What does AI really mean for mortgage professionals? In this in-depth discussion, Joe Welu, CEO of Total Expert, breaks down the difference between true AI and automation hype. Learn how AI is optimizing customer engagement, streamlining operations, and driving efficiency in the lending industry. Don’t miss these insights from a fintech leader.

From a basement startup to an industry leader

Founded in 2012, Total Expert started as a tool for loan officers and real estate agents and has since evolved into an enterprise-level platform powering some of the industry’s top financial institutions.

“We came from a perspective of believing in the power of homeownership and wanted to build capabilities that helped mortgage lenders connect directly with consumers,” Welu said. “Today, our mission is to deliver the perfect customer journey for all financial milestones, from buying a home to leveraging home equity.”

A foundation of customer obsession

A key differentiator for Total Expert is its commitment to customer success.

“One of our core values is customer obsession,” Welu explained. “We believe that if we help our customers win and achieve real business outcomes, then we earn the right to build a company around that.”

Total Expert operates with a partnership mentality, believing that lenders don’t just receive software but ongoing value and support.

“So many tech companies deliver a solution and move on,” Welu said. “We believe in a long-term partnership, evolving alongside our customers and continuously improving to meet their needs.”

How AI is reshaping customer engagement and sales

“We’ve made substantial AI investments, and we see two major opportunities,” Welu said. “The first is predictive intelligence, helping lenders identify key financial moments that indicate when a borrower may be looking to buy, sell, or refinance. The second is AI agents, which act as virtual assistants to help loan officers manage and engage with leads.”

These AI-driven assistants can handle lead nurturing, follow-ups, and appointment setting, giving loan officers more time to focus on high-value conversations.

“We’re currently in a tight pilot program with human-like voice AI agents,” Welu revealed. “They can text, call, and respond to inquiries in real time—essentially acting as a multiplier for a lender’s sales team.”

A force multiplier for lenders

Welu believes that AI is not replacing loan officers but rather enhancing their capabilities.

“Our AI tools don’t replace the LO—they make good loan officers even better,” he said. “By eliminating repetitive tasks and improving customer engagement, we’re helping lenders scale their businesses without hiring more people.”

According to Total Expert’s early pilot data, AI-driven lead engagement is already matching or outperforming human conversion rates.

“If you take the top 20% of LOs and give them AI-driven superpowers, imagine the impact that has on productivity and revenue,” Welu said.

Differentiating via AI and customer intelligence

“AI is taking our mission of customer obsession to the next level,” he said. “By layering AI into customer intelligence and journey automation, we’re helping lenders engage borrowers at scale in ways that simply weren’t possible before.”

Beyond AI, Total Expert is refreshing its entire sales experience in 2025.

“We’re rolling out a brand-new sales experience, ensuring that every touchpoint delivers maximum value for our customers,” Welu said. “We want to be the clear market leader in this space.”

The role of customer feedback

Total Expert’s innovation is fueled by ongoing collaboration with clients.

“We’ve learned over the years that we can’t just chase one-off requests—we have to prioritize solutions that create substantial value across our entire customer base,” Welu said. “That’s why expanding our Customer Intelligence Suite and AI-driven capabilities became a top priority for us.”

What’s next for Total Expert?

As Total Expert continues its rapid AI expansion, Welu remains focused on delivering real, measurable value to the mortgage industry.

“The AI revolution isn’t coming—it’s already here,” he said. “We are in the midst of the biggest technology shift in human history, and the pace of change is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.”

By enhancing sales automation, leveraging predictive AI, and deepening customer intelligence, Total Expert is positioning itself as the ultimate technology partner for lenders in 2025 and beyond.

“We’re not just making incremental improvements—we’re reimagining what’s possible for lenders, loan officers, and borrowers,” Welu said. “And we’re just getting started.”

*This article was reposted from HousingWire.com*

The post AI & Mortgage Innovation: Joe Welu on the Next Frontier in Lending appeared first on Total Expert.

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They say trends are cyclical, and here’s one that’s back in a big way: Multigenerational housing. A longtime norm that faded through the mid-20^th century is rapidly returning. And it’s reshaping the American housing market.

This demographic shift presents a unique opportunity for mortgage professionals. By understanding the diverse needs and financial situations within multigenerational households, lenders can cultivate deeper customer relationships, expand their business reach, and foster long-term loyalty.

The numbers tell the story

Census data shows the number of people living in multigenerational family households quadrupled from 1971-2021, reaching 59.7 million in March 2021. That’s roughly 18% of the U.S. population. 

This trend is even more sharply pronounced among younger Americans—the so-called “boomerang generation.” According to the Pew Research Center, a quarter of all adults ages 25 to 34 now live in a household with two or more adult generations—and RentCafe’s research estimates that 68% of Gen Z’ers over 18 still live with their parents. Even among millennials, 20% have returned home or never left.

What’s behind the rise in multi-gen housing?

This resurgence of multigenerational living isn’t simply a matter of “going back” to the past. It represents an adaptation to several converging factors:

• Economic pressures: Skyrocketing housing costs, coupled with student loan debt and persistent inflation, have made independent living increasingly challenging, especially for young adults. Sharing expenses and pooling resources within a multigenerational household offers a much-needed financial buffer.
• Caregiving needs: At both ends of the age spectrum, caregiving responsibilities are pushing families together. The high cost of childcare often compels new parents to seek support from relatives. Simultaneously, as the population ages, caring for elderly parents at home has become a common and often necessary arrangement.
• Cultural shifts: While the nuclear family model has long dominated American culture, attitudes are changing. Many are recognizing the benefits of intergenerational support, connection, and shared experiences. Moreover, multigenerational living is more common and accepted in certain cultures, contributing to its overall rise as the demographics of the U.S. shift.
• Life transitions: Beyond purely financial considerations, multigenerational living can provide a valuable support system during significant life transitions. Whether it’s recent graduates launching their careers, new parents adjusting to family life, or individuals navigating job losses or other challenges, living with family can offer stability and emotional support.

How lenders can serve the many faces of multigenerational housing

The rise of multigenerational housing presents both a challenge and an opportunity for lenders. The first task is to recognize that multi-gen housing is not a monolithic demographic but a wide range of scenarios, each with unique financial considerations:

• Recent college graduates staying with parents: Faced with mounting student loan debt and a competitive housing market, many young adults are opting to live with their parents after graduation. This allows them to save for a down payment, improve their credit, and gain financial stability before venturing into homeownership.
• New parents living with relatives: The high cost of childcare is a significant burden for many new parents. Living with relatives can provide much-needed support, both financially and practically. This arrangement often necessitates larger living spaces, leading to renovations, additions, or even the purchase of multi-family homes.
• Middle-aged adults caring for aging parents: As the population ages, more families are choosing to care for their elderly parents at home. This can involve home modifications to accommodate aging in place and specialized financial planning to manage healthcare costs and long-term care needs.

Adapting engagement & offers

Lenders must tailor their communication to address the unique needs of different individuals within the broader multi-gen housing demographic. This could include creating targeted content, hosting educational workshops, or partnering with community organizations.

Moreover, the mortgage products and financing options behind this engagement need to be tailored to these individuals’ unique goals. This could include renovation loans for adapting homes to accommodate multiple generations, home equity solutions to leverage existing assets, and even reverse mortgages to help aging homeowners access funds. By embracing flexibility and creativity, lenders can cater to the unique circumstances of multigenerational families.

Building an enterprise-level strategy for multigenerational housing

The growing multigenerational housing market represents a significant opportunity that deserves more than ad hoc approaches. Lenders cannot leave this opportunity fully in the hands of individual loan officers—they need to establish an enterprise-level strategy that ensures everyone, from loan officers to underwriters to marketing teams, understands the nuances of multigenerational housing and is prepared to engage these borrowers with sensitivity and expertise.

• Invest in training and development: Equip your team with the knowledge and skills to effectively engage with multigenerational borrowers. This includes training on different loan products, financial planning strategies, and culturally sensitive communication.
• Build a network of partners: Connect with other professionals who serve this demographic, such as financial advisors, elder care specialists, and contractors specializing in home modifications. This creates a holistic support system for your borrowers and strengthens your position as a trusted advisor.
• Embrace technology: Leverage technology to personalize the lending experience. This could involve online tools for financial planning, virtual consultations, or digital resources tailored to specific multigenerational scenarios.
• Foster a customer-centric culture: Make sure your entire organization, from loan officers to underwriters, understands the importance of building relationships and providing exceptional service to multigenerational families.

By embracing these strategies, lenders can position themselves at the forefront of this evolving market, capturing a growing share and solidifying their role as essential partners in helping families achieve their homeownership dreams. More than ever, borrowers need trusted advisors who understand their unique circumstances and can offer personalized guidance. The future of lending lies in recognizing these evolving needs and adapting to meet them with flexibility, innovation, and a genuine commitment to customer service. This is a defining moment for the industry, and those who seize this opportunity will not only thrive in the years to come but also play a vital role in shaping the future of housing in America.

The post The Return of the Multigenerational Home and the Evolving Role of Lenders appeared first on Total Expert.

Even after the Federal Reserve made three rate cuts in the second half of 2024, mortgage rates still climbed to nearly 7% by New Year’s Eve. That’s not the result anyone hoped for and has understandably left many lenders and loan officers asking, “What the Fed?” 

We covered the reasons why mortgage rates don’t immediately fall along with the Fed rate in our recent blog: How to Engage Your Customers About the Fed Rate Cuts, but sitting back and waiting for mortgage rates to come down won’t help you build pipeline or generate loans. 

Being proactive and focusing on building your relationships with borrowers, homeowners, and real estate partners will position you for success no matter what happens with the market in 2025. 

Four out of five economists agree: They don’t know what’s going to happen 

Depending on your news source (and the date of publication), 2025 was going to be a rebound year for the housing market. Rates would continue to fall, inventory would increase, and refi opportunities would be kicking down your door! That was then. Now? Not so fast. 

Inflation refuses to play nice, and employment data isn’t inspiring confidence, causing the Fed to backpedal on any proposed rate cuts in 2025 and pull the rug out from under everyone.  

This uncertainty makes it difficult for lenders and loan officers to implement and execute long-term strategies. But focusing entirely on chasing short-term opportunities means sacrificing stability, loyalty, and continued success beyond 2025. 

Expect continued market volatility throughout 2025 

The general consensus as of publication (January 6, 2025) is that the housing market will follow a similar pattern of short-term mortgage rate drops followed by short-term hikes. 

“Heightened mortgage rate volatility may present opportunities for would-be homebuyers to take advantage of temporary lows,” wrote Fannie Mae Chief Economist Mark Palim, who foresees rates falling to about 6% by the end of 2025. “We may see stretches where housing activity is boosted by lower rates.” 

This volatility presents lenders and loan officers with opportunities to educate customers about the state of the market and provide advice based on their needs and goals.  

Loan opportunities are out there. We’ll help you find them. 

Your customers may not have the option to sit back and wait for mortgage rates to fall. Relocating for work, growing their family, downsizing for retirement, and plenty of other life events can force them to make mortgage-related decisions sooner than they’d hoped. 

Customer retention in the mortgage industry continues to lag behind other financial fields, with just one in five borrowers returning to the same lender when they have a new mortgage need. Having the right tools and strategies in place to nurture relationships with past customers will make it easier to recapture their business when they need to make their next mortgage-related decision. 

But finding and engaging those opportunities doesn’t have to take hours of digging through your database. Total Expert Customer Intelligence monitors your entire database and alerts you when a contact has their credit pulled, lists a property, qualifies for a better rate, or reaches an equity threshold. And with our latest Life Event insights, your contact records are continuously updated with the latest available data to help you engage every customer in authentic, meaningful conversations as their life—and financial situation—evolves. 

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR 

Turn Data into a Strategy to Win Customers for Life 

Join Total Expert’s James White and Fifth Third Bank’s Ann Marie Wallace for a discussion about how to harness your data and use it to drive more meaningful engagements with your customers in 2025 and beyond. 

The post Don’t Let Mortgage Rates Dictate Your Success in 2025  appeared first on Total Expert.

Marketing is part science, part art. There are systems and strategies that you can implement to help make promoting your brand and engaging with customers faster, easier, and more replicable. But without adding the human element (that’s you!), you risk putting off customers by delivering generic messaging and running into compliance issues by not properly vetting your lead sources. 

Our own VP of Marketing, Donnie Kenneth, joined Justin Ulrich of Evocalize on their Local Marketing Lab podcast to share how loan officers can bring personalization to their marketing automation, lead-gen strategies for the upcoming year, and how to fuel long-term growth by prioritizing relationships over transactions. 

The post The Future of Compliant Lead Generation [Evocalize podcast] appeared first on Total Expert.

Leaders of banks, credit unions, and other financial services organizations have been on a roller coaster over the last five years. Signs suggest some of that disarray will settle in 2025 as interest rates drop and inflationary pressures ease. Yet, according to Deloitte, the top challenge for financial institutions in 2025 will be adapting to what it calls a “low-growth, low-rate” environment, where a mix of slower consumer spending, higher unemployment, and lingering geopolitical and regulatory uncertainties keep us teetering on the edge of a recession that’s been threatening the last three years.

But leaders need to resist rash reactions to these anxieties because, as we’ve said before, financial institutions can’t cut their way to growth. Those that pull back too strongly on investing in innovation will quickly damage customer experience and hurt long-term loyalty—and won’t be ready to capture opportunities when conditions do begin to turn around.

Success in 2025 depends on thinking beyond the next quarter. Financial institutions need to build enterprise-level strategies that position their businesses for long-term success.

So, what does that long-term, enterprise-level strategy look like?

How we got here: Boom times shifted the focus from relationships to transactions

Think back to the five years leading up to the start of the pandemic: Things were good. Many financial institutions saw such high business volume that they were just trying to get the transactions done. Strategies became ad hoc and short-term—making quick hires to throw people at the problem and/or piling on point-solution products that promise to solve specific issues.

We can look past the pandemic period of 2020-2021 as a (hopefully) once-in-a-century anomaly. But when rates started increasing in 2022 and the economy slowed down, the transactional focus of many financial institutions led to some knee-jerk reactions: cutting costs, cutting staff, and cutting vendor expenses.

The economy proved surprisingly resilient, holding off the recession that was forecast in 2022 and 2023. Some financial institutions saw volume bounce back—forcing them to quickly add staff and develop ad hoc strategies to keep up.

Today, we’re back to worrying about a slowdown. We’re seeing major banks worldwide announce significant job cuts, with Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Goldman Sachs all making huge layoffs.

What smart financial institutions do differently: invest in a long-term growth strategy

The most successful financial institutions over the last several years (and, more broadly, the most successful businesses across all sectors) share a common strategy: They didn’t enact massive cuts. In fact, many invested more, doubling down on building the best tech stack and developing extremely efficient processes.

There are two outcomes of this double-down strategy:

1. Leading financial institutions remain leaders in delivering best-in-class customer experience. After all, with revenue already down, no business wants to lose customers. And with FinTech disruptors constantly innovating, if you’re not keeping up, you’re falling behind.
2. Leading financial institutions are able to build the scalable infrastructure they need to capture opportunities at speed. So, when the economy turns back around, they’ll be instantly ready to handle the increased volume—without having to add incremental costs by throwing staff at the problem.

Case study: Lake Michigan Credit Union maintains mortgage purchase volume through high-rate years

A great example of this is Lake Michigan Credit Union: As rates rose over the last two and a half years, this credit union’s mortgage volumes stayed far higher than most.

Why? Because when the refi boom occurred back in 2020-2021, Lake Michigan CU stayed the course on its overall strategy of balancing purchase and refi business. They didn’t over-index on refi, so they were able to stay consistent through the down economy.

Moreover, they continued to evolve and advance their tech stack. Bet on them to be at the front of the line to capture volume when it returns.

Learn more in our case study with Lake Michigan Credit Union >

Three pillars of a long-term strategy

How can financial institution leaders take a long view on positioning themselves for success when the economy turns around?

Here are three key pillars of a long-term strategy:

1. Building an enterprise-wide data strategy

Financial institutions generally have three main pools of data: accounting, marketing, and IT. These data pools are typically not well integrated—and short-term strategies tend to only reinforce those data silos.

To effectively leverage data to interact and prospect, financial institutions need to develop an enterprise-wide data strategy that integrates all their data to unlock new insights and drive better outcomes. The benefits of consolidated data management will almost inevitably come in the form of better marketing ROI, improved customer interactions, and even increased profitability.

Today, we’re seeing more and more financial institutions hiring consultants to help them design this kind of overarching data strategy—delineating how data will be aggregated and integrated. A comprehensive data strategy will also set data governance policies to ensure data is cleaned and protected—and define how compliance teams handle data to ensure sensitive data is locked down properly.

2. Reducing friction points in CX (and EX)

Leading financial institutions are doubling down on tech investments, particularly around reducing friction points in their customer experiences (CX) and employee experiences (EX). Building a tech stack that works seamlessly together often means consolidation. Following an analysis, the financial institution will work to remove duplicative or point products and replace them with widely adopted, comprehensive platforms.

For customers, that means delivering omnichannel, predictive, and hyper-personalized experiences. For employees, it means connecting data silos and making it easy for them to get the information and workflows they need to be productive.

3. Enhancing internal training & onboarding

The short-term, transactional approach treats staff as fungible resources: When volume goes down, financial institutions lay off employees. Because when volume comes back, it seems easy to just hire additional people.

This approach overlooks the reality that the value of employees largely depends on their experience.

Moreover, training is the only shortcut to experience. A smart, long-term strategy focuses on maximizing the value of a financial institution’s human resources. Building strong internal processes and training programs will ensure employees are both able to execute well within your environment and enable you to more efficiently and effectively onboard new staff if you need to add people to accommodate volume.

Double down on relationships & build long-term loyalty

Right now, we’re seeing a sharp divide in how financial institutions are reacting to slowing growth amid other persistent economic anxieties and uncertainties.

It feels like half of financial institution leaders are waking up every day scared—and letting those emotions guide an overall strategy toward a much shorter-term focus. Of course, it’s human nature to get concerned when revenues drop. The natural temptation is to slash costs and take a month-to-month or quarter-by-quarter view on survival. But it’s never smart to let emotions guide enterprise strategy.

The other half are doubling down—continuing to focus on improving CX and deepening loyalty. They’re building scalable business models that will let them pounce on opportunities, without the chaos and costs of having to scramble to add people and build ad hoc processes when the moment of opportunity hits.

Total Expert General Manager of Banking James White says, “It isn’t about cutting costs. It’s about giving your organization the ability to generate more revenue for every dollar spent.”

Cutting back and focusing on survival is a risky proposition. By doubling down on what you need to win loyalty today and capture volume in the future, your financial institution will be able to differentiate from transaction-focused financial institutions—and win the long game by earning customers for life.

—

Building deeper customer relationships starts by truly understanding your customers’ financial needs and goals. Learn how Total Expert Customer Intelligence can give you the insights you need to engage your customers in more meaningful conversations.

The post Prioritizing Lifetime Loyalty: Thinking Beyond the Next Quarter appeared first on Total Expert.

The Fed rate cuts that hopeful homebuyers were waiting for are finally starting to materialize. Yet, mortgage rates haven’t immediately fallen. In fact, mortgage rates ticked up a bit in October after the first rate cut in September. 

Homebuyers are anxiously wondering what’s going on—and what’s coming next. This presents a huge opportunity to earn their trust by providing education, guidance, and insights into what they can expect from the housing market in the coming months.  

Mortgage lenders and loan officers (LOs) need to engage potential homebuyers to help them understand the complex dynamics and nuances of our industry. They need to help them feel (at least a little) more comfortable with what to expect. Earning their trust today will help lock in their business when they do make a mortgage-related decision—whether it’s their first home purchase, an upsize or downsize, or a long-awaited refinance. 

Borrowers and homeowners want an expert they can rely on to answer their questions and offer guidance on the complicated mortgage market. Loan officers need to be able to speak as this kind of expert authority on factors influencing mortgage rates, as well as the broader housing market.  

Explaining the “Fed rate”? 

While this might be “Mortgage 101” to you, most people only have a general understanding that the “Fed rate” is important in shaping the interest rates that consumers see on mortgages and other loans. So, it can be helpful to provide your customers with a broader definition and discussion of what the “Fed rate” is, and how the Federal Reserve thinks about its decisions to raise or lower that rate. 

The “Fed rate” is the federal funds rate—the interest rate at which banks lend money to each other overnight to meet reserve requirements set by the Federal Reserve (the U.S. central bank). The Fed rate is one of the Federal Reserve’s only tools for fulfilling its “dual mandate” of maintaining stable inflation and maximizing employment.  

By lowering the rate, the Fed can stimulate borrowing, spending, and hiring during economic slowdowns, boosting employment. Conversely, by raising the rate, the Fed can cool down excessive borrowing and spending, helping to control inflation when the economy is overheated.  

But this is a delicate and extraordinarily difficult balance to achieve. The Fed rate is an admittedly “blunt” tool for influencing economic stability. And Fed rate changes have an infamous “long and variable lag,” meaning the impacts take months to play out. 

Why Fed rates don’t directly drive mortgage rates 

The Fed’s decision to cut rates in September and November 2024 undoubtedly included hopes of easing the unprecedented tension in the housing market. But there are several reasons why mortgage rates aren’t following Fed rates on a linear basis: 

The mortgage market already priced in initial Fed rate cuts 

The Fed began signaling its intention to cut rates way back in December 2023. Experts debated the timing and size of those cuts through most of 2024, but the sense of inevitability only grew stronger—peaking in August as evidenced by some anticipating emergency rate cuts and others predicting a massive .75% cut. 

Many mortgage lenders took calculated risks by lowering their rates in advance of a likely Fed rate cut. The goal was to capture constrained homebuying demand by being among the first to lower their rates. By the time the Fed rate cuts were announced on September 18, most lenders had already priced in that initial .5% drop. 

In other words, the mortgage market does not always respond to the federal funds, but rather anticipates where that rate is headed in the near future. This naturally leads to the other two macroeconomic factors that have actually pushed mortgage rates higher since the Fed’s September rate cut. 

Employment data indicates a strong economy 

Jobs reports in the U.S. continue to exceed expectations, signaling broader economic strength. This strong job market persists in spite of geopolitical and macroeconomic headwinds and in defiance of both historic norms and expert-predicted slowing. 

Mortgage lenders look at employment data as a sign of where demand will be in the coming months. A strong economy puts no pressure on lenders to lower mortgage rates. Moreover, employment data is also a reliable indicator of what the Fed will do with its rates in the coming months. If the job market remains hot, the Fed may hold off on additional rate cuts (and rate hikes may even re-enter the conversation). 

Inflation has stagnated 

We’ve come a long way from the surging inflation we saw 18 months ago. Inflation now sits relatively close to the Fed’s 2% target. But experts always warned the “final mile” would be the most challenging.  

The mortgage market looks at inflation as a signal of what the Fed will do next. Fed officials made it clear throughout 2024 that they’re anxious about easing up too early—and they’re firm on their 2% target. So, stubborn inflation may contribute to a decision to hold off on further rate cuts in the near future. 

Demand remains low in the mortgage-backed securities market 

Mortgage lenders view mortgages as financial products and one of the main ways they realize value on these products is through the sale of mortgage-backed securities (MBS).  

As a result, mortgage rates can be heavily influenced by investor demand for MBS: When MBS are in high demand, lenders can realize higher yields. So, they’re incentivized to lower mortgage rates to drive mortgage volume and capture those higher yields. 

Right now, inflation and other factors (even lingering effects from the 2008 housing crisis) are keeping demand for MBS relatively low. So, the MBS is not putting any downward pressure on mortgage rates. 

What to watch: 10-year Treasury yields signal mortgage rates 

Admittedly, the four factors above are just part of what’s influencing mortgage rates. The complex interplay of various factors is hard for even experts to untangle and reliably predict. 

The best advice you can give homebuyers wondering where mortgage rates are headed: Watch the Fed’s 10-year Treasury yields. This figure provides a reliable shortcut to anticipating mortgage rates, rather than trying to calculate the relative influence of various macroeconomic factors on their own. 

That’s because mortgages are long-term investments. So, the mortgage market values long-term indicators over short-term signals. The federal funds rate is considered a short-term rate (for the aforementioned overnight borrowing between banks). But the 10-year Treasury yield is one of the most reliable long-term indicators. It incorporates investor sentiment about future economic strength, global economic trends, and inflation expectations. 

Right now, 10-year Treasury yields remain high by historic standards. After peaking in late 2023, they hit a recent low in mid-2024 and climbed back up in recent weeks. We’ve seen mortgage rates take a very similar path over the last year. 

How education now can build loyalty for later 

Loan officers are likely frustrated that long-awaited rate cuts haven’t resulted in a massive surge in homebuying. And they’re certainly not excited to see mortgage rates ticking up recently. But these pains his potential homebuyers even harder. 

The best strategy at the moment is to lean into an empathetic approach: Recognize that homebuyers are feeling even more frustrated and confused by the mortgage market. This presents a tremendous opportunity to meet homebuyers where they’re at—engaging them with helpful education on what’s happening in the mortgage market right now. 

Providing this much-needed support and guidance around how and when the Fed rate will impact mortgage interest rates can build invaluable trust and sow the seeds for long-term loyalty. So, when the time is right, you’ll be their first call.   

How Will the Federal Reserve’s Interest Rate Cuts Impact Lenders?

Hear what Total Expert Founder & CEO Joe Welu and Chief Lending Officer Dan Catinella think lenders and loan officers can expect if rates continue to drop on the Expert Insights Podcast >

The post How to Engage Your Customers About the Fed Rate Cuts appeared first on Total Expert.

FinTech software doesn’t suffer from a supply-and-demand problem. There are dozens of powerful, innovative tools and technologies that modern financial institutions can leverage to simplify and streamline their operations, lead management, sales outreach, and marketing campaigns. 

The challenge is identifying which solutions best meet your organization’s needs and creating a tech stack that’s free from redundancies and excessive strains on your budget. That’s why we created the Total Expert Marketplace: to help you search, select, and secure the integrations you need to get the most out of your tech stack. 

What is the Total Expert Marketplace? 

The Total Expert Marketplace is designed to be a one-stop digital shop that features easy-to-integrate technologies at every stage. Our goal is to help financial institutions of all sizes find innovative tech solutions that expand and enhance their existing investment in the Total Expert platform. Every partner in the Total Expert Marketplace is carefully chosen to provide out-of-the-box integrations that users can leverage quickly to deliver the experiences their customers deserve. This a la carte approach allows each Total Expert customer to implement only the solutions they need as their business grows, making it effortlessly scalable and ensuring compliance at every turn. 

We also invite Marketplace Partners to collaborate with the Total Expert team to ensure that every integration with the Total Expert platform provides the frictionless functionality our customers need to deliver the perfect financial journey and maximize the lifetime value of every customer or member. 

Who are the Total Expert Marketplace Partners? 

Capacity 

Capacity is a support automation platform that uses AI to answer questions and automate repetitive tasks. The Total Expert integration allows users to perform various functions from Total Expert, like searching and creating contacts, adding notes, and more—all through chat or text. 

Adwerx 

Adwerx is an industry-leading digital advertising automation platform that provides personalized, hyper-targeted, and fully automated digital advertising solutions for mortgage lending companies and their top loan officers. Adwerx provides an easy-to-use, affordable advertising solution that exposes your brand to new audiences and deepens relationships with your most valuable contacts. 

InGenius 

Simplicity in a complex business: Multiply your growth through actionable intelligence in mortgage recruiting and overall mortgage market analytics. 

Verse.AI 

Verse.ai is a powerful two-way conversation platform that combines AI with SMS to enable compliant, scalable, and customizable automated texts that drive real results. Their solution helps mortgage and financial services businesses accelerate revenue growth by actively engaging and converting leads while simultaneously assisting with cutting costs by streamlining operations, reducing operational spending, and enhancing efficiency. 

DirectMailers 

Dynamic direct mail marketing delivers a targeted marketing strategy that allows you to send personalized mail pieces directly to customers or prospects. This can all be done automatically by interacting with Total Expert’s journey automation. By leveraging the DirectMailers creative team and delivery best practices, you will be able to automate personalized, compliant mailings that can be tracked for delivery and engagement to drive better ROI out of your direct mail campaigns. 

Experience.com 

Experience.com is a pioneering SaaS platform with top-tier AI-powered solutions for online reputation and experience management. They drive enhanced online visibility and boost customer and employee engagement. The integration with Total Expert empowers customers to convert data insights into immediate, actionable improvements that elevate customer satisfaction, foster brand loyalty, and enhance their online reputation. 

Birdeye 

Birdeye is the leading reputation, social media, and customer experience platform for local businesses and brands. Over 150,000 businesses use Birdeye’s all-in-one platform to effortlessly manage their online reputation, grow their social presence, connect digitally, and improve customer experiences. 

Clever 

Clever leverages its premier agent-matching technology, data insights, and network of realtors to simplify the mortgage process using its engagement suite, rewards ecosystem, and home concierge to help businesses grow and enhance borrower engagement. 

What do our partners think about the Total Expert Marketplace? 

Adwerx 

“Adwerx and Total Expert have been collaborating closely for years. So, when the opportunity to officially join the Total Expert Marketplace came up, we eagerly embraced it. Our regular team meetings provide invaluable insights and generate real opportunities for existing and potential customers. Together, we enhance our service to customers, ensuring they maximize the value of both platforms.” 

– Dan London, Adwerx Chief Marketing Officer 

DirectMailers

“We are thrilled to be part of Total Expert’s Marketplace to help more organizations see the power of multi-channel direct mail marketing. We have been servicing the mortgage and banking industry for the past three decades, and partnering with Total Expert has enabled us to help more lenders see how direct mail can support marketing, from opted-in leads to closing more funded loans.” 

– Richard Irwin, DirectMailers Chief Executive Officer and Founder 

What are our customers saying about the Total Expert Marketplace? 

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation 

Fairway combines Total Expert’s Credit Inquiry Alerts with their DirectMailers integrations to ensure they provide a Firm Offer of Credit (FOC) to every contact they monitor for credit inquiry activity. Financial institutions are legally required to provide an FOC via traditional mail or email within a specific timeframe once an alert has been delivered for any credit inquiries pulled through a credit bureau. 

The DirectMailers integration allows Fairway to automatically deliver personalized FOC postcards whenever they receive a credit inquiry alert. 

“The integration was easy and seamless. We worked with Total Expert directly to implement, and we were up and running quickly. Leveraging the Total Expert + Direct Mailers integration has freed up time for our team, and we no longer have to manage the process manually. Additionally, we are impressed with how easy it is to customize the postcard to ensure it reflects our needs.” 

– Jaci Betor, Fairway CRM Solutions Architect 

Visit the Total Expert Marketplace to learn more about our Partners and explore these seamless integrations! 

The post Build the Tech Stack Your Organization Deserves with the Total Expert Marketplace  appeared first on Total Expert.

The boards of banks and credit unions are often very different, but there are three tried-and-true ways to convince them that it’s time to prioritize your institution’s digital transformation and secure the budget for the technology you need. 

Understand what your board of directors wants 

If you can get a good sense of what your board (or budget committee) is prioritizing in the coming years—revenue growth, process efficiency, quick ROI, customer/member experience, etc.—you’ll be able to present your digital transformation as a critical piece of their plans. 

No two financial institutions have the same plans or needs for their technology and digital tools, but your larger strategies (frictionless payments, digital transformation, fraud management, etc.) should work together to support the board’s vision. Being able to demonstrate how specific technology solutions will accomplish that makes it difficult for the board to say no. 

Proactively address tech fatigue 

From core systems and LOS to marketing automation and social media tools, teams across financial institutions everywhere are juggling more tech platforms than they can handle. And boards are growing weary of being asked to dedicate more budget to more platforms. 

The key here is to demonstrate your intentions to simplify, streamline, and remove redundancies from your current tech stack to create an integrated ecosystem that provides access to your team’s most valuable digital tools within a single platform. 

Attach your digital transformation to an already-funded project 

If your budgets are already locked in for the next year, look for opportunities to combine your initiative with other marketing- or technology-focused projects that may have a buffer built in for “scope creep” or unexpected costs. 

This might require some creativity (and maybe calling in a few favors from other departments), but it allows you to chip away at the most pressing technology needs on your list while you wait for the next budget season to open up. 

Download our Banking Budget Toolkit

Nobody will understand your team’s technology needs like you do, so your challenge is to show the board how investing in a digital transformation will benefit your entire organization and how continuing to delay will negatively affect their long-term goals. 

That’s why we created a free Banking Budget Toolkit to help you build a case and secure the funding you need to modernize your tech stack.

The post 3 Ways Banking Leaders Can Secure Funding for Engagement Platforms That Fuel Growth  appeared first on Total Expert.