This time of year always gets me thinking about Saturdays, rivalries, and which teams are headed for bowl season — but this year, it also has me thinking about harvest season. Because just like a team that spends all year preparing for a strong finish, a good harvest doesn’t happen by accident — it takes preparation and intentional effort. The mortgage industry is entering a moment where planning and discipline matter more than ever. After a long stretch of tough conditions, the field is finally showing signs of life — but only those who’ve put in the groundwork will capitalize on it.
That’s the theme of this month’s InFocus article, “Cultivating What’s Next: Preparing for Growth in 2026.” Drawing on insights from industry events and our advisory work across the industry, the article lays out a clear blueprint for the year ahead. From evaluating your “soil” — your data, processes, and organizational readiness — to planting stronger partnerships, nurturing borrower loyalty, and embracing AI-driven operating models, the article highlights where lenders and vendors should focus now to capitalize on what’s coming.
And speaking of nurturing — one area where many lenders still leave yield on the table is customer experience. That’s why I want to highlight Mike Seminari’s latest CX Tip, “NPS Gold Rush: How Gratitude Is Driving Mortgage Sales.” Mike reminds us that sometimes the most productive seeds are the simplest ones. A thoughtful, timely thank-you to a borrower can do more to drive loyalty and referrals than a brand-new marketing campaign. As Mike points out, gratitude isn’t just polite — it’s profitable. It’s the kind of small, intentional practice that turns a borrower into a loyal advocate.
Thank you for joining us for the November 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.
As 2026 inches closer, mortgage lenders and their technology partners are entering a season defined by both opportunity and pressure. But like any farmer preparing for a new growing season, optimism alone won’t produce results. Success in 2026 will require deliberate cultivation.
Our question this month: If new business is gold, why are so many LOs mining the wrong mountain?
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.
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.
Last week, 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.
What struck us most was the diversity of the crowd. Restaurateurs and hoteliers were there in force, but so were leaders from finance, healthcare and beyond. Curiously, mortgage was barely represented. That’s surprising, given that no industry has more at stake.
Buying or refinancing a home is among life’s most emotional, stressful, and consequential financial experiences. Yet the process is often transactional, confusing, or simply forgettable. Too often, borrowers walk away feeling stressed, confused, and frustrated instead of cared for.
As we left the conference, one thing was crystal clear: If your customers or members are human, then you’re in the hospitality business.
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?
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