Loan officer recruiting is arguably the single most difficult problem to solve for an Independent Mortgage Bank (IMB) looking to grow in 2026. It has become the bottleneck for much of the industry, and getting an originator to pick up the phone is increasingly difficult. A rise in scam calls, telemarketing, and a general bombarding of the senses has resulted in most of us learning to screen unknown numbers. We are increasingly immune to the efforts of telemarketers.
Loan officers are especially targeted by cold callers looking to recruit them. Elevated rates and market uncertainty means any originator doing meaningful volume is being called multiple times a week. Skepticism and weariness are on the rise. Recruiters have become an irritation to avoid, rather than a potential opportunity to explore.
Bait-And-Switch Mortgage Recruiting Is Proliferating
One insidious tactic that is being used by less scrupulous companies is bait-and-switch recruiting. Promises are made behind closed doors to entice a loan officer to join, only to evaporate once the originator has made the change. These claims range from exaggerated support to blatant lies. Rate sheets are waved to entice, only to be hiked up after 90 days.
Many loan officers have been burned by these tactics more than once, and it continues to happen for three reasons:
- Recruiting conversations are had in private, therefore no record of the conversation exists. It’s the loan originator's word against the recruiter’s (or the executive’s). This lack of accountability is a breeding ground for bad actors to bend the truth.
- By the time the promise breaks, the LO has already paid the switching cost (moved their pipeline, book, license, team), so they’re locked in. The gap between promise and reality lands AFTER the point of no return. Admitting that they were deceived is both embarrassing and costly, so originators don’t. They begrudgingly stay with their new company.
- The unfortunate outcome of these tactics is that loan officers can no longer tell the difference between an honest CEO and a dishonest one because there is no way to hold anyone accountable. Understandably, originators default to distrust.
Recruiting In Public — The New Frontier
To circumvent the increased skepticism and the inability to reach recruits through cold calling, IMB executives have taken to creating content to generate relationships with loan officers. These executives are building audiences through writing online, and using that increased attention and visibility to unlock recruiting outcomes.
Content creation allows CEOs to make the promises publicly that they would have otherwise made privately. Instead of relying on recruiters to get their foot in the door, they’ve taken matters into their own hands, and are using platforms like LinkedIn to build relationships with originators at scale.
Public accountability is the core thesis of this approach. Promises are made in a public forum. Executives are able to document how they help their originators succeed and how they’ve made originating easier.
Recruiting conversations are still had of course, but the bulk of the work has been done through consuming content prior to meeting. CEOs are bypassing the need for recruiters entirely and going directly to the source. This new frontier allows executives to build audiences of mortgage professionals who have come to know, like, and trust them. Loan officers arrive to introductory calls pre-educated as to what their platform can offer them, and the calls focus on relationship building.
Backing Up Your Promises With Proof
In addition to increased accountability through visibility, recruiting in public allows you to back your promises up with proof. This removes the abstract nature of recruiting conversations and allows you to point to concrete examples of how you help originators succeed, otherwise referred to as social proof.
This social proof acts as another layer to strengthen the recruit’s belief in your honesty as a leader, your ability to help them achieve their goals and your ability to support them. Over time you are able to build a library of evidence that points to working with you being a net positive.
We have the psychological tendency to look to the actions of others to determine correct behavior. Telling the stories of loan officers that joined your company and are now thriving, paves the way for other originators to do the same.
How To Start Recruiting In Public — Topics To Write About
Compensation — Put the conversation around compensation structure front and center. Publicly documenting basis points, splits, or your flat-fee model is the easiest way to demonstrate the transparency we are so focused on as an industry. This can be scary, but you should do it anyway. It will earn the trust of your potential recruits, and combat the smoke and mirrors act prevalent elsewhere in the industry.
Loan Officer Support — Name and claim the internal systems that you’ve built to support loan officers. Whether that be internal workflows, dedicated loan officer assistants for each originator, or direct access to underwriters, the systems you built to make originating easier should be the focus of your content.
Loan Officer Success — Clearly documenting your biggest originator success stories allows you to build a narrative that mortgage loan officers (MLOs) at your company are winning. People want to work with others that are succeeding and at companies that are growing. Building this narrative not only attracts new talent but also helps increase morale and retention as well.
The CEOs Who Will Win The Next Five Years Of Recruiting
While some results are immediate, they can take time. We have seen CEOs get results as quickly as 30 days, but building a personal brand is an asset that compounds over time. We recommend looking at it as a long game, and to build systems that allow you to consistently recruit in public for the next five years.
