- Key insight: Discover how on-the-job onboarding improved experience and test preparation.
- Expert quote: Marshall - practical repetition and mentorship create confidence, not just classroom theory.
- Supporting data: About 45% fail SAFE MLO first attempt; New Day reports 100% company pass rate.
Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review
When Lionel Marshall first joined VA mortgage lender New Day in 2021, he didn't pass the required SAFE MLO test — joining the roughly 45% of test-takers, nationally, who are unsuccessful the first time they sit for the federally-mandated exam to become a licensed mortgage officer. Now, as New Day's VP of training, he oversees a 100% companywide pass rate.
When Marshall started at the company,
"It made me nervous," said Marshall, who served as an infantryman in the Marine Corps for almost nine years and has a background in industrial engineering. He continued to train on his own and passed a month later, and received several promotions in the area of sales before shifting to VP of training in 2024. There, he set his sights on changing "the entire dynamic of that exam to our business," he said, eventually leading his team to that perfect pass rate.
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Boots on the ground
Marshall's approach was to reverse
"It's structured; we create value, we have repetition, and we have accountability that's not just taught in a classroom. It gives you clear expectations and allows you to build and execute on everything you're learning," Marshall said.
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The next two months, they work with an assigned mentor who offers guidance and teaches them the principles of the mortgage business — another experience from the Marine Corps that was incredibly valuable, Marshall said. After that, they take their SAFE MLO exam.
"Those entire five months they're training on … the business and how mortgages work, and all the acronyms and the vocabulary that you need to know," he explained. "It gives people more confidence and lets them understand the job they're going to be doing, and it allows people to actually feel like they're winning. By the time they get to their fifth month and take that exam … they already know it," he explained.
A team approach
Similar to the military's promotion process, New Day outlines criteria for advancement so employees know exactly how to get to the next level in the company. "Being able to see that as a young, driven college graduate really helped out our business," said Marshall.
He's also gone out of his way to create a team-based culture where everyone supports everyone else — an essential attribute for serving the veteran families they work with, said Marshall. During their first week, Marshall, whose office is in West Palm Beach, takes new hire groups for a beach workout to build confidence and camaraderie. There are also basketball games once a week, pickleball tournaments, and other outside activities that bring employees together.
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In the office, there's an atmosphere of accountability and support: Everyone's numbers are posted daily, achievements are noted, and anyone struggling can ask someone to listen to their calls and share advice on how to improve.
"Everyone listens," Marshall said. "It probably gives you a little bit of anxiety the first time, but everyone is there to help each other. It goes to real-time feedback. If anyone gets behind, they can always pull someone aside and say 'Hey, will you listen to my call? What am I doing wrong?' It allows them to get better."
A feeling of belonging plays a vital role in making both new employees feel valued and current staff eager to stay, according to Marshall, especially those in Gen Z. "If they feel like they belong, that right there changes the trajectory of their career," he said. "You have a group of people that you're going to be with for the rest of your career, or even if you're not the company moving forward, people you're always going to reach back out to."
