Fintech Hunting

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 It feels outdated.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...

What if the biggest obstacle to faster closings isn’t underwriting… it’s  title ? In this episode of  Fintech Hunting , host  Michael Hammond  sits down with  Meghan (Megan) F. Askin ,  Director of Lending Services at AFX Research , to unpack what’s really changing in the title space in  2026 —and why the future isn’t “AI replaces humans,” but  AI + humans in the loop . Meghan shares her surprisin...

This episode of The FinTech Hunting Podcast delivers a no-fluff, high-impact breakdown of what mortgage professionals need to know to stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving market. Host Michael Hammond is joined by Eloise Schmitz, CEO and Co-Founder of LoanNEX, for an expert analysis on the forces reshaping mortgage lending in 2026 — from non-agency momentum and pricing execution to investor...

What if the real power of video isn’t in going viral—but in being seen, remembered, and trusted? In this powerful episode of the Fintech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond is joined by two of the most beloved and influential voices in mortgage and fintech content:  Dalila Ramos  of Taco Tuesdays and  Jason Smith  of One Take. Together, they unpack: Why  authenticity beats perfection  in video c...

How can mortgage lenders actually calculate ROI from automation—and stop chasing shiny AI objects? In this episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , host Michael Hammond sits down with Krish Swaminathan, COO of Indecomm, to unpack how leading mortgage professionals are transforming operations and boosting sales by structuring automation around real business outcomes. Krish breaks down: How to buil...

In this insightful and thought-provoking episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , host Michael Hammond sits down with  Trina, Senior Director of Servicing Product Strategy at ICE Mortgage Technology , to explore how  AI is transforming mortgage servicing and borrower experience . Learn how AI tools like  call prediction, note summarization, chatbots, and intelligent virtual agents (IVAs)  are dri...

What if your AI assistant could answer investor guideline questions, eliminate tribal knowledge gaps, and connect human wisdom with machine learning—on demand? 🎙️ In this thought-provoking episode of  Fintech Hunting , host Michael Hammond sits down with  Andrew DeGood , CEO of  AskBob AI , for a conversation that’s part masterclass, part manifesto on how AI is radically reshaping the mortgage and...

In this powerful episode of the FinTech Hunting podcast, host Michael Hammond is joined by two respected leaders in the mortgage and fintech space: Michele Buschman, Chief Information Officer at American Pacific Mortgage Kerri Girouard, Vice President of Relationship Management and Client Success at ICE Mortgage Technology Together, they unpack what it really takes to lead meaningful change in a h...

Is your mortgage business unknowingly bleeding revenue? In this powerful and eye-opening episode of the Fintech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with returning guest Tim Nguyen, CEO and founder of BeSmartee, to uncover one of the most overlooked—and costly—problems in mortgage lending: application abandonment. Why are 30–40% of borrowers starting but never submitting applications? W...

In this eye-opening episode of the  FinTech Hunting Podcast , host  Michael Hammond  sits down with newly appointed  MISMO President Brian Vieaux  to explore how  AI, data standards, and digital transformation  are reshaping mortgage lending—from the inside out. Together, they dig into questions few in the industry are asking aloud: What role will  MISMO play in regulating and enabling responsible...

In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, recorded following the Loan Vision Innovation Conference in Atlanta, host Michael Hammond sits down with Julia Brown, CEO and Founder of Telescope Advisors, to unpack the hidden fractures that quietly derail mortgage M&A deals. Julia shares deep insights from the frontlines of organizational transformation and post-acquisition integration. Whethe...

 In this must-watch episode of  Fintech Hunting , host Michael Hammond welcomes back  Dan Bailey , SVP at  WFG Enterprise Solutions , to uncover how WFG is transforming title, valuation, and lending operations with next-gen technology and service-first culture. 🎙️  What You’ll Learn in This Episode : The state of the mortgage market—and what’s improving Why borrower experience isn’t just talk at W...