It’s been a rough April for top mortgage loan officer Brian Decker.
On April 10, LendingLife reported that Decker voluntarily surrendered his California MLO license in a settlement with the California Department of Business Oversight, which accused Decker of failing to disclose that he'd previously run into trouble for allegedly taking borrowers' loan files with him from one job to another.
In the filing, the state claimed, “Decker did not demonstrate the character, or that he could “command the confidence of the community,” or that he could “operate honestly, fairly, and efficiently,” necessary with respect to his job as an MLO operating in California.”
Decker told HousingWire that he chose to agree to the settlement to put the matter in the past. “This just relates to CA DBO MLO License I can still operate under the CA DRE MLO License," Decker told HousingWire. "The surrender was something I requested during settlement negotiations since it only affects the DBO license and not my MLO license in other jurisdictions,” Decker added, stating that he was very pleased with the results of the settlement.
According to his loanDepot profile at the time: “Brian Decker was recognized as the #1 Mortgage Originator in the United States for Volume Gain out of over 300,000 licensed mortgage originators by Scotsman Guide. For the last six years Brian Decker has been ranked as one the Top 25 Mortgage Originators in the U.S. by Scotsman Guide and Mortgage Executive Magazine.”
After that article was published in LendingLife, an anonymous letter arrived at HousingWire stating that loanDepot and Brian Decker had parted ways.
Earlier this week, a spokesperson for loanDepot confirmed the letter: “Brian Decker no longer represents loanDepot as of April 16, 2019.”
In an interview in January, Decker declared he was moving his business to a more referral-centric model, saying “You come to a point where you need to realize that it is in the best interest of your referral partners and your clients that you let go of your own narcissistic identity.”
It should be noted that Decker's co-workers speak highly of him. A former co-worker told HousingWire that Decker "is one of the hardest working individuals in this business and he'd give the shirt off his back to anyone," adding that Decker is "one of the nicest guys I've ever met."
Decker did not respond to a request to confirm the departure.
