Winning in '26: Recruit top talent, eliminate costly lawsuits and increase customer retention

Overview

No matter the cycle, here’s what we know: the top 30% of MLOs absolutely dominate loan production. We’re digging into the most critical factors that keep those MLOs on top. Jeff Walton, cofounder and CEO of InGenius, built one of the most powerful data platforms in the industry. Joe Welu, founder and CEO of Total Expert, has been at the forefront of helping lenders turn that data into insights and action. Between the two of them, we’ve got data and we’ve got activation. They’ll break down what we consistently hear from the top producing 30% and how to best help MLOs do what they do with the information in front of them.

What you’ll learn:

What the top 30% of MLOs do differently and how they dominate production cycle after cycle
How to turn data into insights that actually drive action for your loan officers
The gap between having information and using it, and what it takes to close it

What you’ll walk away with: Top performing MLOs and companies aren’t just better at selling or recruiting. They’re better at seeing and acting on the opportunities sitting right in front of them. It’s all about closing the gap between what you know and what you actually do.

Session Notes

Key takeaway

Jeffrey Walton and Joe Welu said lenders will need both clean data and better activation to grow production. They argued that top-producing loan officers are already monetizing their customer databases, and the next advantage will come from turning that data into timely outreach, retention and recruiting strategies.

What leaders need to know:

Top producers still dominate production. Walton said the top 30% of loan officers account for more than 70% of production among the lenders and LOs he tracks.
Clean data is table stakes. Walton said lenders need accurate, complete customer databases if they want to help more loan officers move into the top tier.
Database rebuilding can support recruiting while reducing risk. Walton said Ingenius rebuilds a loan officer’s past-production database using public data, giving lenders a cleaner way to support recruiting without increasing legal exposure.
Data needs context and action. Welu said Total Expert’s Customer IQ is designed to convert enriched customer data into insights, intent signals and automated actions.
Agentic AI is positioned as a scale lever. Welu said AI can help loan officers have more timely, relevant customer conversations without adding manual work.
Retention starts with the customer lifecycle. Both speakers said lenders need consistent engagement with past customers, earlier identification of opportunities and outreach that hits at the right moment.

HousingWire perspective

The discussion tied together three priorities that are often managed separately: recruiting, compliance and customer retention. Lenders that clean up their data, reduce risk in recruiting workflows and activate customer insights at scale will be better positioned to grow production in 2026 without relying solely on new lead flow.

Presentation Materials

Winning in ’26: Recruit top talent, eliminate costly lawsuits and increase customer retention

Download the full presentation from the session including charts, data visualizations, and key takeaways.

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