In the mortgage industry, it’s often easy to confuse strategy with progress. We attend conferences, set ambitious goals, and produce PowerPoints that promise transformation—but until those ideas are operationalized, they remain just that: ideas. That’s why I’m excited about this month’s STRATMOR Insights Report. It’s the follow-up to last month’s exploration of servicing as a strategic lever, and it dives headfirst into the how.
In “Next Move: Operationalizing Mortgage Servicing for the Future,” STRATMOR Principal Kris van Beever lays out the playbook for lenders who are ready to move beyond theory. Whether you’re modernizing legacy platforms, integrating servicing with POS and CRM systems, or evaluating AI and subservicer models, this article offers practical guidance to help you move from strategy to execution. Because let’s face it—good intentions don’t impress regulators, borrowers, or your P&L.
Also worth your time this month: Mike Seminari’s latest Customer Experience Tip, where he explores seven smart ways lenders are using customer experience to actually grow revenue. From boosting referral volume to maximizing retention and recapture, Mike breaks down how small CX shifts can translate into big business wins—especially in today’s margin-compressed environment. If you’re trying to get more out of every borrower interaction, this one’s a must-read.
And finally, a quick heads-up: the STRATMOR editorial team will be taking a brief hiatus and there will be no August Insights Report. We’ll return in September recharged and ready to share new perspectives, fresh data, and actionable insights to help you finish the year strong. Until then, we hope you find time for some well-earned rest—and maybe a moment to think about how your own servicing strategy is evolving.
Thank you for joining us for the July Insights Report. Your success remains our top priority, and we are here to support you every step of the way. STRATMOR provides a wide range of advisory services to facilitate, optimize and address the challenges lenders are facing today, including strategy design and implementation, financial benchmarking and performance, process review and improvement, maximizing servicing assets, optimizing your customer experience initiatives to get more business, technology procurement and implementation, M&A and strategic options, and much more. STRATMOR’s advisory team is available now to discuss these services. Please contact us to learn more.
In last month’s article, “Checkmate or Checkpoint? Rethinking the Role of Mortgage Servicing,” we challenged the traditional view of mortgage servicing as a passive, back-office function, and explored how servicing is becoming a strategic lever for borrower engagement, operational strength, and long-term growth. In this follow-up article, we shift from strategy to execution: how can servicers turn that strategy into action amid rising digital expectations, regulatory flux, and MSR volatility?
Some endeavors, like growing revenue in a tight mortgage market, look a lot easier on the surface than they actually are. And short-term plays can backfire spectacularly when you’re not strategic about where to trim and when to invest. Which brings us to this month’s question: Where should mortgage lenders and servicers be focusing to grow revenue in today’s tight market?
The 2025 Technology Insight® Study: Lender Intelligence survey is now open. As the only independent study of its kind in the industry, it provides a candid view of how mortgage lenders perceive the technology platforms and vendor support they depend on daily.
Origination costs are at an all-time high. Given that sales costs will continue to be the largest component of retail origination costs, what can be done to manage this beast?
Understanding the key characteristics of the Expense Management Branch (EMB) and comparing the key performance metrics between it and the corporate branch model is essential to identifying which is best for your organization.
Secret shopping is the best way for lenders to remove the disconnection between perception and reality and pave the way for meaningful improvements in customer experience.
For years, servicing has been treated like a pawn on the mortgage lending chessboard—important, but largely seen as a back-office function. In 2025, the board has shifted. Servicing is no longer stuck on the back rank but has moved from the sidelines to center stage, evolving into a queen-like force—versatile, strategic, and capable of driving meaningful advantage.
Lenders today are not simply reacting to interest rate volatility, regulatory pressure, and changing borrower behavior, they’re making calculated, forward-thinking moves to turn servicing into a lever for growth, loyalty, and operational strength. Many are starting to see servicing not just as a cost center, but as a position of strength—one that can shape the outcome of the entire game.
What’s driving this shift? Data and advisory insight are at the core. Today’s servicing challenges are complex and interconnected: compliance, borrower experience, and portfolio performance are no longer siloed. Instead, they require coordinated strategies powered by analytics and enhanced by the right partnerships.
This article explores how mortgage servicing is evolving, the rise of subservicing, the challenges lenders face, and the strategic moves that can turn servicing into a competitive strategic advantage. We’ll also share how STRATMOR Group is helping banks and lenders across the country make smarter moves that align servicing with their broader goals.
I spend a lot of time in our nation’s capital for various reasons, not the least of which is spending time with my 99-year-old dad. The irony is that I am a hard-working guy living in Florida, and my father is a retired man still living my hometown. Actually, to be clear, I grew up in Northern Virginia – if you know the area, you will understand why that distinction is important. (Apologies to my friends who are D.C. or Maryland residents and did not embrace living in the Commonwealth). So, why did I grow up in the D.C. area? Because that is where my father worked for the government for 40 years after a stint in the Navy during World War II and the Korean war. He is truly a member of the greatest generation, and I am just the son who reaped the rewards of his hard work and sacrifice. But this also explains why the time I spend in D.C. is some of my favorite work time, and why I believe we need to be active in what happens with our government and how it impacts our industry.
My most recent trip spanned several weeks and included a productive series of meetings—including the MBA National Advocacy Conference and three MBA and STRATMOR Peer Group Roundtable (PGR) meetings. During those events—and really over the past few months—several key themes have started to surface across our industry. In a market that’s shifting fast on everything from federal policy to tech disruption, this is a pivotal moment for lenders to reassess their strategy.
In this article, we’ll look at four core themes that should be on every lender’s radar right now, along with strategic actions you can take to navigate uncertainty, improve profitability, and position your business for what comes next.
Last month, STRATMOR Principal Kris van Beever laid out a compelling vision for what’s possible through AI, automation, and digital transformation. But as any lender knows, vision alone isn’t enough—now it’s time to examine what’s actually being built.
Are we laying solid foundations for automation and AI within our organizations, or are we encountering constant delays, rising costs, and missed expectations?
The results from the Digital Innovations module of STRATMOR’s 2024 Technology Insight® Study offer a clear-eyed look at the state of digital adoption across the industry. Think of it as an on-site inspection of the mortgage tech foundation, highlighting the real progress being made—and the barriers that still need to be addressed.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or needs we might be able to help with.
