As tech becomes essential to mortgage broking, brokers face both structural gains and strategic challenges
When a broker can handle three times the caseload without sacrificing service, something fundamental has shifted. Mortgage technology is no longer a back-office upgrade, it’s redefining what efficiency, scale, and client engagement look like. But for many firms, especially those reliant on legacy processes, the transition demands more than just new tools. It requires a rewire in how brokers think about operations.
Tech layers driving operational change
Amol Karve, co-founder of Mortgage Kart and a former global head at HSBC, entered the broking space in 2018 with a lender’s mindset. Drawing on more than a decade of senior banking experience, he has focused on building tech-enabled processes from the ground up.
He breaks down mortgage tech into four categories: tools that speed up product matching, ensure compliance, streamline operations, and support marketing. Each plays a role in helping brokers process more business with less friction.
“Tasks like sourcing for products, checking affordability, or submitting applications—tech integrations have helped us speed these up massively,” Karve said.
More broadly, Karve believes the true value of integration lies in operational scale. “We built this business on the basis that we wanted to do 3x or 4x or 5x the volumes that an average broker does,” he said. “Our understanding is that most brokers do between eight and 10 cases a month… with the help of technology, you can do 30, 40 cases a month or even more if you've got your processes streamlined.”
The benefits extend beyond productivity. Well-integrated systems reduce error rates and operational risks, giving brokers more time and confidence to focus on client outcomes.
Balancing efficiency with client-centric advice
Karve is quick to point out that automation should never displace human advice. “A broker's focus should solely be towards their clients, not towards doing the paraphernalia surrounding it,” he said.
In his view, the broker’s primary value lies in navigating complexity, not administration. With more time available, brokers can better understand client circumstances, ask deeper questions, and develop holistic recommendations.
“It’s about freeing up time for the broker to serve the client better… to think about, have they thought about this, that and the other,” he said.
Inertia, legacy systems hinder adoption
Still, many firms remain stuck in outdated workflows. Mortgage tech, Karve explained, has often been adopted piecemeal, resulting in clunky systems that don’t communicate well.
“Technology has not just come in one fine day. It has crept in over many years,” he said. “Once people get used to using a certain technology, that inertia sets in. They work around constraints instead of fixing them.”
This slow evolution can limit ambition. “They don’t necessarily stop and think about, okay, I’m earning £100k… can I now earn £200k or more? Can I re-engineer my shop to do things differently?”
Karve sees this mindset as one of the industry’s biggest hurdles, and a missed opportunity for brokers open to scale.
Looking ahead to integrations that matter
One of the biggest gaps Karve identifies is the lack of direct digital submission to lenders. While some integrations exist, true end-to-end automation remains elusive.
“To me, the biggest opportunity is to be able to submit client applications with a one-click approach,” he said. “But that unfortunately will not happen until the banks want it to happen.”
He recalls how, during his banking years, error rates on broker-submitted applications were tracked and often high, sometimes for something as small as a misspelled name. Automating data entry through validated digital feeds, he argues, would save time for both brokers and lenders.
“The challenge is, banks are reluctant to open their systems. They worry about cybersecurity or rogue actors. But in doing so, they block access for good actors too.”
The generational shift in expectations
Looking further ahead, Karve warns that today’s younger homebuyers will demand very different experiences. “The next generation… do you think they will actually pick up the phone and talk to their brokers the same way that our generation does? I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Raised on self-service platforms, younger clients want speed, transparency, and control. For Karve, that means brokers must embrace openness and digital-first engagement models.
“Unless you arm the customer with all the information…and then explain why one product fits better than another, you’re not going to build trust,” he said.
He likens the shift to how medical professionals now work with patients who come armed with online research. “There are Google doctors in every home. The knowledge gap has closed. Brokers need to evolve with that.”
Brokers who want to stay relevant will need to rethink how they work, connect, and grow in a rapidly shifting market.
