TEAM REFERENCE · 01

How a file moves

From new lead to funded — and who owns each handoff.

THE ONE RULE Intake contacts · Ben builds · Kevin & Chad decide and pitch · the owner carries it to contract. A file never sits between hands.

FRONT END — INTAKE → SETUP → DECISION

1

New lead / app in

Lands in BPD · auto-tagged by source and language — EN / ES / AR. Routing runs off this tag.

2

Contact ZERRICK / OMAR

Call within 5 min · set the appointment. Language files route to the language owner: ES → Zerrick · AR → Omar.

3

App + live collection ZERRICK / OMAR

Collect decision docs on the call — portal walkthrough before hanging up. Docs captured live convert 2–3× better than docs requested and waited on.

4

Build to decision-ready BEN

Gap check against the checklist · runs the chase (Ref · 03). Language touches executed by Zerrick / Omar off Ben's list.

5

Decision + pitch KEVIN OR CHAD

Routed by rule, never "whoever's free" (Ref · 04) · yes / no in 2 hours · the same owner pitches. Incomplete files kick back to the front of Ben's queue.

6

Preapproved

Conversion recorded · the deciding LO owns the relationship from here.

NURTURE → BACK END

7

Preapproval to contract OWNING LO

Weekly touch minimum in BPD · agent check-in · rate watch. No file "parks." Sarah tracks the branch conversion number and escalates cold files.

8

Contract to close ALECIA + PROCESSOR

Disclosures out in 24 hrs · UW submission in 48 hrs · CTC 7+ days before close (Ref · 04).

Relationship file? The owning LO decisions and pitches it — Kevin, Chad, or Rob.

Independent team (Alexandria, Hunter, Tony, Benny) runs its own pipeline under the branch — separate from this flow.

Decision-Docs Checklist (Ref · 05) is unchanged and stays in force.

TEAM REFERENCE · 02

Who owns what

Your one job, in one line.

RL

Rob BRANCH MANAGER / CEO

Builds the machine. Recruiting, coaching, top relationships, complex escalations. Not in the daily file flow — the machine runs without him.

S

Sarah TEAM CAPTAIN

Runs the flow, enforces speed, escalates stuck files. Owns two branch numbers: app-to-preapproval and preapproval-to-contract. Does not pitch.

K

Kevin DECISION OWNER + PRODUCER

Decisions and pitches his routed share plus his own pipeline. Yes / no in 2 hours. Carries his preapprovals to contract. Covers Chad's queue when Chad is out.

C

Chad DECISION OWNER + PRODUCER

Decisions and pitches his routed share plus his own pipeline. Yes / no in 2 hours. Carries his preapprovals to contract. Covers Kevin's queue when Kevin is out.

B

Ben FILE SETUP · CHASE ENGINE

Owns every file from app to decision-ready. Gap checks, runs the chase list, triggers language touches, prevents kick-backs. Measured on decision-ready turn time and kick-back rate — the things he controls.

Z

Zerrick INTAKE · SPANISH LANE

Speed to lead, appointments, apps, live doc collection. Executes chase touches on Spanish-language files off Ben's list — the borrower's point of contact the whole way.

O

Omar INTAKE · ARABIC LANE

Speed to lead, appointments, apps, live doc collection. Executes chase touches on Arabic-language files off Ben's list — the borrower's point of contact the whole way.

A+

Alecia + Processor BACK END

Take the file from contract to funded. Disclosures, processing, underwriting follow-through, conditions, clear to close. Turn times on Ref · 04.

Pitch rights are earned, not assigned. The intake pod graduates to decisioning and pitching through the curriculum — the numbers that earn it are defined there, so promotion is mechanical, not a judgment call.

TEAM REFERENCE · 03

The chase system

Collect live · chase by system · one list, one owner. Intake captures everything possible on the call. After the call ends, the file belongs to Ben's chase list — chasing is won by cadence, not memory.

LIVE COLLECTION ZERRICK / OMAR

End every appointment with a portal walkthrough — "let's upload your pay stubs right now while we're on the phone"
Tag language preference (EN / ES / AR) on the lead in BPD at first contact — routing runs off this tag
Deliver the warm handoff line before hanging up (scripts below)

THE CHASE BEN

Same-day gap check against the Decision-Docs Checklist · open items go on the chase list
Cadence: Day 1 · Day 2 · Day 4. Portal reminders go out in the borrower's language via BPD templates
EN: Ben texts and calls directly. ES: Zerrick makes the touch. AR: Omar makes the touch — Ben triggers it, they execute a 3-minute call off his list, Ben logs the outcome
Docs Ben can't read (foreign-language statements, ITIN paperwork): 5-minute review by the language owner — a review, not a takeover
Every box checked → push to the decision queue immediately. Never sit on it.

WARM HANDOFF SCRIPTS — SAY THIS BEFORE HANGING UP

ENGLISH FILES

"My teammate Ben manages your file from here — he'll text you today from this number about the last couple of items."

SPANISH / ARABIC FILES

"I'll be your point of contact the whole way — anything we still need, you'll hear it from me."

Zerrick / Omar stay the face of the file. Ben is the engine behind it — the borrower never feels a handoff.

Day 4 escalation valve: a file still incomplete after the Day 4 touch goes back to whoever took the app for one rapport call. The relationship is the break-glass tool, not the default mechanism.

TEAM REFERENCE · 04

Decisions, routing & turn times

Two deciders, one standard — and the clock the whole branch runs on.

ROUTING — HOW FILES REACH KEVIN & CHAD

Mechanical assignment in BPD — alternating round-robin. Never "whoever's free," never shopped between deciders
Relationship files skip the rotation — the owning LO decisions and pitches their own
PTO / closing day: the other decider covers the full queue. The belt slows, it never stops

ONE DECISION STANDARD — BOTH DECIDERS

Auto-kick: any unchecked box on the Decision-Docs Checklist. Kicked files jump to the front of Ben's queue — fixed within 4 business hours
Decision: yes / no within 2 hours of a decision-ready file hitting the queue
Escalate to Rob: complex income, recent credit events, jumbo / non-QM — escalation is a consult, the file stays with its decider
Kevin and Chad calibrate monthly: review kicked and declined files together so the standard stays one standard

TURN TIMES — THE BRANCH CLOCK

MILESTONE	SLA	OWNER
Speed to lead — first contact attempt	5 min	Zerrick / Omar
App to decision-ready	48 hrs	Ben
Decision-ready to yes / no	2 hrs	Kevin / Chad
Kicked-back file fixed	4 bus. hrs	Ben
Preapproval nurture touch	Weekly	Owning LO
Contract to disclosures out	24 hrs	Aaron + Alecia
Contract to UW submission	48 hrs	Processor
Approval to conditions submitted	48 hrs	Alecia
Clear to close issued	7+ days before close	Processor
Borrower + agent status update	Every Tuesday	Back end

ESCALATION RULE Any file past SLA is flagged in BPD and raised at the next daily huddle. Stuck 48+ hours past SLA → Sarah escalates. No file dies quietly.

TEAM REFERENCE · 05

Team SOP

The standing playbook — how we operate every day, not just how a file moves.

THE STANDARD Speed to contact, clean files, and no silent handoffs. Every borrower hears from us fast, every file is documented, and every task has one owner.

RESPONSE STANDARDS — SPEED IS THE PRODUCT

Every new lead: contact within 5 minutes

Call first, text second. Language files route to the owner — ES → Zerrick · AR → Omar. If the owner is unavailable, anyone makes the first contact and hands off warm.

Client messages: reply same business day

No borrower or referral partner waits overnight for an acknowledgment. If you can’t resolve it, reply with when you will.

Realtor & partner calls: return within the hour

Partners refer based on responsiveness. Missed calls get a text back immediately even if the callback is later.

FILE & DOCUMENTATION STANDARDS

Everything lives in BPD — nothing in inboxes

If it isn’t logged in BPD, it didn’t happen. Notes, docs, and status updates go in the system, not personal email or DMs.

Tag every file at intake

Source and language (EN / ES / AR) get tagged on day one — routing and reporting run off these tags.

Document every borrower conversation

Log a dated note after each meaningful contact: what was discussed, what’s owed, next step and date.

The name on it owns it until handoff is confirmed

A file is never sitting between people. The current owner holds it until the next owner acknowledges the handoff in BPD.

DAILY & WEEKLY CADENCE

Daily huddle

Every file past SLA is surfaced. Stuck 48+ hours past SLA → Sarah escalates. Come with numbers, not excuses.

Pipeline review

Owners keep their pipeline status current before huddle — no surprises in the room.

End of day

Zero unreturned contacts. Anything you can’t close out gets a note and a next-step date so the next person can pick it up.

CONTENT & MARKETING RHYTHM

Show up consistently — position over pitch

Authority-based, education-first content. We build trust and long-term relationships — we don’t chase transactions.

Local and specific beats generic

Columbus-market, real-scenario content outperforms national talking points. Lead with a hook, close with a clear next step.

Compliance is non-negotiable

CCM/NMLS disclosures on anything client-facing. Equal Housing. When in doubt, run it up before it posts.

RECRUITING & GROWTH

Always be building the bench

Every LO is a potential future teammate or referral source. Lead with opportunity, growth, and the operating structure that lets producers produce.

Sell the system, not just the split

Our edge is the machine — intake, setup, decisioning, and SLAs that let an LO focus on relationships and closings.