Devontae Brooks brings a rare combination to the transaction process: eight years of experience as an underwriter and eight years as a loan officer. In 2025, he surpassed helping more than 1,000 families purchase homes over this career. “My past experience as an underwriter ensures quick closes aren’t the goal but a standard for my team,” he says.
Brooks took a non-linear path to lending. He worked for Wells Fargo Financial after graduating from college, helping existing clients with refinances, credit cards and auto loans. But about six months later, the division closed.
“My stomach dropped because I just signed a two-year lease and I didn’t know what to do,” he recalls. But he quickly figured it out. “I spoke to underwriters on a daily basis and became obsessed with taking that career path,” he says. A former co-worker recommended him for a Level 1 underwriter position, an entry-level underwriting job with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in the western suburbs. “Typically, you have to go through various roles before getting there but I was lucky,” he says.
He worked lots of overtime for years, to build his craft and learn the business inside and out. After a few years, he was promoted to regional underwriter manager, leading underwriters in Chicagoland, Minneapolis, Long Island and Philadelphia. Several years later, he moved to the front end of the process and came to Guaranteed Rate to be a loan officer.
His greatest asset is his ability to translate complexity into clarity for clients, be the calm in the storm and provide a predictable and high-speed experience. Balancing a high-volume mortgage career while launching Roman’s Wish, a foundation that assists families who have suffered from infant loss, has been the most fulfilling challenge of his life. Roman’s Wish honors the memory of his firstborn son, Roman.
