As technology speeds up the passing of files, how brokers can improve file documentation
Scroll down LinkedIn during a given week, and you will see mortgage brokers and lenders touting clear-to-close times, one seemingly faster than the next.
At a time when speed is a critical sales point for earning customers, one veteran mortgage underwriter wants to remind brokers not to let speed get in the way of preparing a good file.
Dionne Bass (pictured top) is a veteran in the industry with almost three decades as a mortgage banker. She has been an underwriter for companies like Fannie Mae and Wells Fargo. She will be discussing loan prep at the upcoming AIME Fuse event in Nashville.
She said that when there is a breakdown in the process, it often happens when a loan is passed off.
“It's not really about loan documentation. It's about preparing the borrower,” Bass told Mortgage Professional America. “It's about the pass off, meaning the pass off from the originator to either your loan processor or your loan partner. And then it's about communication. I believe that's where the breakdown is. The breakdown is the prep, the pass off and the communication.”
Prepping the borrower
She said it’s not unusual for the person who originated the mortgage to simply sell the loan. She said that’s the way it used to be in the industry.
“If the originator is a seller, that's what they do,” Bass said. “If you've been in the industry for any amount of time, you really can't get mad at those kinds of people, because in the very beginning, that's what they did. And processors took those files, and they worked that sucker, then passed it off to the underwriter.”
However, in the modern mortgage world, she believes that brokers need to understand the files, not only to ensure things are done correctly at the start of the loan but also to keep customers informed about what to expect as the loan progresses toward closing.
“But technology has created a crazy breakdown in that process, and so what I'm going to be talking to them about is how do you prepare your borrower for the next steps?” she said. “How do you prepare the person that you're working with? If you want to be a loan officer who just sells, there's nothing wrong with that, but you still need to know what you're looking at. You still need to understand the document.”
Documentation is a huge part of the pass-off process. When Bass was underwriting for Wells Fargo, she said a simple sign on every wall was a daily reminder about how vital documentation was to the mortgage process.
“On every wall, it said, ‘If you didn't write it, it didn't happen,’” Bass said. “So what did that mean? You can make a mistake, but if you explained what you did and why you did it, and someone can go behind and say, ‘Okay, so she missed it right there. Okay, got it.’ But if you had no notes, that's when you got in trouble.
“The communication to me has just broken down so badly because we text, because we use social media and everything else. My dream is that when they walk away, they are going to be empowered in how they deal with their borrowers. They're going to learn how to empower people, to help them.”
Filling in the gaps
Bass is excited to get to Nashville for AIME Fuse. She has been conducting webinars and coaching people through the organization, and this will be her opportunity to speak to a group in person during a breakout session.
“I'm a Mortgage Mornings girl, and have been one for over a year now, and so I give back all the time,” she said. “I do monthly webinars, I coach people and do one-on-ones with them. It’s great to see an organization like AIME give back. And that, to me, is what Fuse is going to be like.”
Mortgage veteran Christine Beckwith of 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching & Consulting urges brokers to treat education and coaching as essentials, not luxuries, as the industry looks toward healing and renewed leadership in 2026.https://t.co/kZFvCxYqZl
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) October 14, 2025
She encourages attendees to check out the schedule beforehand. While it would be great to see every panel during the event, it’s simply not possible. Bass said the key is to pick out a path that will help fill some of the knowledge gaps brokers have, to make the most of the event.
“Take careful notes, because we can't do everything,” she said. “But if you look at that lineup, they've just given you the tools that you need to fill in any gaps. They have put together a lineup that will help you get to whatever next level that you need to get to, this fourth quarter and next year. I think they did a really good job this year.”
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