Preparing for your interviews at Champions Funding requires a strategic approach that balances your sales track record with your operational competence. You should treat the interview as a consultative sales call, demonstrating your preparation, active listening, and ability to handle objections in real time.

To stand out, you must be ready to show strength in the following core evaluation criteria:

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate a solid grasp of mortgage mechanics, wholesale lending dynamics, and the specific utility of Non-QM products. Interviewers will look for your familiarity with terms like LTV (Loan-to-Value), DTI (Debt-to-Income), and alternative documentation.

Sales Drive & Resilience – Champions Funding values self-starters who thrive in high-activity environments. You must show that you possess the grit to handle high rejection rates, maintain a consistent outbound call volume, and proactively hunt for new business.

Problem-Solving & Scenario Analysis – Wholesale sales is highly consultative. You need to show that you can look at a complex financial profile, identify the hurdles, and creatively package the loan scenario using Champions Funding guidelines to make it work.

Collaborative Communication – A successful Account Executive must bridge the gap between external brokers and internal operations. You will be evaluated on how clearly, persuasively, and professionally you communicate with underwriters, processors, and management.

The interview process at Champions Funding is designed to evaluate both your cultural fit and your technical sales capability. The company looks for individuals who are highly motivated, competitive, and capable of operating with a high degree of autonomy.

You can expect a structured, multi-stage process that moves relatively quickly, reflecting the fast-paced nature of the mortgage sales cycle. The conversations will transition from high-level behavioral alignment to deep-dive scenario testing and sales role-play.

The timeline above details the typical progression from your initial contact to the final decision. You should utilize this timeline to pace your preparation, focusing first on your behavioral stories and sales metrics, before diving deep into guideline study and pitch practice for the later rounds. While the exact duration can vary based on the location and urgency of the hire, the evaluation themes remain highly consistent across all offices.

To secure an offer at Champions Funding, you must excel in the specific areas that define day-to-day success in the Account Executive role. Below is an in-depth breakdown of these key evaluation fields.

Non-QM Product & Scenario Structuring

As an AE, your brokers will view you as an underwriting resource. You must be able to confidently analyze scenario requests and determine feasibility without constantly relying on internal underwriting staff.

Be ready to go over:

• Bank Statement Programs – Understanding how to review 12 or 24 months of personal or business bank statements to identify qualifying deposits and apply appropriate expense factors.
• DSCR Calculations – Knowing how to calculate the Debt Service Coverage Ratio using gross rents versus PITIA (Principal, Interest, Taxes, Insurance, and Association dues) to qualify investor properties.
• Asset Depletion/No-Doc Loans – Explaining how high-net-worth individuals can qualify for financing using liquid assets rather than traditional employment verification.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Be prepared to discuss ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) lending guidelines, foreign national borrower requirements, and cross-collateralization strategies for multi-property portfolios.

Example scenarios:

• "A self-employed borrower with a 720 FICO wants to purchase a $1M home but shows minimal income on tax returns due to write-offs. How would you structure this using a 12-month bank statement program?"
• "An investor wants to purchase a cash-flowing fourplex, but the current lease agreements don't fully cover the mortgage payment. How do you advise the broker to leverage DSCR guidelines to make the deal pencil out?"

Business Development & Broker Acquisition

This area tests your sales methodology, prospecting habits, and ability to build a robust pipeline of active, originating mortgage brokers.

Be ready to go over:

• Territory Management – How you segment your market, identify high-volume Non-QM originators, and allocate your time between high-potential prospects and active partners.
• Cold Outreach Techniques – Your specific approach to cold calling, email sequencing, and leveraging social media (like LinkedIn) to secure initial meetings with busy mortgage brokers.
• The Value Proposition Pitch – Articulating why a broker should choose Champions Funding over competitors, focusing on speed, technology, guidelines, and service.

Example scenarios:

• "Walk me through how you would prepare for and execute your first 30 days in a brand-new territory where Champions Funding has low brand awareness."
• "You call a broker who says, 'I only write conventional GSE loans; I don't do Non-QM because it's too complicated.' How do you pivot and sell them on the value of expanding their product offering?"

Pipeline Management & Internal Collaboration

Closing a wholesale loan is a team sport. This evaluation area focuses on how you manage your active pipeline, resolve issues, and work with your internal support staff to ensure loans close on time.

Be ready to go over:

• Underwriting Liaison – How you mediate disputes between underwriters and brokers over conditions, missing documentation, or guideline interpretations.
• Working with Account Managers – Your workflow for transitioning a registered loan to your internal Account Manager while remaining the primary point of contact for relationship issues.
• Rescuing Deals – Your process for stepping in when a loan file stalls or hits a bottleneck to ensure it doesn't fall out of your pipeline.

Example scenarios:

• "An underwriter issues a condition that the broker claims is impossible to meet, threatening to pull the file and take it to a competitor. How do you handle this situation?"
• "Your monthly funding volume is lagging, and you have several approved loans that have not yet cleared to close. What specific actions do you take to push these files across the finish line?"

As an Account Executive at Champions Funding, your primary mandate is to drive loan origination volume by recruiting, educating, and supporting independent mortgage brokers. You will operate in a fast-paced environment where your success is measured by your monthly funded volume and active broker count.

On a daily basis, you will focus on:

• Broker Acquisition and Onboarding: Conducting heavy outbound prospecting to sign up new mortgage brokerages with Champions Funding, guiding them through the corporate approval process, and training their staff on how to submit loans.
• Scenario Consultations: Reviewing complex credit, income, and property scenarios submitted by brokers, determining program fit, and providing structured pre-qualifications or scenario approvals.
• Relationship Management: Nurturing existing broker relationships through regular phone calls, emails, and occasional in-person visits to ensure Champions Funding remains their preferred Non-QM outlet.
• Pipeline Monitoring: Actively tracking your registered, locked, and approved loan pipeline, working closely with internal Account Managers and underwriters to clear conditions and expedite funding.
• Market Education: Hosting webinars, group presentations, and training sessions for brokers to educate them on shifting market trends, new product rollouts, and how to market Non-QM products to their own borrower databases.