The mortgage industry is navigating a landscape filled with challenges, and at the recent IMB Conference in Austin, TX, and the Optimal Blue Summit in San Diego, CA, these concerns were front and center. We sat down with Tony Inskeep, our Executive Vice President of Sales, and Jeff McKay, our Senior Account Executive, to discuss what lenders are talking about, and more importantly, how Wilqo is tackling these issues.
Top Concerns from Lenders
1. The Cost to Produce a Loan is Too High
Lenders continue to face an unsustainable cost structure. One conversation underscored this reality when a lender showed their VOE vendor bill at $2,000 for 30-40 Loans Per Month.
Tony:
"Cost is absolutely the number one concern we heard. Lenders feel like they’re being nickeled and dimed for every single piece of the process, and it’s killing their margins."
Jeff:
"A lot of lenders have tried to cut costs by trimming staff, but that’s not effective after a certain point. What they need is a system that makes people more efficient rather than just asking them to do more with less."
How Wilqo Solves This:
Wilqo's Production Optimization Platform (POP) is designed to reduce the cost per loan in several ways:
2. Tired of "Bolted-On" Technology Just to Make Systems Work
Lenders are frustrated with having to buy multiple add-ons just to make their loan origination system function effectively. Every additional plugin or integration comes with hidden costs, compatibility issues, negative effects on system performance, and training burdens.
Jeff:
"One lender put it perfectly: ‘I don’t want to be an IT company. I want to close loans.’ They’re tired of having to patch together solutions to get their tech stack to work."
Tony:
"That’s why we see lenders looking for a true mortgage operating system, not just another add-on to integrate but one that actually replaces all these bolt-ons."
How Wilqo Solves This:
Unlike traditional Loan Origination Systems (LOS) that require lenders to add multiple third-party solutions, Wilqo provides a unified system that combines a POS, LOS, Business Intelligence and workflow automation into one Production Optimization Platform. The result? Fewer moving pieces, lower costs, and dramatically improved user experience.
3. A Next Wave of Automation to Handle Mundane Work
Lenders are looking for any opportunity to reduce workload, whether by leveraging AI or with other emerging technologies.
Tony:
"Right now, AI in mortgage tech is mostly glorified rules. Lenders want a system that actually handles tasks for them, not just surfacing ‘insights’ that they still have to manually act on."
Jeff:
"One of the biggest game-changers is data extraction and validation of documents so team members can focus on exceptions, not busy-work."
How Wilqo Solves This:
Wilqo uses intelligent automation to validate services, apply business rules, and surface actionable information, without anyone needing to click a mouse. This eliminates manual data entry, reduces human error, and keeps the loan moving forward effortlessly.
4. Market Conditions: "Where Are Rates Going?"
A common theme at both conferences was the uncertainty around interest rates. According to MBA's head of economics, we’re likely to see rates at the end of the year very similar to where they started, meaning no major shifts to relieve affordability concerns.
Jeff:
"Lenders were hoping for a rate drop that would bring in more volume, but that’s not happening anytime soon. They’re realizing they need to get more efficient to stay profitable in this environment."
Tony:
"If rates aren’t going to change significantly, the only real path forward is reducing cost per loan and improving borrower experience to stay competitive."
How Wilqo Helps:
Wilqo gives lenders the tools to do more with the loans they receive, from increasing pull-through rates to shortening cycle times with actionable insights. By focusing on workflow optimization rather than just waiting for rate relief, lenders can create sustainable profitability.
Final Thoughts
Lenders at IMB and Optimal Blue Summit were loud and clear: cost control, efficiency, and smarter automation are the keys to survival in 2025. Wilqo is purpose-built to solve these exact problems with a fundamental re-think of how mortgages are manufactured.
Jeff:
"The conversations at these conferences reaffirmed that we’re solving the right problems. Lenders don’t need more tech, they need better tech that makes their entire operation smarter, faster, and more cost-effective."