As 2026 inches closer, mortgage lenders and their technology partners are entering a season defined by both opportunity and pressure. Volume is poised to improve. Technology is advancing at a pace the industry has never experienced. And M&A conversations are shifting from crisis management to long-term strategy.
But like any farmer preparing for a new growing season, optimism alone won’t produce results. Success in 2026 will require deliberate cultivation.
Over the past few years, lenders have endured the equivalent of a prolonged drought: depleted soil, strained resources, and old tools no longer adequate for the work ahead. Today, new implements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent automation sit ready, but many lenders haven’t yet integrated them into daily operations. And the growers themselves — loan officers, servicers, vendors, product leaders, and executives — must align their efforts to plant the right seeds for sustainable results.
Agriculture is the right metaphor for this moment because it mirrors what 2026 demands: planning, discipline, collaboration, and a willingness to adopt new techniques rather than return to old habits
STRATMOR experts who attended the mortgage industry’s major events this year see the same indicators emerging. The season is changing. Those who prepare their fields will be positioned to thrive.
What follows is a blueprint for mortgage lenders and technology vendors ready to plant, nurture, and ultimately harvest meaningful growth in 2026.
Before selecting crops, a farmer studies the soil. Senior Partner Nicole Yung says lenders must take a similar approach going into 2026 — understanding the conditions beneath their feet before making strategic bets.
Across the MBA and STRATMOR Peer Group Roundtables, she sees clear patterns taking shape. Lenders are enthusiastic about AI but still unsure of its optimal use cases. Banks are considering how to make mortgage key customer acquisition strategy. And lenders with servicing portfolios are preparing for a potential uptick in refinance volume as rates decline.
These trends highlight what 2026 will reward: digital maturity, marketing sophistication, and readiness for refinance recapture.
But Nicole stresses that technology can only create value when paired with updated processes and strong change management. “People, process, and technology” is more than a framework — it’s the nutrient mix required to produce real results. For lenders seeking clarity on how others are adapting their models, market strategies, and operational approaches, participation in the MBA and STRATMOR Peer Group Roundtable (PGR) Program offers a unique vantage point into what’s working — and what isn’t — across the industry. Registration for the Spring 2026 session is now open.
Tips for Lenders: Tilling the Ground
Tips for Vendors: Enriching the Soil
Once the soil is ready, planting must be intentional.
Senior Advisor Sue Woodard notes that many technology vendors still approach conferences with low intentionality — and she offers some tough love.
“Many of you have been to dozens (maybe hundreds) of conferences, but I still observe some ‘bad conference habits’ that make it seem like you are attending your first conference for the 75th time,” she says.
Sue’s advice to vendors is as practical as it is overdue:
These aren’t conference just tactics — they’re relationship principles. Plant wisely, and deeper roots will follow.
Tips for Vendors: Plant with Precision
Tips for Lenders: Perceive Potential Partners
Planting is only the beginning. Crops must be monitored, nurtured, and adjusted as conditions change. Principal Amanda Gibson believes the mortgage industry is in a similar stage — evolving from defensive survival mode into proactive growth.
This shift is especially visible in M&A. Activity once driven by distress is increasingly shaped by optimization and strategic alignment. Buyers and sellers alike are becoming more selective and creative, exploring alternative structures such as partnerships, joint ventures and mergers of equals, in addition to traditional acquisitions/sales. Amanda has a lot of recent experience with big M&A deals, having been with Mr. Cooper for their acquisition of Flagstar’s Servicing and TPO business, the subsequent sale of Mr. Cooper’s Wholesale to AD Mortgage, and then finally the sale of Mr. Cooper to Rocket. None of these were distressed deals, but examples of the long-term strategy playing out. Buyers and sellers are exploring creative structures — partnerships, joint ventures, and mergers of equals — alongside traditional acquisitions. And with many owners nearing retirement, cultural compatibility is becoming as important as financial fit.
“After several volatile years, owners are moving from defensive postures to proactive optimization,” Amanda says. “They’re seeking partnerships that strengthen capital position, expand geography, or diversify product lines, channels, and segments without unnecessary integration risk. There’s growing recognition that cultural compatibility and operational discipline are great value drivers beyond just headline multiples.”
Leadership expectations are also shifting. Technology doesn’t replace leaders; it redefines what strong leadership looks like. Future leaders must blend operational experience with data literacy, strategic clarity, and the ability to empower teams.
“The most forward-thinking organizations are using automation and analytics to drive transparency, faster feedback loops, and better capital allocation decisions. Technology isn’t replacing leadership — it’s redefining and enabling it.”
Amanda also sees the rise of full-funnel enterprises where capital, culture, and technology create seamless visibility across the borrower lifecycle. There have been several large mergers and acquisitions this year that have spanned the typical dividing lines. As a result, we now have companies who have built their own ecosystem from top of funnel on down. These large transactions are encouraging companies to contemplate more creative combinations, which will redefine what the mortgage industry looks like in the years to come. Simply owning a collection of companies isn’t enough —Amanda says the winners will be those with strong technology backbones providing seamless, proactive experiences in addition to a disciplined approach to execution.
Tips for Lenders: Prune, Strengthen, and Repair
Tips for Vendors: Support Your Partners’ Growth Cycle
Farmers know the field never behaves exactly as it appears on the map. Senior Advisor Brett McCracken says the mortgage industry faces the same challenge.
Across STRATMOR’s end-to-end client reviews, workflow diagrams rarely match actual practice, and everyone in the room is usually surprised by the disconnects. For example, secret shops and observations reveal that Microsoft Office is still quietly filling the gaps modern platforms were meant to solve. These workarounds obscure inefficiencies and conceal root-cause issues. From his time spent at industry events, it is clear to Brett that people are working hard but too often, they’re working in silos. He says the challenge is that each group is often solving problems from within their own perspective and not the shared experience.
“If I were a CEO of a lending institution,” says Brett, “I would invite my technology partners onsite to watch how my team truly works. That means not just how each system functions in isolation, but how CRM, POS, and LOS platforms interact (or fail to) in real-world workflows. Then, I’d host a working session where we map out the true customer and employee journeys together.”
Brett’s prescription is simple: radical visibility. The best lenders continuously mystery-shop their own processes to better understand where they perform well and what still needs improvement. When lenders better understand the complexity of software development, and when technology companies witness firsthand how lending truly operates, new ideas start to emerge.
Tips for Lenders: Survey Your Terrain
Tips for Vendors: Walk the Rows with Your Partners
Even a carefully tended field fails without continuous nurturing. Customer Experience Director Mike Seminari believes borrower loyalty is the greatest untapped yield for lenders in 2026.
STRATMOR data shows that only one in five borrowers return to the same lender for their next loan, despite retention being far more cost-effective than acquisition. Servicers with retention rates of above 60% succeed because they run intentional, human-centered engagement programs built around empathy and timing.
“Borrower loyalty isn’t automatic,” cautions Mike. “It’s earned through consistent, intentional relationship-building long after the loan closes.”
Benchmarking borrower experience will play a critical role in 2026, according to Mike. STRATMOR’s MortgageCX program shows that lenders who benchmark their CX performance against peers — across shopping, origination, and servicing — are far better at identifying where to focus to improve retention. “Benchmarking not only reveals where you stand,” says Mike, “It also shows where to focus.”
Lenders can no longer rely solely on internal metrics to gauge borrower satisfaction. And while technology can automate and scale communication, Mike emphasizes that it should never replace human connection. Automation should trigger human engagement, not remove it.
“Borrowers still crave guidance, reassurance, and a personal touch — especially as technology takes over more of the process,” Mike observes. “The lenders that will lead next year aren’t those replacing humans with machines; they’re the ones using technology to enhance human connection.”
Tips for Lenders: Cultivate Your Crop
Tips for Vendors: Help Lenders Nurture Their Crop
Even well-established farming techniques eventually become outdated. Senior Partner Michael Grad believes the mortgage industry is now at an AI-driven inflection point — one that previous technologies and market disruptions failed to unlock.
Michael describes an industry still bound by labor-heavy processes, rigid staffing models, and costly rework. “The traditional labor-intensive operating model is antiquated and ripe for transformation,” he says. “It is painfully clear that you can’t cost-cut your way to growth and profitability. The problem isn’t effort; it’s that the entire process is built on manual work, repetitive tasks, and hundreds of human touchpoints that don’t scale, resulting in a poor customer experience.”
The path forward is clear: true end-to-end orchestration powered by AI. Intelligent systems can now analyze and route work from lead to close to secondary at machine speed, leaving humans to focus on complex judgment, empathetic communication, and problem-solving. Success will come from technologies that overlay existing infrastructure rather than requiring a full replacement.
Michael stresses that technology alone drives only 30% of successful transformation. The rest depends on leadership, change management, and adoption.
According to Michael, the lenders who succeed will be those with clear vision, unwavering executive sponsorship, a transformed target operating model, disciplined implementation, and the courage to truly transform rather than just incrementally improve.
“At STRATMOR, we work with lenders to navigate this transformation. The inflection point is here. The question for every mortgage executive is: “will you lead this change, or will you be left behind?”
Tips for Lenders: Modernize Your Tools and Techniques
Tips for Vendors: Equip the Field for Modern Growth
Bringing these STRATMOR insights together, the fieldwork required for a strong 2026 harvest becomes clear.
For Lenders
For Vendors
2026 will reward those who prepare deliberately, plant intentionally, nurture consistently, and embrace transformation at every level — operational, technological, and human.
The soil is fertile.
The tools are powerful.
The season is changing.
The question now is: Will you lead the next season of growth, or let it unfold without you?
STRATMOR’s advisors stand ready to help lenders and vendors modernize their operating models, evaluate technology, strengthen customer retention, refine conference strategy, and navigate strategic M&A options. Our experts help organizations see their real workflows, clarify strategic priorities, build organizational readiness, and implement the changes that drive measurable performance.
STRATMOR works with bank-owned, independent and credit union mortgage lenders, and their industry vendors, on strategies to solve complex challenges, streamline operations, improve profitability and accelerate growth. To discuss your mortgage business needs, please Contact Us.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or needs we might be able to help with.
