4 Steps To Take Before The Next Mortgage Market Shift

Having spent decades navigating the ups and downs of the mortgage industry, I’ve learned that challenging market conditions offer two choices: stand still and hope for improvements or go on the offensive and invest in positioning your company for long-term success. Today’s market represents one of those pivotal moments, with recent data indicating slower home price growth and a potential cooling of the housing sector. ICE’s July 2025 Mortgage Monitor highlighted a 1.3% annual home price growth slowdown and price declines in 30% of the largest markets, signaling an opportunity to re-evaluate how you can prepare for your next wave of growth. 

As the industry awaits a decline in rates and an uptick in borrower demand, here are four proven strategies to enhance operational efficiency and maintain a competitive edge for your organization, whether you operate as a mortgage lender or a servicer.

1. Assess your current workflow to identify gaps and opportunities

I cannot overstate the importance of conducting a comprehensive review of your current workflows enough, whether for originating new loans, driving customer retention or managing home equity loans and HELOC opportunities. Efficiency is not just a buzzword; it is critical for managing increased volume without overburdening your team. Start by auditing your processes and mapping out each step of your origination and servicing workflows to identify bottlenecks, manual tasks and error-prone processes. Next, evaluate the customer experience so your systems can support interactions that are both smooth for customers and easily expandable as business grows. Finally, prepare for scalability by developing an operational plan that can support volume fluctuations without requiring significant staffing changes. Remember, maintaining robust customer relationships now puts you in the best position to retain borrowers and capture new ones when interest rates drop. 

2. Maximize your existing technology investment

As you focus on nurturing borrower relationships and preparing for future opportunities, it’s equally important to ensure that your operational foundation is optimized for success. By regularly reassessing your technology stack, you’re improving your operations by tapping into the latest offerings and advancements available to you. Investing in targeted training and a proactive approach to technology adoption can also help your team prepare for future demands.

Many organizations invest heavily in software but do not implement powerful, time-saving updates as they are released. Start by collaborating closely with your technology providers to identify training opportunities that allow your team to fully utilize these tools, driving both efficiency and compliance. For originators, automation features and task-based workflows are among the tools that provide the highest return on investment. On the servicing side, automated loan boarding and a streamlined lien release process are just a few of the tools that can significantly reduce manual workloads for their teams. These enhancements not only streamline operations, but they also position your organization for scalable growth.

3. Evaluate your current technology partners

It’s important to partner with technology providers that prioritize continuous improvement to stay ahead in a competitive market. Leveraging modern technology, like AI and automation, is no longer optional, but fundamental to future-proofing your operations. By leveraging partners who stay on the forefront of innovation, you can benefit from new tools that can eliminate repetitive manual tasks, enabling your team to focus on higher-value, strategic initiatives. What’s more, you should have scalability at the core of your systems to allow your team to adapt seamlessly to market fluctuations without requiring costly operational overhauls. Strategic moves today can position your organization for sustainable growth and operational excellence tomorrow.

4. Reduce friction between origination and servicing wherever possible

For organizations that support both origination and servicing, better connecting your lending and servicing workflows can have a lasting impact both for bottom line and customer satisfaction.  Begin by connecting your systems to unify the flow of data and experience between your origination and servicing systems.

This will help you reduce errors and streamline processes. Breaking down silos within your organization by establishing shared goals and collaborative strategies fosters cohesive teamwork geared toward delivering superior borrower experiences. Investing in these efforts not only minimizes processing redundancies and delays but also helps your business to stay ahead in a competitive market.

Prepare your organization for success now

The steps you take today will determine how well you’re positioned to capitalize on the next market shift. By streamlining workflows, fully leveraging technology, partnering with innovative providers and reducing operational silos, you can evolve into a more efficient and adaptable organization.

At the heart of your strategy should be a commitment to leveraging partners who understand the mortgage industry and are invested in innovation. Doing so will help you both drive efficiency and equip your organization to adapt alongside broader industry trends. 

At ICE Mortgage Technology, we focus on advancing the industry by providing a neutral platform that connects each stage of the mortgage process. This integrated experience streamlines home financing, making it more efficient and accessible for all participants. Our flexible and scalable system is built to support businesses of any size, regardless of pipeline volume or portfolio complexity.

John Hedlund is the Vice Chair at ICE Mortgage Technology.