Underwriting and fulfillment are not the same role, even though underwriters can do fulfillment.
The problem is cost. A strong underwriter is expensive and usually eats up around 20% of your business.
For most brokers, that’s overkill.
A great fulfillment person can handle the paperwork, conditions, and approvals once a commitment is in place, and solve the majority of operational issues.
Very few brokers actually have the volume or complexity that justifies a dedicated underwriter.
That’s why fulfillment is usually the smarter first hire, whether it’s someone shared across multiple agents or someone you train from scratch.
Hiring correctly isn’t about prestige.
It’s about matching the role to the real problem you’re trying to solve.
