An agent that tells mortgage applicants what is next, and why
Getting a mortgage meant weeks of document requests, and applicants rarely knew where they stood.
I designed agentic flows that request each document when needed, flag issues before underwriting, and show progress as a certainty score.
The pilot is live with a limited group of applicants.
Applicants could not tell whether they were close to approval or at risk.
Origination could take about 45 days of document exchanges, and each re-request felt like going backwards.
Three rules shaped the agent: first, no advice or approval promises; second, underwriting decisions stay with people; and third, every document request is explained.
Each re-request pushed the close date back and added doubt.
Applicants were left confused about what was missing and unsure the loan would go through. As with Casey, the agent could guide them but could not give advice or promise approval.
The agent took on the tracking that applicants used to do themselves.
Request each document when the file needs it
The agent asks for one document at a time, at the point the file needs it, and says what it is for.
Instead of An upfront checklist of everything the lender might need.
Trade-off Applicants hear from the agent more often over the life of the loan.
A Progress Certainty Score instead of a step count
The score shows how close the file is to being ready for underwriting, and what would raise it.
Instead of A standard step-by-step progress bar.
Trade-off The score has to be calibrated. If it is off, it gives applicants false confidence about a large financial decision.
Flag document problems before underwriting
The agent checks each upload as it arrives and flags gaps right away. When the first loan option does not fit, it suggests alternatives through a loan officer.
Instead of Let underwriting catch issues and send the file back.
Trade-off Early flags can worry applicants about problems that would have resolved on their own.
The agent says plainly that approval is not its call.
- RequestingAsks for one document and explains why.
- CheckingReviews the upload, then confirms it or flags a gap.
- Low confidenceLowers the certainty score and says what would raise it.
- Can’t decideSays that approval is up to underwriting.
- Human handoffRoutes loan options and exceptions to a loan officer.
Early pilot numbers point to faster closes, at limited scope.
- −41%Time to closeinternal pilot · directional
- −28%Document re-requestsinternal pilot · directional
- 22 → 61NPSinternal pilot · directional
These numbers come from a limited pilot, not a full production rollout.
Next: the same agent after the loan closes.
Customers stay in loan servicing for years. The next step is bringing the document and handoff patterns there.