Lenders often mistakenly treat loan officer productivity as an individual trait, overpaying for top producers while ignoring the structural and operational factors that actually drive those results. By redefining productivity as an outcome of market alignment and investing in mid-tier originators, institutions can reduce costly turnover and achieve more sustainable, long-term growth.

Independent mortgage banks (IMBs) and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks posted a pretax net production profit of $727 per loan in the first quarter of 2026, up from $674 per loan in the fourth quarter of 2025.