One classmate, now a mortgage underwriter, said Mr. Holmes didn't appear to have many friends in high school.

WSJ: Shooting Suspect's Behavior Provided Few Clues

One classmate, now a mortgage underwriter, said Mr. Holmes didn't appear to have many friends in high school and was known among her group as quiet and intelligent.

WSJ: Suspect's Rapid Descent

Last November the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Dirks' argument that it was unfair to strip his retirement savings because of a brief, technical violation caused by a slow mortgage underwriter.

FORBES: Tax Traps

Some had expected Mr Miles to recommend market-distorting tax-incentives for fixed mortgages, or the creation of a government-sponsored mortgage underwriter along the lines of America's Fannie Mae, which would put taxpayers' money at risk.

ECONOMIST: Concrete is coming to a building site near you

In 2006, Bear Stearns was the number one underwriter of mortgage-backed securities, with 11% of the US mortgage securities market.

BBC: JP Morgan��s sub-prime horror

An underwriter has not approved and issued your mortgage pre-approval, your loan officer did.

FORBES: Why Getting Pre-Approved For A Mortgage Is A Sham

This is where mortgage loan files impatiently wait their turn to be reviewed and formally approved by an underwriter, a loan approver.

FORBES: Anatomy of a Purchase Mortgage - Chapter Three

But if mortgage loans are approved electronically using originations software portals and underwriting engines such as Desktop Underwriter (DU) or Loan Prospector (LP), why does a loan even have to be reviewed by an underwriter and why in the world does it take so long?

FORBES: Anatomy of a Purchase Mortgage - Chapter Three

An underwriter is tasked with reviewing the documents submitted to support the information provided to secure mortgage approval.

FORBES: Anatomy of a Purchase Mortgage - Chapter Three