As we head into the final weeks of the year, I would like to share that I hit a big milestone this year – I turned 60 years old. That get’s me potential discounts on early-bird dinners and movie tickets down here in South Florida, but more importantly it gives me a chance to reflect on what’s important. I was thinking back to when I was a loan originator 38 years ago, and all the skills that I needed to learn about how to do my job, who I needed to partner with, and what was critical for success. But it was not until I figured out how to focus on why, and more importantly the consumers ‘why,’ that I began to enjoy the job more, and did the job better.
That lesson has stayed with me because it reinforces something we see again and again in our work: meaningful change doesn’t always come from sweeping technology or process transformation. Often, it comes from understanding why a borrower reacts the way they do—and then acting on it.
That’s why I encourage you to spend time with this month’s InFocus article, “The ROI of ‘Why’: Fixing One Defining Borrower Moment Can Transform Your Business.” It’s a powerful reminder that borrower experience isn’t abstract or theoretical. When lenders identify and intentionally improve the moments that matter most, the impact shows up in satisfaction, efficiency, and ultimately, financial performance.
You’ll also want to read Mike Seminari’s latest CX Tip, “CX Power Is Changing Hands—Here’s How to Stay Ahead.” Mike explores how shifting borrower expectations and technology-enabled choice are redistributing influence across the lending ecosystem. For lenders and technology partners alike, it’s a timely perspective on where experience strategy needs to evolve as we look ahead.
As we close out 2025, I want to thank you for your continued engagement with STRATMOR—whether as a client, partner, or trusted industry colleague. It’s been a year of recalibration, learning, and preparation, and we’re optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead in 2026. It is ‘why’ I still love talking to lenders, and being involved in this business, even at the ripe old age of 60!
On behalf of all of us at STRATMOR, I wish you and your teams a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, successful New Year. We look forward to continuing the conversation—and the progress—together in the year ahead.
Thank you for joining us for the December 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.
Lenders pour millions into marketing and technology, yet lose qualified borrowers because the experience feels mechanical and impersonal. LOS and CRM systems capture the what and how, such as credit scores, income, and milestones, but almost never capture the why.
That missing “Why” is exactly where trust breaks down. And right now, in a market where the cost to acquire each borrower has doubled or quadrupled from just a few years ago, ignoring their Why isn’t just poor service. It’s poor economics.
The latest STRATMOR data from MortgageCX show a stunning reversal, with banks currently claiming the top NPS and Overall Satisfaction scores. Meanwhile, Independent mortgage bankers, historically dominant in CX, suddenly find themselves chasing.
Our question this month is: “What changed — and how do lenders stay competitive in a CX landscape with banks now leading the charge?”
If you are seeking the most precise benchmarking data within the mortgage industry, exploring the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and STRATMOR Peer Group Roundtables (PGR) is essential.
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.
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.
The mortgage industry’s high-stakes game has entered a new round, and the table looks very different than it did just a year ago. The players are bigger, the bets are higher, and the odds are being reshaped by technology. Independent mortgage bankers (IMBs) now face critical decisions: double down on independence, form strategic alliances, or cash out through merger or acquisition. The question is no longer whether the game is changing, but how to play it.
Several of us from STRATMOR attended the Welcome Conference in New York City. For those who haven’t been, it’s the most influential gathering of hospitality legends anywhere in the world. Founded by Will Guidara, the restaurateur behind Unreasonable Hospitality, the event convenes a single stage of world-class presenters — this year’s lineup included organizational psychologist Adam Grant, Ogilvy advertising guru Rory Sutherland, and Jesse Cole, the flamboyant founder of the Savannah Bananas.
As we left the conference, one thing was crystal clear: If your customers or members are human, then you’re in the hospitality business.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or needs we might be able to help with.
