Latest Insights Report gives lenders strategies for building AI capabilities in ways that amplify human connection
April 30, 2026 – DENVER, Colo. – Mortgage lenders are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence, but many are still grappling with how to use AI to improve efficiency and responsiveness without weakening the human relationships that drive trust, referrals, and repeat business, according to STRATMOR Group‘s April Insights Report.
In her featured article, “AI: The GOAT of Your New Mortgage Dream Team,” STRATMOR Senior Advisor Sue Woodard cautions that many lenders risk adopting AI too slowly as borrower expectations evolve and productivity gaps widen. She notes that consumers are already using AI throughout the homebuying journey, often before speaking with a loan officer. STRATMOR’s own MortgageCX data also shows that 36% of borrowers begin their home search online, where AI-powered tools are increasingly shaping early decision-making.
“AI adoption is no longer a future-state conversation for the mortgage industry — it is happening right now, across every generation of borrower, every tier of competitor, and every corner of our business operations,” Woodard says. “The question lenders and technology vendors need to answer is not whether to embrace AI, but how to do it in a way that amplifies what makes mortgage professionals irreplaceable: the human connection.”
Woodard outlines five strategies for lenders building AI capabilities, including creating a cross-functional AI task force, prioritizing high-impact use cases, improving data infrastructure, embracing 360-degree change management, and treating AI as an ongoing transformation rather than a one-time project. She also cautions lenders against delegating AI deployments entirely to their technology teams, noting that AI is a business transformation challenge that touches every function.
“The question isn’t whether you’ll deploy AI,” Woodard writes. “It’s whether you’ll do it with intention: clear on what humans do best, disciplined about where AI adds value, and wise enough to know the difference.”
In a second article, STRATMOR Director of Customer Experience Mike Seminari examines another growing challenge for lenders and servicers: maintaining borrower relationships in an increasingly fragmented mortgage ecosystem.
In “The Borrower Isn’t Yours to Own — But the Relationship Is Yours to Earn,” Seminari writes that lenders often overestimate borrower loyalty because they measure communication volume rather than borrower experience. While lenders may believe they “own” the borrower relationship, borrowers often view those overlapping communications as confusing and disconnected.
Seminari’s article explores how different participants in the mortgage lifecycle — including loan officers, servicers, retail lenders, and wholesale partners — can strengthen borrower relationships by creating more consistent communication, improving clarity during high-stress moments, and using automation to make interactions feel more personal rather than less human.
“Borrowers won’t remember who had access to them,” Seminari writes. “They will remember who showed up in a way that mattered. And the voice that does that best is the one that earns the relationship.”
Read the entire April Insights Report here.
About STRATMOR Group
STRATMOR Group is a leading mortgage industry advisory firm that provides a range of programs and services for senior industry executives. STRATMOR serves more than 250 companies annually, recommending strategies that increase growth and improve profitability in sales, marketing, technology, operations and mergers and acquisitions. The company leverages comprehensive, proprietary data and key insights gained through extensive experience in the mortgage industry. STRATMOR is well known for its financial models and its collaboration with the Mortgage Bankers Association in the PGR: MBA and STRATMOR Peer Group Roundtables Program. Learn more at www.stratmorgroup.com.