Digital Mortgage: A Guide to the Home Financing Process

Introduction to Digital Mortgages

Most industries today are moving away from traditional processes to a digital environment and the mortgage sector is no exception. Tech-savvy lenders and financial institutions are replacing stacks of paperwork and documents to go digital.     

Gone are the days of massive paperwork and stacks of files required to collect, store, and process mortgage loan applications. Today the focus is on digital mortgages that make use of technology to optimize the lending functions.  

If you are new to this term and how it's impacting the traditional mortgage industry, this article is for you. You will learn how loans are processed and sanctioned through digital means. You will also know how the mortgage experience of lenders and borrowers is enhanced to the next level.   

Understand the Basics of a Digital Mortgage

A digital mortgage is an effective and fully automated way for banks and lenders to connect with borrowers.   

In the past, mortgage applications would mean filing a lot of paperwork by borrowers to establish their eligibility for a loan. An individual with a mortgage loan originator license who would have gone through an MLO license course would act as a bridge between the borrower and the lender.

Typically, aspiring MLOs prefer an online mortgage loan originator course as it can be completed as per own pace and convenience. 

As distinct from previous processes, in digital mortgage, online tools, digital documents, and e-signatures are used to get the same work done quickly and seamlessly.      

Advantages of Digital Mortgages

Digital mortgages offer numerous benefits for both lenders and borrowers. These include: 

• Higher speed: By digitalizing the processing and reviewing of mortgage loan applications, the loan disbursement process is significantly speeded up.  
• Ease of access: A digital mortgage platform helps borrowers access the status of their applications from anywhere on demand. 
• Better user experiences: Through digital mortgages, lenders can provide more personalized service to borrowers, thereby meeting their unique needs and preferences. 
• Increased transparency: Digital tools can provide quick, seamless, and secure updates to applicants regarding the status of their loan applications.
• Cost savings: Automation leads to a reduction in operating expenses and an overall reduction in running costs. These cost savings can then be utilized to offer better services to customers.
• Data-driven services: Lenders can generate more relevant insights about customer preferences which can then be leveraged to deliver better personalized solutions. 

Exploring the Digital Mortgage Platform

What is a Digital Mortgage Platform?

A digital mortgage platform has minimal need for paperwork since mortgage loan application review, approval, and disbursement are completed digitally. 

This eliminates the need for manual, human intervention from loan officers, loan processors, and closing agents, thereby saving time, and improving efficiency.  

Hence, a digital platform is more efficient, faster, simpler, and less dependent on redundant human resources. 

The whole digital mortgage process is done online, from submission of application to closing. 

Features and Functionalities of Digital Mortgage Platforms

A digital mortgage platform offers a more integrated, holistic approach than the manual processes of the past.  

Let us take a detailed look at some of the useful and innovative features of such platforms: 

1. Online documentation and application processing: This is the core feature that defines how a digital-first mortgage platform works. With the help of technology, borrowers can easily submit their mortgage loan applications online. Uploading financial and personal documents electronically is fast, secure, and seamless. Lenders can easily use online documentation to collect, store, and analyze loan applications and related documents. 
2. Real-time updates: Digitally native mortgage platforms can retrieve, update, and modify information in real time, thereby offering borrowers the latest application status.  
3. Electronic signatures: For both lenders and applicants, digital platforms have removed the need to be physically present. Using electronic signatures, borrowers can easily sign loan documents from anywhere. 
4. Customization: Digital mortgage platforms are capable of storing and maintaining electronic records and documents for all types of borrowers. Hence, lenders can fine-tune their products and services to offer personalized solutions. 
5. Automated Processes: Digital platforms automate repetitive and redundant tasks, eliminating the need for archaic and inefficient banking processes. All processes are driven by algorithms that can predict eligibility, process applications, and provide updates to borrowers. 
6. Round-the-clock Support: Digital mortgage lenders can leverage technology to provide 24x7 support to customers. Borrowers can therefore manage their mortgage loan application at their convenience. 

Enhancing the Mortgage Experience with Technology

How Technology is Transforming the Digital Mortgage Experience

With advancements in technology such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, banks and financial institutions have digitally transformed legacy systems and archaic processes. 

Technology is powering both sides of the digital experience i.e. for lenders as well as for borrowers. 

For lenders, digital platforms offer facilities to collect, store, retrieve, and process applicants’ data, leading to faster workflows. 

Financial institutions store these records in the cloud without investing in in-house servers.

For borrowers, digital mortgage platforms are a seamless way to submit their loan applications and get all the paperwork done electronically. This saves time and effort and eliminates the hassle of in-person document submission and verification for borrowers. 

Most importantly, technology in the mortgage process has bridged the gap between lenders and borrowers. 

With online tools and mediums, communication between the two parties is now real-time, seamless, and personalized. This adds to a more smoother, transparent, and enhanced mortgage experience for the borrowers. 

Benefits of a Seamless Digital Mortgage Experience

Before digitization, getting a loan required a massive amount of paperwork and documentation that was very time-consuming.   

So, what are some of the key benefits of a digital mortgage experience: 

• It is faster as compared to a traditional mortgage loan experience. 
• It can reduce and eliminate redundant, repetitive, and unproductive tasks in the process.
• It can provide customizable, personalized services and solutions. 
• It can improve the efficiency and productivity of the lending processes
• It can provide instant, real-time updates about the status of the loan application
• It provides connected, interdependent workflows that work together to offer new and improving features and benefits.