Fintech Hunting

That's one of the questions that stayed with me after recording the latest episode of the  Fintech Hunting Podcast  with my good friend and returning guest, Richard Lombardi of ICE Mortgage Technology. I've always enjoyed my conversations with Richard. With more than 30 years of experience in data, analytics, and financial services, he brings tremendous knowledge to the table. But what I a...

MBA Annual is almost here—and this year, we’re going bigger. Yes, we’re heading to Chicago to talk about AI, technology, profitability, innovation, marketing, and where the mortgage industry is headed. But more importantly,  we’re going for the people. In this special pre-MBA Annual episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with his friend and media partner Dalila Ramos to...

TITLE: Mortgage AI Exposed: The 2 Out of 3 Opportunities Lenders Miss | Josh Friend DESCRIPTION: What if mortgage lenders don’t need more leads? What if the bigger problem is that they’re failing to convert the opportunities they already have? In this episode of  The FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Josh Friend, CEO and Founder of Insellerate , to separate AI hype from AI...

Mortgage rates are rising again—but the opportunity in mortgage lending isn’t disappearing.  It’s moving. In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with  Eloise Schmitz, CEO of LoanNEX , to unpack what the latest shifts in  DSCR, non-agency lending, investment-property loans, home equity and second liens  are telling us about where the mortgage market may be heading...

Everyone in mortgage is talking about AI. But what happens when you put powerful AI on top of a broken process? You don’t necessarily create transformation. You may just make the problem faster. In this episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Ruth Lee and Eric Kujala of ICE Mortgage Technology  for a candid conversation about artificial intelligence, automation, m...

What if lenders could identify issues before a loan ever reaches underwriting—and give underwriters more time to focus on the decisions that actually require their expertise? That’s the opportunity Naren Krishna and the team at Balerion AI are bringing to the mortgage industry. In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Naren, CEO and Co-Founder of Balerion AI,...

What if lenders could identify issues  before a loan ever reaches underwriting —and give underwriters more time to focus on the decisions that actually require their expertise? That’s the opportunity  Naren Krishna and the team at Balerion AI  are bringing to the mortgage industry. In this episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with Naren, CEO and Co-Founder of Balerio...

ou bought the AI. You implemented the technology. So why isn’t the ROI showing up? In this episode of  The FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Suha Beidas Zehl, CMB, CEO of Z Technologies , for a candid conversation about one of the biggest challenges facing mortgage and financial services leaders today: turning AI investment into actual business results. The technology may n...

Mortgage AI is already inside lender workflows, vendor platforms and employee tools. But if a regulator, investor or business partner asked where AI is being used, who owns the risk and how those decisions are governed—could your organization provide a clear answer? In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Brian Vieaux, President of MISMO, to examine the growi...

AI-Powered vs. AI-Native: What Mortgage Lenders Need to Know YouTube Description What is the difference between AI-powered mortgage technology and an AI-native mortgage platform—and does that distinction actually matter to lenders? In this episode of the Fintech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Brianna Lin, co-founder of Copperlane AI, to examine what AI-native mortgage origination...

Stop Chasing Mortgage Leads: Your Next Deal Is Already in Your Database YOU ALREADY HAVE THE LEAD Your next mortgage deal may already be sitting in your database. So why are so many loan officers spending more time chasing strangers than strengthening relationships they have already earned? In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with mortgage industry leader...

Are mortgage lenders building for the next market—or waiting for rates to bail them out? In this episode of The FinTech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with Kevin Peranio, Chief Lending Officer and Partner at PRMG, for a candid conversation on the market realities, AI disruption, and leadership decisions shaping the future of mortgage. KP does not talk about AI like a buzzword. He...

Mortgage lenders keep talking about the housing inventory problem. But what if they are ignoring one of the most important engines helping create that inventory? In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with Dana Georgiou, Chief Revenue Officer of Dunmore, to unpack one of the most overlooked shifts in mortgage and real estate finance: the rise of private lend...

What happens when borrowers stop Googling you and start asking AI who they should trust? In this heartfelt episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond welcomes back industry thought leader, recruiting expert, media partner, taco aficionado, and dear friend Dalila Ramos for a real conversation about the future of visibility, trust, AI, and human connection in mortgage and financial serv...

Everyone in mortgage is talking about AI. Far fewer are asking the harder question: Are we using technology to create a better borrower experience—or just automating the same broken processes faster? In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Trish Maraski, Vice President of Product and Strategy at Moder, for a candid conversation about what innovation in mortga...

Why is LinkedIn showing you posts from two or three weeks ago? It feels frustrating. It feels outdated. It feels like the feed is broken. But what if LinkedIn is not broken at all? In this episode of the  Fintech Hunting Podcast , Ashley Gravano turns the tables and interviews Michael Hammond for a timely, honest conversation about the shift happening on LinkedIn—and why mortgage, fintech, and fin...

Most lenders say they have access to non-agency products. But access does not mean your loan officers can confidently sell them. In this episode of  The Fintech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Eloise Schmitz, CEO and Co-Founder of LoanNEX , to unpack one of the biggest hidden growth problems in mortgage lending today: lenders are missing qualified borrowers because their teams do...

Mortgage Lenders Can’t Rely on Trigger Leads Anymore. Here’s What Comes Next Trigger leads have been one of the mortgage industry’s favorite shortcuts. That shortcut is changing. In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with Katharine Loveland, SVP General Manager at Volly, to break down what the new trigger lead environment means for mortgage lenders, service...

AI is no longer a future topic in mortgage lending. It is the force separating the companies that adapt from the ones that get outpaced. In this episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Jim Deitch , Co-Founder and CEO of  Tera Verde , to talk about the hard truth facing mortgage leaders right now: AI is either coming to you or coming for you. This is not a surface-...

AI is everywhere in mortgage right now. Results are not. In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Michael Vandi, CEO of Addy AI, for a direct conversation about the growing gap between AI hype and real execution in mortgage and fintech. Why are lenders hearing endless AI pitches but still struggling to create meaningful operational change? Why are so many tool...

What does the future of mortgage lending look like when AI acts less like software and more like a true team member? In this episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Athan Zhang, Co-Founder of Copperlane , to talk about how  agentic AI  is changing the mortgage industry. From proactive borrower engagement and document review to condition clearing, compliance guardr...

In this powerful episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael sits down with  Christine Beckwith , Founder and CEO of  2020 Vision for Success , for a heartfelt and honest conversation about what it really takes to lead in a difficult mortgage market.  Christine shares what she’s hearing from loan officers and production leaders across the country, why so many originators are approaching rate...

In this episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , Michael Hammond sits down with  Kortney Lane-Schafers of MMI (Mobility Market Intelligence)  for a powerful conversation about where the mortgage industry is headed—and what still matters most as technology moves faster than ever. Yes, AI is changing the game. Yes, data is more available than ever. But here’s the deeper question: In a market driven...

If networking feels awkward, forced, or transactional—this episode is your reset. In this FinTech Hunting Podcast episode, Michael Hammond sits down with Liz Short (mortgage industry strategist, “get-it-done” operator, and co-author of Rethink Everything You Know About Networking) to break down what actually works when you’re trying to grow your career, your influence, and your business in fintech...

Your team is sitting on closed loans… and doesn’t even know it. In this episode, Josh Friend (CEO & Founder of  Insellerate ) explains how  Aithena  listens to  100% of your calls , surfaces the moments that win or lose deals, and predicts who’s likely to close in the next  60 days —so your loan officers stop chasing dead ends and start closing more loans. If you lead  mortgage sales, lending...