Why Anchor Loans?
Anchor Loans is one of several operating companies owned by Pretium Partners (+$60B AUM Financial Services Entity) and is working diligently to expand and grow its lending footprint.
Anchor Loans, established in 1998, is the nation’s leading private, direct lender to experienced residential real estate investors and builders, and the first to surpass $10 billion in total fundings. Renowned for expediting financing for developers and investors, we specialize in bridge loans, ground-up construction, and single-family rental solutions for non-owner-occupied projects. Headquartered in beautiful Thousand Oaks, California, Anchor Loans currently lends in 48 states and is expanding into new markets and service lines to better serve our current and future borrowers.
The VP of Credit & Loan Structuring is a senior leadership role within Anchor Loans' Credit Division, reporting directly to the SVP of Credit. The role carries broad responsibility across loan structuring, Scenario Desk operations, and underwriting management, serving as a key credit authority and day-to-day operational leader within the division.
The VP leads the preparation, coordination, and structuring of complex lending transactions across Anchor Loans' Residential Transitional Lending (RTL) program, covering ground-up construction (GUC), fix-and-flip and rehabilitation loans, construction completion loans, bridge loans, acquisition and development (A&D) loans, and internal refinances.
The VP directly manages Anchor Loans' underwriting managers and owns the Scenario Desk function, ensuring loan opportunities are properly screened, analyzed, and structured prior to credit decisions. The role serves as the central coordination point between Sales, Underwriting, Asset Management, Valuation, and Capital Markets, driving operational discipline, decision quality, and throughput across the credit organization.
This is a high-visibility leadership role with a seat at the Investment Committee and a direct hand in shaping credit policy, underwriting standards, and the scalability of Anchor Loans' RTL origination platform.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Provide day-to-day leadership across Scenario Desk, loan structuring, and underwriting management functions.
Represent the Credit Division in cross-functional and executive forums, including Investment Committee.
Maintain situational awareness across the full credit portfolio and escalate material risks to the SVP of Credit.
Directly manage Anchor Loans' underwriting managers, providing guidance, coaching, and performance oversight.
Establish and enforce underwriting standards, turnaround expectations, and quality benchmarks across the team.
Review escalated underwriting decisions and serve as the senior credit escalation point below the SVP of Credit.
Support hiring, onboarding, and development of underwriting personnel in coordination with the SVP of Credit.
Own the preparation and execution of Scenario Desk meetings, including agenda creation, deal prioritization, and facilitation.
Ensure deals presented to Scenario Desk include complete credit analysis, market data, borrower profiles, and structuring recommendations.
Document decisions, conditions, and follow-up actions and maintain a centralized Scenario Desk decision log and negotiation tracker.
Coordinate additional analysis with underwriting, valuation, and capital markets teams as needed.
Serve as the primary screening and structuring authority for complex, exception, and large-balance loan requests.
Evaluate complex lending opportunities and structure transactions that appropriately balance credit risk with growth objectives.
Analyze borrower track records, project economics, leverage metrics, exit strategies, and market dynamics.
Review borrower financials, project budgets, and collateral positioning to arrive at well-supported credit recommendations.
Hold a standing seat on Anchor Loans' Investment Committee, contributing structured credit analysis and recommendation.
Present complex or exception transactions to IC with clear risk identification, structuring rationale, and conditions.
Support IC process improvements in coordination with the SVP of Credit and senior leadership.
Draft, refine, and maintain credit policy documentation in close collaboration with the SVP of Credit.
Proactively identify policy gaps, inconsistencies, or market-driven adjustments and develop recommendations for SVP review.
Ensure credit policy is consistently applied across underwriting, structuring, and Scenario Desk functions.
Serve as a resource for the underwriting team on policy interpretation and application of judgment in edge cases.
Partner closely with Sales, Underwriting, Valuation, Asset Management, and Capital Markets on deal execution and portfolio management.
Act as a senior credit advisor on structuring approaches, product eligibility, and policy implications across business lines.
Support correspondent channel, product development, and other strategic credit initiatives as directed by the SVP of Credit.
Drive standardization and efficiency across deal screening, Scenario Desk preparation, and underwriting workflows.
Implement and maintain decision tracking frameworks, pipeline reporting, and credit escalation infrastructure.
Leverage internal data tools and analytics to improve credit decision quality and operational throughput.
Desired Skills and Qualifications
Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in credit, loan structuring, or residential real estate lending, with demonstrated leadership responsibility.
Deep expertise in credit analysis, loan structuring, and real estate lending across multiple product types.
Proven experience with construction lending, transitional lending, and complex transaction structuring.
Prior experience managing underwriters or underwriting teams in a production environment.
Ability to synthesize complex information quickly and deliver clear, well-supported credit recommendations.
Strong communication and facilitation skills with the ability to lead high-level credit discussions across functions and with senior leadership.
Demonstrated judgment in navigating policy boundaries, exception requests, and escalation decisions.
Executive presence and credibility to represent the Credit Division in IC and cross-functional settings.
This is a hybrid position which requires in-office reporting to Anchor’s Thousand Oaks, CA office on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Remote work is optional Monday and Friday.
The base pay range for this position is $160,000-$220,000 plus annual discretionary bonus based on performance of the individual and company.
What We Offer:
The values of our employees reflect those of the company as a whole. If you embrace teamwork, innovation, and accountability you'll feel right at home. Our mission is to create opportunities for success by improving homes and communities. We set up our team members for success by offering a competitive benefits package that includes:
Comprehensive health insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic Life/AD&D insurance
Generous sick leave & vacation benefits for rest, relaxation, and personal pursuits
Highly competitive performance bonus
401(k) retirement program with employer match
Tuition reimbursement toward professional development
Workplace Celebrations, Team Building, Charity Drives, and Food Truck luncheons
Onsite gym (Thousand Oaks only)
12 Paid Holidays
Diversity matters to our organization, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified candidates are welcome and will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, natural origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
