Over the last 30 years in this business, I’ve seen a lot of loan officers come and go. I’ve seen managers get promoted, demoted, and disappear. I’ve seen companies rise, fall, rebrand, and recycle their value props like clockwork.
But the one thing that doesn’t seem to change — the thing that might actually be costing our industry the most — is how we continue to hire the same kind of people, using the same logic, with the same expectations… and then we’re shocked when the outcome doesn’t change.
We call that recruiting. But really, it’s just insanity with a business card.
When leaders confuse action with progress
A loan officer leaves. Maybe they weren’t producing. Maybe they didn’t fit the culture. Maybe they just bounced because someone else dangled a shinier comp plan. Whatever the reason, the branch is now “short.” The pressure to fill the seat kicks in fast.
So what happens?
The manager starts looking for a replacement — but not with clarity. With urgency. We fall back on the usual suspects:
- The familiar name.
- The person who’s “been around.”
- The LO who swears this next move is the one that’s going to change everything. They say all the right things:
“I just didn’t get the support I needed.”
“The last place overpromised.”
“I’ve got deals lined up — I just need a better platform.”
And my personal favorite “If I had your platform, I know I could double my production!”
And we nod. We convince ourselves, “Well, we’ve got the systems. We’ve got the pricing. We’ve got the culture. This will be the right fit for them.”
And then we bring them on.
And 90 days later, we’re having the same conversation with our Ops we had the last time:
- “Why is this file a mess?”
- “Why are they not updating the CRM?”
- “Why are they asking for a RUSH on every file?”
And we act surprised.
But here’s the truth
If the behavior doesn’t change, the results won’t either. And that’s the part we, as leaders, don’t like to admit.
We want to believe our environment will fix them. That we will finally be the ones to get them to perform.
But leadership can’t run on hope alone. At some point, it’s going to require discernment.
Let me tell you about someone I know
There’s an MLO I know of. Over the past 10 years, they’ve worked for 14 different mortgage companies.
And for the record, a few of those 14… were mine.
Now, that kind of résumé doesn’t just happen by accident. It’s not the market. It’s not bad luck. And it’s definitely not that they “just haven’t found the right fit.”
This person struggles with two things:
- Accountability, and
- A resistance to any structure that might expose their weaknesses.
They don’t want leadership — they want rescue.
They want freedom without process.
And when that doesn’t show up the way they imagined, they move on… again.
It’s not that they’re a bad person. But when someone’s go-to move is leaving, you’re never going to get consistency. You’re never going to build momentum. And you sure as hell won’t hit your P&L targets.
Why do we keep hiring this person?
Because we think this time will be different.
We tell ourselves we’re the exception. That our platform, pricing, and culture will finally unlock something that no one else could.
We rationalize their past by saying things like:
“They failed somewhere else because they didn’t have what we have.”
But here’s the reality:
It’s never about what the company offers.
It’s always about what the loan officer chooses to use — and how they show up when no one’s watching.
- The best tools in the world won’t change someone who doesn’t want to change. The best tech stack won’t help someone who ignores training.
- The best pricing won’t save someone who won’t pick up the phone.
And no… the last four companies didn’t get together and conspire to lie to this one LO. The common denominator in all the failed situations — is the LO.
For the record, the last time a recruiter brought up this person to me again — I passed. Since then, they’ve already been with three more companies.
The flip side: Loan officers need to hear this too
Let’s not put all the weight on leadership.
If you’re a loan officer reading this and you’ve been through multiple companies, and the story’s always the same — that they lied, that they didn’t deliver, that they failed you — it might be time to ask yourself a better question:
What if the thing that’s not changing… is me?
If you keep walking into the same conversation, maybe it’s not because the industry’s broken. Maybe it’s because you haven’t slowed down enough to own your role in the outcome.
And that’s not a dig. That’s an invitation to grow.
Leadership requires pattern recognition
One of the most underrated skills in recruiting isn’t selling the company — it’s seeing the pattern before it becomes a problem.
- If someone’s had five logos on their LinkedIn in five years…
- If every story starts with “they didn’t support me…”
- If every goal sounds like a fantasy but the discipline isn’t there…
Then we have to stop fooling ourselves into thinking we’ll be the ones to change them.
You don’t build a strong branch by collecting bodies. You build it by curating a team that shares a rhythm, a mindset, and a willingness to be coached.
Because like I said in Leadership Matters — leadership isn’t about playing the loudest note. It’s about holding down the rhythm, connecting the team, and keeping the song moving forward.
Final thought: Stop the cycle
If you’re a manager, stop hiring in circles.
If you’re a loan officer, stop joining in circles.
Insanity isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it looks like the quiet, repeated decision to do the same thing and expect something magical to happen.
So let’s stop hoping. Let’s start leading.
Let’s start having better conversations on both sides of the recruiting table. And maybe next time… it really will be different — because we chose to be.
Fobby Naghmi is the SVP of AnnieMac Home Mortgage.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners. To contact the editor responsible for this piece: zeb@hwmedia.com.
