manager. The quality of your team equates to how much money you make, the resources to do your job better, morale, and winning monthly competitions. I saw the very best and also the very worst. Because there are ALOT of people that work there, you are going to experience a lot of inappropriate, unethical situations. People bringing alcohol into work, people having s3x in massage rooms, people getting special treatment, not-so-subtle micro-aggressions, Loan officers and upper management being addicted to c0ke - it's truly insane. But again to be expected. An abundance of White middle to upper-class privileged men and women sprinkled with some non-whites together in one space so there's bound to be a lot of foolery. It is pretty Christian-based, most people there identify as Christian and a lot of upper management do as well so that's a common theme laced throughout the company. On the production side (which is where I worked towards the end of my career) it is a boys' club for sure and the women are hit-and-miss obviously because they have to deal with these c0ked-out privileged loan officers who golf and drink all day and their husbands that also work there cheating with their loan specialist or just a young hot intern (true story) - sidenote: a lot of people that work there are married, cousins, brother-in-laws, etc. very weird and cult-ish. So the women are either very nice and helpful or they will kick you while you're down to be on top. Doesn't make sense to me. If you're dealing with personal issues and need to take off of work, or dealing with a sick kid, etc. it again depends on what team you're on and who your Team Lead or Manager is. I sat next to my team lead so we grew a relationship together to the point we had an understanding if I needed time off, less of a workload, or if I wasn't performing they would let me know before our manager realized, and also genuine advice. I can't say the same for others though and truly your Team Lead and Manager determine your success at the company. If they do not like you they will find a way to get you fired or treat you so badly and get you to quit so they don't have to give you a severance. There was a brief instance when my team received a new hire as our manager and he and I BUMPED HEADS - he would talk to me disrespectfully, micro-manage me, be overtly controlling, and in retaliation I would do or say snide and petty things that didn't necessarily warrant punishment, but was also enough to get under his skin and I found it very comical. Not my best moment but everyone else was too scared to say anything to him and he also deserved it so I don't feel bad. He did try to get me fired 2 separate times and the only reason I stayed at the company, was because I knew one of the Business Partners (high-level HR recruiter) and he got me out of there and into a better position, but not everyone has someone like that to help them. From the time I began working there, until the time I quit, they told everyone numerous times we were not to talk about how much money we made. RED FLAG. it is not illegal to talk about income with other employees, they tell people that because again, they play the favorites game and some people make more money than another employee doing the exact same job. I empathize with the people who have been truly burned by this company, but then again there was something along the way that the employee probably did that no one told them needed to be fixed and they got pushed out, so I would be bitter too. If you're able to compartmentalize your emotions and love using work as a distraction from your at-home life and love money and drinking, then you will be able to do this job perfectly, probably until you retire. But if you're an emotional, or sensitive person, who cares how you and others not like you are treated, and just cares about your spirit and personal well-being it would be best to stay away unless you're in dire need of money (paying off student loans, child care, debt, saving for a house etc.). because this job can and will break you. Don't be fooled by the fun family propaganda, yes there are opportunities for all those things and fun concerts and events, but they will work you like a dog and look at you crazy if you can't handle it. Good luck.

The two month long initial training does not teach you how to do your job. Either you catch on or you don’t. They do give you several months to improve before letting you go. But you have to figure it out on your own. Most people do.  

This job is extremely high pressure and high stress.  Expectations are unreasonable and impossible to achieve.  During busy times of year, you will work a lot of overtime and leave exhausted, Feeling as if you didn’t do good enough, Because they give you more work than you can possibly keep up with in a way that makes you feel like you are on top of things. 

At the same time, you have to pretend that you enjoy the challenge, and you can’t talk about how you really feel, unless you find friends that you can trust and vent together. addressing problems is considered being negative.  If you are discovered by the positivity Police,  The spotlight will be on you and you won’t know until you are blindsided and a one on one with your manager possibly weeks or months later, after they have collected evidence against you.

Many people who work here become resentful over time. Many of those people continue to stay though because this is still overall a better place to work than most companies, and they pay well within the industry.

It is also true that Many people love working here, feel satisfied, and hold little to no resentment. Many people enjoy the forced positivity because they prefer to sweep their negative emotions and problems under the rug. If you are one of these people, you are a great fit for this company. 

And if you are a great fit for the company in this way, you will not become resentful and you will benefit from the money and varied perks that the company offers.

Other good things about this company are that, even though they do not let you work remotely or even have a flexible remote/office work schedule, if you have something specific going on in your life that you need to work remotely for, For one day such as an appointment, That is not a problem. if you have something going on in your life and you need to work remotely for an entire week or so well the issue gets resolved, as long as you talk to your manager they will allow this.

If you have mental health issues or other problems in your life, they will work with you the best that they can, offering you resources and flexibility.

The pay really is good compared to the rest of The home loan industry. And the bonuses are not an illusion. Hourly pay starts at $20 per hour and hourly pay is only half or less of most people’s regular pay. Bonuses are easy to achieve, at least at this point in time. 



I was extremely excited to have been hired by VU. I had friends that worked there and they were very happy with all the benefits.  The food, the swag, the Happy Hours…it all seemed great. Training was fun, and generally the people are nice too. But if you aren’t one of the cool kids or you do something that the cool kids don’t like, then you are shunned, and ultimately let go with no sense of remorse for your well being or reputation. 

On the first team I was assigned to, I was extremely happy. I was busy, but I was productive, and engaged, and got along with my whole team. I loved it!  I played golf with my team and leadership.  My leaders and I had open discussions around my competency and opportunities, I wasn’t afraid at all for my job with that team. Then I was asked, nay begged, to apply to a new team. A team that needed people desperately. 

After joining that team, building the procedures, protocols, and reports that they use today, they fired me. They used false and generic statements like “lacking performance” with no backing facts. False reports of “you make someone uncomfortable, but I can’t tell you what it is you are doing”.  

Be careful before deciding to join the cult of VU.  They aren’t all gifts and parties. They will fire you in a moment, with no discussion, for only make believe reasons, if a boss doesn’t like you.  And they don’t document any of their discipline meetings or discussions so you have no proof of any conversation you may or may not have had, so they can pretty much tell you whatever they want when they walk you out the door. 

Looks fun from the outside, but Leadership needs a real good cleaning. 

Overall, working at Veterans United is pretty good. They do a lot of events for employees and have several outside of work (and inside of work) groups and classes to connect with people and learn new skills. There used to be a stronger family culture that has seemed to deteriorate a bit. Overall people are nice, but some departments are more difficult to work in than others. Personally, my current management are amazing leaders who support and encourage their teammates to learn new skills and advance for them, not for the department, which is really great. Not all management at the company is like this though, especially in the customer service center. They also aren’t always super clear on how to ask for accommodations. Unless it’s a standing desk, it’s kind of hard to figure out who to talk to, and there aren’t a lot of clear policies posted or direction on where to ask for these. With how large the company is, they would benefit from a disability liaison, as a lot of their accommodations and understanding is lacking because a lot of people aren’t well educated about disabled folks. As of the past few years, they haven’t had an incentive to give raises, even if you are a high performer. They do give a holiday bonus though. There are certainly opportunities to thrive here if you’re in the right conditions. 

Veterans United is an amazing place to work. Great pay, wonderful culture, and a clean welcoming environment. Everyone wants you to succeed and are open to ideas. If you can prove something can be done a better way, they can make it happen. Tons of room for advancement. Most Team Leads have been at the company for around a year or two in my experience. 90% of them are deserving and qualified to do so, so no issue with management. 

There is however, very little flexibility in terms of working location. You would think for an internet based company that a work from home environment would be acceptable. However, when I brought up working from home on the occasional day (which have proven to typically be more productive for me) I was shot down and told that I need to be in office. I understand that for meetings and what not being in the office is strongly suggested. But I'm an adult and feel like I can make the judgment if being the office is necessary that day, especially as a mid-level employee. 

Another thing to consider is they don't offer any sick days. You do get 15 days of PTO which is above average. But if you get sick you typically don't want to burn PTO days on it. Some other companies offer 10 days PTO and 10 sick days, which is nicer. 

Overall, a really awesome place to work. I really recommend it. In the grand scheme of things my complaints are small, but they are worth noting. 

I had such a disappointing job with this company that I am warning others to be very careful. Maybe your experience will be different from mine, but tread cautiously at all times with VU:

Pros
-Colleagues care about you and seek to help
-Supportive IT department
-Company wants to grow and seems willing to move forward to expand the success of the company
-My team lead was a great person and hard worker
-My loan officer (teammate and colleague) was a great person, hard worker and sought to help me when he could (best part of my job was my interaction with my loan officer)

Cons
-Training to understand and complete your job is severely lacking and needs major reform
-Stressful job (be aware of this when applying); I should have realized this more when we hade mandatory stress training during training
-I don't prefer a culture that lets others wear want they want to the office (very laid back); people would dress sloppy and just not care
-Job hiring description stated the job was about processes and clear steps to close a loan, but processes are confusing and not implemented with mitigated training steps
-Team lead was so busy with own loan responsibilities (files) that helping others through challenges was not really possible


I've worked here for almost 6 years & there's no other place I would work. We are valued & taken care of. I feel heard and seen. Lots of opportunities to grow and learn both professionally and personally. We are given the tools to be successful and challenged to get better each day. We are given lots of chances to connect with people in our department and with others across the company. It feels like one big cohesive unit. 

VU offers a lot of unique benefits - relaxed dress code, nice offices with fun features like ping pong, basketball courts, patios, free snacks in the kitchen, casual atmosphere, laidback hours, gym memberships, team and company events, free occasional lunches, trivia nights, sponsorships for activities in the community.

We also have the opportunity to donate to a foundation that supports local organizations and service members. Those dollars do big things in our communities!

All around, this is a great place to spend 40 hours. If you're going to go to work, why not enjoy it?

- 8am to 4pm. I was in charge of all active files that were submitted to be moved onto processing. I took a  3 hour turn around time and changed the process entirely to make it cut down to a 2 hour time and process 2 times as many files. huge improvements. only person in the company doing what I did.

- I leaned to be quick, think on my toes, and have haste to my work day to improve things down the line for later production associates.

- Management was great for my team, but difficulties in other departments lead to our team taking on extra work that other departments didn't know how to handle properly. this resulted in our team growing quite a bit.

- Some of the greatest people I have had the pleasure working with. we all had the same goals but just different file types.

- Set backs from other departments that would delay our process and force us to get creative with our work load

- My team and the community at veterans united home loans.

Company is somewhat overrated.  Where the stated values are ideal they are not really carried out.  Work-life balance is I would say rarely achieved as most have to work extra hours to stay ahead.  Company suffers from Favoritism and Nepotism within the company and from management.  THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE unless you know someone who is higher up in the company or provides you some assurance of job security.  I have seen good employees let go for so call issues that others who are either good friends or family members have been guilty of but yet retain there jobs.  The company may one day face litigation for unfair practices.  Its my belief the owners of the company are as good as they come however may be out of touch with how their selected Managers and how they handle their position and do so with their own agenda as opposed to how the owners may want their employees treated including hiring, retention and dismissal practices.

I can't think of a better way to describe VU than to attest that they really "walk the walk." The company has firmly rooted values and a mission that is embedded in our culture. I have never felt so valued with my employer - even as a just an average performing employee. The people here are great to work with and you have constant opportunities for self-development/coaching.

Other great positives are the free flow of information from management to the line level and across departments. They keep you in the know of big changes coming down the pipeline.

Cons would be work/life balance. The Loan Officer position can really consume your life if you are not careful. Thankfully, your Team Leads are there to support you and you can attend training courses (new ones posted every week) to get yourself re-aligned.

I am grateful to have a fun work place with a forward thinking company that I know values me. I've been with VU for 2 years now and I intend to spend many more years here developing in my position and building relationships.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Loan officer 9 salaries reported	$100,000 per year
Loan specialist 2 salaries reported	$83,500 per year
Loan coordinator 8 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour
Intern 8 salaries reported	$15.22 per hour
Specialist 5 salaries reported	$19.49 per hour

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