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The future of mortgage market technology

11 February 2016 22236 Views
The future of mortgage market technology

This year marks 30 years since Mortgage Brain first introduced mortgage software to an unsuspecting industry. 

Much has changed since then. M-Day in 2004, electronic trading and the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) in 2014 have all helped transformed an industry that wasn't always the most welcoming when it came to embracing new technology or fresh ways of doing things.

This year's Mortgage Credit Directive (MCD) is making brokers change their habits again, and the ever-increasing power of the consumer is also putting pressure on the industry to stay one step ahead.

So where does mortgage technology go next and will the industry take the changes to its heart or sulk in the corner?

Where once those wanting a mortgage had to wait three weeks for an answer, now it comes through in minutes.

Where once the only way to compare mortgages was to sit in front of a broker, now consumers use apps, social media and sourcing tools on broker websites.

Consumers can do it on the go, through their iPad or tablet. They can download reams of data at the touch of a button, and share their thoughts through texts, Twitter and Facebook.

Most of the big leaps forward in mortgage technology have come about not because the industry has demanded them, but because they have been demanded of the industry.

M-Day was the catalyst for the biggest single shake-up in the history of mortgage technology. The MMR was not far behind and the MCD is forcing further change.

It is not just the regulators who are driving this. Consumers are used to having everything now, if not sooner, and any industry which sells to the public has to adapt to survive.

Ever higher levels of speed, interaction and adaptability are the key to success.

For example, device independent technology, which can be accessed anywhere via a web browser, is fast becoming a broker's most useful tool.

So where is technology going next? The answer is wherever the rest of the world and the regulators decide it should. 

Look ahead five years and we can reasonably confident the following will happen:

More systems integration as joined-up working becomes the norm.

Remote screen sharing and video. Why leave the comfort of your own home when you can talk to your broker via video call or Skype?

The unstoppable rise of the apps, which shows no signs of slowing.

High speed wireless internet access. 4G will soon be everywhere and even faster speeds will soon be available.

In 25 years, the landscape may have changed completely. It is possible to foresee a time when everyone has their own biometric financial passport, which will record all their financial dealings and make forms a thing of the past.

Increasingly lifelike robots and holograms will take on a lot of the customer service and sales aspects of mortgages.

There may always be a game changer that alters the landscape for good. It has been done in other industries, with Uber and Airbnb prime examples. So far, no-one has ‘Ubered’ the mortgage space.

Change is coming, whether the industry likes it or not. Everyone involved in mortgages needs to embrace change, future proof their business and find a way to work in this new, technology-dominated world.

Exciting, isn't it?

Mark Lofthouse is chief executive officer of Mortgage Brain, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. He can be contacted on 01527 557203 or mark.lofthouse@mortgage-brain.co.uk

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