This week, HousingWire’s Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler interviews Kristy Fercho, executive vice president and head of home lending at Wells Fargo, who also serves as the chairman elect of the Mortgage Bankers Association.

In this episode, Fercho explains how Wells Fargo is serving borrowers during COVID-19, the overall effect forbearance exits will have on the housing market, and whether or not she is optimistic about the big bank model.

Here is a small preview of the interview, lightly edited for length and clarity:

Sarah Wheeler: The rise of fintech has been one of the big stories over the last 5 years. An ongoing conversation in those 5 years — especially on social sites — is how a legacy lender like Wells Fargo can compete with startups who built technology from the get-go to be efficient, who aren’t turning the titanic, who embody that agile mindset. When you look at the future of lending, are you optimistic about the big bank model? And if so, why?

Kristy Fercho: It’s the thing, frankly, that when I came to Wells Fargo, I was actually most excited about, because I think what differentiates the big bank or Wells Fargo specifically, is the relationships we have with our customers. I have been so blown away and impressed by how sticky the Wells Fargo relationships have been with customers. We know a lot about them and their transactions as many of them have direct deposits from their companies coming into Wells Fargo, they’ve also got their checking accounts, banking, credit cards, and now they’re coming in to buy housing. So, there’s an opportunity through all of those interactions to really understand what the needs of that customer are. We can also learn how they think about their financial life, and how it factors into being able to serve their needs. What we’re really trying to drive toward is truly creating synergy and seamlessly integrating those aspects to be able to provide customers with a simple, predictable, and personalized experience.

The Housing News podcast explores the most important topics happening in mortgage, real estate, and fintech. Each week a new mortgage or real estate executive joins the show to add perspective to the top stories crossing HousingWire’s news desk. Hosted by Sarah Wheeler and produced by Alcynna Lloyd.