However if you happen to’ll indulge me, let’s begin with ChatGPT’s definition of a buyer:
A buyer is an individual or group that purchases items or companies from a enterprise. Prospects are the top customers or patrons who drive demand out there. The shopper’s wants and satisfaction are central to enterprise technique and success.
Nothing too shocking there. Now, apply this definition to deal submission platforms. Are you, as a dealer, buying companies from Filogix, Velocity, Finmo, BOSS or Scarlett? Usually not.
However are your wants central to their enterprise technique? Usually sure.
This straightforward instance exhibits how the query is trickier than you would possibly assume. To reply it correctly, you must perceive how mortgage tech works in Canada.
The mortgage tech worth chain
Mortgage tech is utilized by brokers to enter borrower particulars and undergo lender. They’ll then use know-how to submit payroll and compliance to the brokerage. Tech-forward brokers additionally use tech to work together with purchasers by means of advertising and marketing and/or a web based software & doc portal.
That is easy, and recognized by anybody within the business.
What’s lesser recognized is that lenders truly pay the deal submission platforms BPS for each funded deal. Additional, deal submission platforms will generally pay broker-owners to make use of their platform (see episode 74 of MTT for a full rationalization).
So, issues are getting attention-grabbing, nevertheless it nonetheless doesn’t fairly reply the query: who’s the client?
The 4 potential clients in mortgage tech
Within the above part, we recognized 4 key gamers within the worth chain: the dealer, the lender, the broker-owner, and the borrower. Let’s make an argument for every:
Dealer: You, because the dealer, are the first person of those platforms. When you don’t use these platforms to submit offers, nobody will get paid, and the entire worth chain breaks down.
Lender: The lender will get worth by receiving offers in a standardized manner, and getting “entry” to 1000’s of brokers. They’re additionally the supply of all money within the worth chain.
Dealer proprietor: The dealer proprietor will get worth from simplified compliance and payroll. They’ll mandate their brokers to make use of a platform, and generally receives a commission for doing so.
Borrower: A borrower will get worth from a platform that reduces friction within the course of. Finally, it’s who we’re all serving. With no borrower, there is no such thing as a mortgage tech.
So, actually, there’s a fairly sturdy case for every. Are there 4 distinct clients then?
A greater query to ask
Saying there are 4 distinct clients isn’t mistaken, though it’s unsatisfying. As an alternative, for mortgage tech platforms, the higher query is, the place ought to I focus?
Like all know-how, assets are all the time constrained, and so you must prioritize ruthlessly. A vital a part of prioritization is specializing in a particular buyer.
For my part, the “focus buyer” for mortgage tech can be outlined by the 2 largest developments within the mortgage business proper now:
Rising Regulation
Regulation is dramatically rising within the mortgage business. I don’t want to enter particulars, however we will all really feel it.
Normally, regulatory accountability lies with the dealer proprietor. As this burden will increase, dealer house owners are going to do two issues:
- Look to know-how platforms to help in staying compliant
- Power their brokers to make use of an ordinary platform to make sure compliance
As a small instance, I’ve chatted with many dealer house owners who mandated a particular platform after the brand new AML regulations. This can solely improve with extra regulation.
AI Adoption
With instruments like ChatGPT, debtors can be more and more subtle; they’ll be accustomed to on the spot responses, and in the event that they expertise any friction in any respect of their mortgage course of, they’ll transfer on.
A dealer will all the time present recommendation and steering (AI substitute will not be my level), however tech platforms that add borrower friction (and never take away it with AI) will pressure the borrower to look elsewhere for his or her mortgage.
With these two forces at play, I imagine the profitable tech platforms can be laser-focused on the dealer proprietor and the borrower.
What about lenders and brokers?
This doesn’t imply lenders and brokers are uncared for. It simply means the ROI (return-on-investment) on including incremental worth to lenders and brokers will not be as excessive.
As I see it, lenders simply want these platforms to ship and obtain knowledge, which is already a baseline requirement for all platforms.
For you as a dealer, though you’re the first person of those platforms, my sizzling take is that a greater expertise for you truly gained’t change your adoption.
Don’t imagine me? Take into consideration what number of occasions you switched platforms or powered by means of a sub-optimal person interface simply because your broker-owner requested you to, otherwise you wanted particular lender entry, otherwise you wished to scale back friction for a borrower.
This could offer you a touch of the place the ability lies within the mortgage tech worth chain.
Why this issues to you as a dealer
At the beginning, I believe it’s crucially necessary to know how selections are made associated to the platforms that you simply use day-after-day.
Past that, this could act as a guidepost as you proceed to navigate your profession. What differentiates your distinctive mortgage enterprise? Is it operational excellence, a tremendous borrower expertise, or perhaps one thing else?
Upon getting your reply, align with the mortgage tech that has the identical focus.
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Final modified: June 9, 2025