Previous Mortgage technology is no longer a support function; it’s a core driver of lending performance and competitive advantage. In this conversation, Kelli Himebaugh, Executive VP of Sales & Strategy at LendingPad, speaks with Allison LaForgia about how the role of technology in mortgage lending has evolved through shifting market cycles, margin compression and what that means for lenders. Himebaugh breaks down what lenders should prioritize in a rapidly changing environment, from defining operational efficiency to building stronger, more collaborative technology partnerships.
Himebaugh began by contrasting today’s digital environment with the manual processes of the past. “When I first started visiting lenders back 23 years ago, mortgage loan files were stacked on desks, and the way information got moved between files was passing it around cubicles,” she said. “The digital innovation has come, and so now our clients today can do with AI tools, with the internet, they can do everything.”
“You can have a loan officer in Texas, and you can have a processor in New York, and they can work in real time, so it just gets those files processed faster, faster approval. . . faster funding,” she added.
Himebaugh noted that while innovation used to be a reactive process, the primary catalyst has now changed. “What would tend to drive technology and innovation would be some sort of a mortgage market crisis or new regulatory [change] . . . and it would die off,” Himebaugh said. “But now what really is driving it is the borrower journey . . . they want a seamless experience, and they want a transparent experience.”
That shift in borrower expectations has raised the stakes for lenders to stay competitive. “I think the number one thing is agility,” she said. “They have to be able to pivot when products change . . . and make those strategic business decisions.”
She emphasized the growing importance of real-time insight. “What’s really changing with technology as we build at LendingPad today is just real-time data analytics, where they can look ahead, and they can see those trends happening in real time.”
On efficiency, Himebaugh challenged common assumptions. “Let’s talk about what it’s not. It’s not always about speed, and it’s not about cost-cutting,” she said. “What it’s really about is identifying those redundant tasks that are happening every day using automation.”
“When you can reduce the friction with your internal staff . . . the staff can then take time and actually focus back on those borrowers,” Himebaugh said. “That’s what’s going to really drive referrals back to their business,” she continued, “keeping that morale up with your staff, because that just translates down to your to the market.”
Technology, however, must balance capability with accessibility. “You want high tech, but it has to be affordable to fit in their business. They want to have all the same advantages as the big banks do,” she noted.
Collaboration is central to LendingPad’s approach to partnership. “We have our product team development teams, our project managers work across all of our big rollouts,” Himebaugh said. “All the way from the beginning to the end.” She continued, “You have to have that external collaboration with your clients. Let them know ahead of what’s coming . . . and make sure that they’re using it.”
That partnership extends beyond implementation. “It truly starts at the sales cycle, really discovering what that lender is trying to change, understanding those processes, and then over time, helping them evolve,” she said.
Adoption and visibility are often the points where technology initiatives either gain traction or fall apart. “There’s one missing word: Usability.” Himebaugh said, “It has to be highly usable from the beginning, it has to be transparent. It has to be really seamless for your users.”
Himebaugh pointed to the growing role of AI alongside the need for strong foundational performance, emphasizing that while innovation is accelerating, long-term scalability and system reliability remain critical to supporting lenders in the years ahead.
Finally, LendingPad’s strategy is grounded in real-world expertise. “All of our staff . . . have mortgage backgrounds. Our employees have sat in the same seats where our customers have been,” Himebaugh said. “It’s an expertise that we rely on and count on.”
