Fintech Hunting

Everyone in mortgage is talking about AI. Far fewer are asking the harder question:Are we using technology to create a better borrower experience—or just automating the same broken processes faster?In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Trish Maraski, Vice President of Product and Strategy at Moder, for a candid conversation about what innovation in mortgage should actually look like.After nearly three decades in the industry, Trish has seen technology cycles come and go. Her perspective is refreshingly direct: AI may make transformation faster and more accessible, but it cannot replace strategy, clean processes, good data, or the human judgment required to serve borrowers well.This conversation explores:Why automating a flawed process can create bigger problems, fasterWhere mortgage innovation is real—and where it is still just talkWhy the people closest to the work must be included in transformationHow lenders can use AI without losing the human experienceWhat still makes the mortgage industry deeply meaningfulThis is not a conversation about chasing the next technology trend.It is about whether mortgage leaders are willing to fix what is broken before AI exposes it.Watch now and decide: is your organization truly innovating—or simply automating?###Michael Hammond, Founder & CEO of NexLevel Advisors, is the leading fractional CMO in mortgage and mortgage technology, specializing in AI-powered growth strategy and audience development.

Why is LinkedIn showing you posts from two or three weeks ago?It feels frustrating. It feels outdated. It feels like the feed is broken.But what if LinkedIn is not broken at all?In this episode of the Fintech Hunting Podcast, Ashley Gravano turns the tables and interviews Michael Hammond for a timely, honest conversation about the shift happening on LinkedIn—and why mortgage, fintech, and financial services professionals need to pay attention.Michael explains why LinkedIn has moved from a feed built around recency to one increasingly shaped by relevance. That means the posts that keep getting surfaced are not always the newest. They are the ones LinkedIn believes still matter because people are engaging, saving, reposting, and spending time with them. This episode is a wake-up call for anyone using LinkedIn to build visibility, credibility, relationships, or pipeline.Because the real question is no longer:“Did I post today?”It is:“Did I create something worth resurfacing?”A big thank you to Ashley Gravano for hosting this episode, flipping the script, and leading such a genuine, curious, and timely conversation.Why LinkedIn is resurfacing older postsWhat the shift from recency to relevancy meansWhy surface-level content is losing powerHow deeper, more useful posts can keep gaining reachWhy saves, reposts, comments, and dwell time matterHow mortgage and fintech professionals should rethink LinkedInWhy your content strategy must build trust before the sales conversation ever startsIf you are a mortgage professional, fintech leader, vendor, loan officer, marketer, or executive trying to stay visible in a noisy market, this conversation will challenge how you think about LinkedIn.The future of visibility belongs to the people who create content with substance, clarity, and staying power.For more insights on AI, LinkedIn, mortgage marketing, fintech growth, and audience development, visit nexleveladvisors.com and explore the NexLevel Advisors Resource Center.Subscribe to the Fintech Hunting Podcast for conversations with the leaders, operators, and innovators shaping the future of mortgage, fintech, and financial services.In this episode, we cover:

Most lenders say they have access to non-agency products.But access does not mean your loan officers can confidently sell them.In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Eloise Schmitz, CEO and Co-Founder of LoanNEX, to unpack one of the biggest hidden growth problems in mortgage lending today: lenders are missing qualified borrowers because their teams do not have the visibility, workflow, and execution certainty needed to compete in non-agency lending.This is not just a product problem.It is a confidence problem.It is a workflow problem.It is a revenue problem.Eloise explains why non-agency lending can no longer be treated like a side-door solution for unusual files. In a market where affordability is tight, rates remain elevated, and borrower profiles are changing, lenders need more than a long product menu. They need a clear way for loan officers to identify options, trust the pricing, explain the solution, and deliver what they promise.In this conversation, Michael and Eloise discuss:Why access alone is not a competitive advantageHow lenders unintentionally hide viable options from loan officersWhy “simple” product menus can actually create more frictionThe borrower segments lenders are missing in today’s marketWhy execution certainty matters more than everHow LoanNEX helps lenders create confidence in non-agency lendingWhy the future belongs to lenders who can make complex products easier to sellThe big takeaway:If your loan officers cannot see the right options, they cannot sell the right solutions.And in this market, that may be costing lenders more than they realize.Guest: Eloise Schmitz, CEO & Co-Founder, LoanNEXHost: Michael Hammond, The Fintech Hunting PodcastLearn more about LoanNEX:Contact: [email protected] to The Fintech Hunting Podcast for more conversations with the leaders, founders, and innovators shaping the future of mortgage, fintech, lending, and financial services.

Mortgage Lenders Can’t Rely on Trigger Leads Anymore. Here’s What Comes NextTrigger leads have been one of the mortgage industry’s favorite shortcuts.That shortcut is changing.In this episode of The Fintech Hunting Podcast, host Michael Hammond sits down with Katharine Loveland, SVP General Manager at Volly, to break down what the new trigger lead environment means for mortgage lenders, servicers, loan officers, and marketing leaders.For years, many lenders leaned on reactive marketing: trigger leads, batch emails, speed-to-phone tactics, and last-minute refinance outreach. But as trigger lead legislation reshapes the competitive landscape, lenders can no longer depend on buying access to borrowers at the moment they apply somewhere else.The lenders that win the next market cycle will be the ones that already own the relationship.Katharine explains why mortgage retention is no longer a nice-to-have — it is becoming one of the most important revenue strategies in lending. As refinance opportunities return, lenders need to know which borrowers are ready, who is at risk, what messages matter, and how to engage customers before competitors do.This conversation covers:Why trigger lead changes are forcing lenders to rethink growthWhy retention is now a strategic priority, not just a marketing taskHow lenders should prepare for the next refinance waveWhy borrower relationships need to be built before rates dropHow AI can help prioritize outreach and personalize engagementWhy portfolio intelligence matters more than generic campaignsWhat lenders can do now to protect past customers from competitorsHow marketing automation can support smarter borrower recaptureThe big takeaway: if your retention strategy starts when the borrower is already shopping, you are too late.Mortgage companies need to stop relying on shortcuts and start building a system that keeps them connected to borrowers throughout the entire homeownership journey.This episode is a must-watch for mortgage executives, loan officers, servicers, marketing leaders, fintech vendors, and anyone trying to build a smarter borrower engagement strategy in a changing market.Guest: Katharine Loveland, SVP General Manager, VollyHost: Michael Hammond, Founder & CEO of NexLevel Advisors and host of The Fintech Hunting PodcastLearn more about Volly: myvolly.comSubscribe to The Fintech Hunting Podcast for more conversations on mortgage technology, fintech innovation, AI, borrower retention, lending strategy, and the future of financial services.#MortgageMarketing #TriggerLeads #MortgageRetention #BorrowerRetention #MortgageTechnology #MortgageAI #AIinMortgage #MortgageLending #RefinanceStrategy #LoanOfficers #Fintech #FintechHunting #Volly###Michael Hammond, Founder & CEO of NexLevel Advisors, is the leading fractional CMO in mortgage and mortgage technology, specializing in AI-powered growth strategy and audience development.

AI is no longer a future topic in mortgage lending. It is the force separating the companies that adapt from the ones that get outpaced.In this episode of the FinTech Hunting Podcast, Michael Hammond sits down with Jim Deitch, Co-Founder and CEO of Tera Verde, to talk about the hard truth facing mortgage leaders right now:AI is either coming to you or coming for you.This is not a surface-level conversation about shiny tools or hype.Jim breaks down what AI disruption really means for the mortgage industry, why speed matters more than ever, how weak workflows get exposed faster, and why leaders who fail to rethink process, profitability, and customer experience will lose ground to competitors who do. The episode centers on AI as a present-day competitive force in lending, not a distant trend. You’ll hear a sharp conversation on:why AI is changing how mortgage companies competewhy faster technology does not fix broken operationshow AI can improve decision-making, customer experience, and efficiencywhat lenders need to rethink before the market shifts againwhy leadership mindset may be the real differentiator in the next era of mortgage lendingJim is also the author of Disruptive AI, a book that challenges leaders to decide whether AI will become their advantage or their threat. Even better, proceeds from the book support MBA Open Doors, which helps families with critically ill children make mortgage or rent payments while caring for their child. Buy Jim Deitch’s book, Disruptive AI:https://www.amazon.com/Disruptive-AI-Its-Coming-You/dp/B0GQJSPFNZ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Z0NTK4W0GGCN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6-fbC0ndpzRiQP0l4Kt9ulq4MvyEHSoVbnzuGUbFXUU.xY1TZsZORFYsBrOFM_KBsYWkxagOfWQ93qUeLhKHYuE&dib_tag=se&keywords=james+deitch+books+AI+Disruptor&qid=1776691616&sprefix=james+deitch+books+ai+disrupto%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-1If you work in mortgage lending, fintech, financial services, digital mortgage, or AI strategy, this episode will challenge how you think about growth, competition, and the future of lending.Subscribe for more conversations on mortgage AI, fintech innovation, lending strategy, digital transformation, and the leaders shaping the future of financial services.#MortgageAI #JimDeitch #FinTechHuntingPodcast #MortgageLending #Fintech #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalMortgage #LendingInnovation #FinancialServices