Driving 30% Cost Savings and Faster Underwriting for Texas State-Chartered Bank

Industry: Retail & Consumer Packaged Goods | Services: Automation

Client Overview

The client is the largest privately held, state-chartered bank in Texas, operating across institutional banking, commercial banking, and mortgage banking. With a loan portfolio of $9.6 billion and total assets of $ 15.25 billion, they faced surging volumes and operational complexity.

The Challenge

Operational Strain Amid Growing Loan Volume & Quality Demands

Rapid increases in loan volumes—primarily through third-party origination (TPO)—stressed the bank’s existing underwriting, servicing, and compliance workflows. Tasks like pre-funding review, verbal verification of employment (VVOE), warehouse QC, and MERS compliance became bottlenecks. High call volumes and borrower inquiries further strained servicing operations, causing delays, backlogs, and declining customer satisfaction.

Sutherland Solution

Dual-shore Underwriting + Process Optimization Across TPO, QC, Servicing

Sutherland implemented a dual-shore model combining onshore and offshore capabilities. Junior Underwriters were deployed globally to streamline document review, pre-funding checks, and VVOE processes. In TPO workflows, Sutherland’s team managed approvals, renewals, and verification of financial documentation. Warehouse QC processes were reengineered to eliminate redundancy, reduce error rates, and shift the team’s focus to exception management. In servicing, cross-training, multichannel support, and robust process documentation enabled the client to absorb surges without compromising quality.

The Outcome

Sustainable Efficiency, Speed and Accuracy Gains

The engagement achieved a 30% reduction in underwriting and servicing costs, while cycle times improved—reducing underwriting from around 60 days to 45 days. Touch rates (i.e. manual intervention points) fell from 3.4 to 2.4. Error rates plummeted by 90%, resulting ingreater accuracy, fewer rework cycles, and higher confidence in delivery. The bank essentially scaled capacity without proportionate cost growth, and established a robust, repeatable model for ongoing underwriting and servicing improvements.