Executives encourage brokers to keep embracing technology as its use becomes more accepted
Brokers have heard endless encouragement from technology firms, executives, and even fellow brokers to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in their businesses.
While most understand the growing role of technology, brokers also understand the critical nature of human interaction in the loan process. They also know that, as laws stand now, there are things that AI cannot legally do in the mortgage process.
However, that could change, according to a panel of mortgage experts who spoke on the growth of AI at the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) annual event in Las Vegas.
One of the panelists was Leo Whitton (pictured top left), founding partner of Empire Home Loans. He was discussing how a fellow panelist, Kim Nichols (pictured top second), chief TPO production officer at Pennymac TPO, had noted that AI is still restricted in what it can do. He said that will likely change, as regulators and government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac consider new AI rules.
“One of the things that I think Kim mentioned was that regulators and the GSEs aren’t on board yet,” Whitton said. “But they will be on board. You’ll be able to get an instant approval that’s ready to go to the GSEs instantly. That will change things in how we originate loans.”
An online experience
Whitton said the mortgage experience has already changed significantly with the level of technology currently available. He expects the growth of AI and changing regulations to bring additional changes.
“Everything is going to be online,” Whitton said. “Most of the customers, I want to meet them in person because I’m old school. Nobody wants to meet me in person. I’m closing loans with text messages now, and it just blows me away that there’s a lack of communication in terms of actual conversations face-to-face.
“They don’t need it. We need to embrace it now, because, not to say that we’re going to go away, but a lot of our jobs in this industry will be reduced based on AI.
Arthur Miguez (pictured top third), sales manager at Lending Spot, said it’s staggering how fast the technology has evolved. He said the technology will help expedite processing and underwriting, which will help with the industry’s most difficult files.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of improvement in manual underwrites from jumbo loans, non-QM loans,” Miguez said. “Being able to analyze those loans and underwrite those loans that are much more difficult, there’s going to be a huge speed increase. ChatGPT has only been around for 36 months, and it has 800 million users. What do you think it can do in the next 36 months?”
Evolving technology
The AI revolution didn’t exactly start smoothly, especially in the mortgage world. Pablo Martinez (pictured top right), CEO of Equity Smart Home Loans, said the technology wasn’t always user-friendly at the beginning.
“I think in the beginning, AI was a little frustrating, because it just felt like this thing you asked questions, and it really didn't know,” Martinez said. “There was this whole language, like, ‘It’s going to do amazing things. It's going to change the world.’ There was that fervor. It came, and it was kind of a little bit of a dud, at least for me.”
Martinez said that, as technology has advanced, he is now seeing the pieces come together into something that can actually help mortgage professionals do their jobs more efficiently.
“Now you can upload income documents and it will underwrite them,” Martinez said. “It didn’t have the bridges or the gateways to be able to do all these things. I think as it’s evolving and getting better, it’s only going to get stronger. That’s why it’s important to jump in right away and not get behind the wave.”
Kimber White returned as president of NAMB with a clear mission. He aimed to tackle housing affordability by urging changes to loan-level price adjustments and calling for practical government solutions to help first-time buyers.https://t.co/N117mGSX54
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) October 15, 2025
Nichols closed the panel by stressing that AI would change the way the entire mortgage industry operates.
“I think you should think of AI as the most significant development in our lifetime,” Nichols said. “That’s going to change not only how we work, how we do our loans, it’s going to change our lives. In 10 years from now, it will change our lives and our work in ways we can’t even imagine today.”
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