A solar eclipse is hardly an everyday occurrence. For many of us, the chance to witness one can feel almost generational, which explains why it captured so much attention. And amid all the anticipation, one message was abundantly clear: don’t look directly at the sun. To get the best view, you needed to prepare, understand the timings and, crucially, look through the right lens.
There is a useful link here for mortgage lenders considering their immediate and future technology needs. Technology is so closely associated with speed that it can be easy to focus on the end result: faster decisions, less manual work, better use of data and a smoother experience for brokers and borrowers. What receives less attention is the work required to get there.
A new originations system is a prime example. If the aim is to have one fully operational by the middle or third quarter of 2027, that date may still appear comfortably distant. However, when factoring in the RFP, procurement, supplier selection and implementation, the available window starts to look very different.
If Q3 2027 is the target, the process needs to be starting now.
This is not about rushing procurement. A new originations platform can sit at the heart of a lender’s business for many years, so selecting one should be a detailed and considered exercise.
Procurement, IT, operations, underwriting and compliance are all likely to have their own requirements, while senior management will have a wider view of where the business is heading. Bringing those views together helps establish not only what the system needs to do at launch, but what may be expected of it in the years ahead.
Product ranges change, distribution can widen and new integrations, data sources or regulatory requirements can emerge. The right platform therefore needs to support the business today without limiting where it may want to go next.
This makes the questions asked before and during an RFP particularly important. Where is duplication creating unnecessary work? What’s slowing cases down? Where could automation improve the process and where should human judgement remain central? These discussions give tech providers a much clearer understanding of the lender’s operating model and what the technology will be expected to support.
From our perspective, the aim should be to make this easier, not add another layer of complexity. That means recognising the demands on lender teams and working within established procurement, governance and approval processes, while helping to establish what will be required if the project moves forward.
There is then the implementation itself. Even a flexible platform needs to fit the individual lender, which means configuring workflows, connecting other systems, addressing data requirements and testing against the types of cases the business actually writes.
This is particularly relevant in specialist lending, where different products, properties and borrower circumstances can require very different underwriting paths. Technology can support instant decisioning, bespoke underwriting, configurable workflows and detailed audit controls, but these functions need to reflect the lender’s own approach rather than forcing the business to fit the system.
A good provider should make that transition as straightforward as possible, but there are parts of a major technology project which simply require time. Beginning discussions earlier creates more room for lenders to assess their options properly and for the chosen provider to understand what successful delivery looks like.
Technology can make mortgage lending faster, but putting the right technology behind it is not an instant exercise.
For lenders with Q3 2027 already marked for a new originations system, it is worth looking at that date through the same lens as the eclipse. The main attraction may be some way off, but getting the best possible view starts with being prepared well before it arrives.
