Melissa Brutus
Valley National Bank
West Orange,NJ
9
years of professional experience
Financial services and operations professional with 8+ years of experience across commercial and residential lending, loan servicing, operational controls, process improvement, and customer-facing operations. Experienced in analyzing operational issues, identifying process gaps, coordinating corrective actions, improving workflows, and preparing reports to support senior leadership decisions. Background includes loan servicing management, team training, Salesforce system testing, operational reporting, and cross-functional stakeholder coordination. Focused on operational accuracy, risk mitigation, service quality, and sustainable process improvements.
Work History
Loan Servicing Rep (Contract)
3 Months- Research and resolve residential loan-servicing issues, payment discrepancies, and borrower complaints in accordance with servicing procedures and regulatory requirements.
- Coordinate with borrowers, attorneys, settlement agents, and internal business partners to move servicing requests toward timely resolution.
- Process mortgage payoff requests in partnership with Closing and Settlement teams, supporting accurate transaction execution.
- Review payment histories, escrow analyses, tax records, and insurance information to investigate account issues and resolve customer inquiries.
Real Estate Agent
5 Years 6 Months- Managed client experience in real estate transactions, guiding buyers and sellers from initial consultation to closing, ensuring high client satisfaction.
- Coordinated with lenders, attorneys, and other stakeholders to streamline transaction processes and improve service timelines.
- Advised clients on mortgage products and loan structures, enhancing their understanding of financing options and servicing lifecycle.
Operation Manager
1 Year 2 Months- Managed frontline workflows and team accountability in a fast-paced retail environment, balancing operational requirements with customer-service priorities.
- Coached and developed employees on service expectations, workflow execution, and customer issue resolution.
- Implemented and reinforced customer-service standards to support a consistent customer experience and more effective day-to-day operations.
Loan Servicing Manager
1 Year 1 Month- Managed day-to-day servicing operations for a commercial lending portfolio, overseeing loan administration, payment activity, portfolio reporting, reconciliations, and operational controls.
- Analyzed servicing exceptions and operational trends to identify process gaps, investigate root causes, and implement corrective actions aimed at improving transaction accuracy.
- Coordinated lending transactions and servicing activities across internal teams and external stakeholders, resolving discrepancies and supporting timely execution.
- Performed portfolio and general-ledger reconciliations, investigated variances, and coordinated resolution to maintain accurate financial and loan records.
- Prepared portfolio reports and operational updates for senior leadership to support management oversight and decision-making.
- Partnered with colleagues across functions to improve workflows, strengthen servicing procedures, and maintain compliance with applicable banking requirements.
- Trained and supported team members on servicing procedures, operational controls, and issue-resolution practices.
- Participated in Salesforce servicing-system testing over a short period, identifying system errors and reporting findings to support issue resolution and improve system reliability.
Residential Loan Servicing Analyst (Contract)
1 Year- Supported end-to-end residential loan-servicing operations, including payment processing, account maintenance, escrow administration, transaction research, and borrower account resolution.
- Investigated complex discrepancies involving payments, escrow, taxes, insurance, and account activity, coordinating with internal teams and external servicing partners.
- Monitored escrow and disbursement activity to ensure accurate execution and adherence to servicing requirements.
- Monitored escrow and disbursement activity to support accurate execution and compliance with servicing requirements.
Loan Servicing Specialist / Executive Assistant
3 Years 5 Months- Supported lending operations across multiple loan portfolios, processing payments, payoffs, escrow disbursements, and account-servicing transactions.
- Managed insurance tracking, escrow compliance, servicing documentation, and exception resolution to help mitigate operational risk.
- Investigated account and transaction issues and coordinated corrective actions with servicing and internal stakeholders.
- Developed and maintained operational tracking and reporting tools to improve visibility into loan activity and servicing requirements.
- Trained team members on servicing procedures, customer-service processes, and compliance standards.
- Prepared comprehensive servicing reports and portfolio updates for executive leadership to facilitate informed decision-making.
Education
Bachelor’s Degree - General Business
Associate Degree - General Science
Skills
Customer Experience: Customer issue resolution
complaint handling
service standards
frontline operational support
Analytical & Financial Operations: Trend and exception analysis
reconciliations
transaction research
operational reporting
performance monitoring
Process Improvement & Operational Excellence: Workflow analysis
process-gap identification
corrective actions
operational controls
issue resolution
Cross-Functional Leadership: Stakeholder coordination
issue escalation
team training
leadership reporting
collaborative problem-solving
Technology & Systems: Salesforce CRM testing
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office
Fiserv
IBS
Navigator
Encompass
Loan modification experience
Regulatory compliance
Effective communication
Timeline
Loan Servicing Rep (Contract)
Valley National Bank
07.2026 - CurrentRead More
Operation Manager
Forever 21
02.2024 - 04.2025Read More
Loan Servicing Manager
LISC New York
05.2022 - 06.2023Read More
Real Estate Agent
Signature Realty NJ
12.2020 - 06.2026Read More
Residential Loan Servicing Analyst (Contract)
Investors Bank
11.2020 - 11.2021Read More
Loan Servicing Specialist / Executive Assistant
Crown Bank
05.2017 - 10.2020Read More
Essex County College
Associate Degree from General Science
Read More
Kean University
Bachelor’s Degree from General Business
Read More