Meet Penny: The AI Agent Removing the Back and Forth From Mortgage | Copperlane | Connect

What if the back and forth that slows every mortgage application — the missing documents, the unanswered questions, the manual follow-ups — could be handled automatically, without replacing the loan officer? In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with Athan Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO, and Brianna Lin, Co-Founder and COO of CopperLane AI, for a conversation on what's possible when AI is built specifically for mortgage origination from the ground up. CopperLane's AI agent Penny works from the moment a borrower starts an application — fetching documents, flagging inconsistencies, explaining why each document is needed, and keeping the loan moving — all so the loan officer can stay focused on what only a human can do: own the relationship. In this episode: - Why the loan officer will always own the relationship — and what should never be automated - How Penny works from application intake all the way through post-underwriting conditions — it's the entire loan lifecycle, not just the top of the funnel - What CopperLane means by the copilot-to-autopilot spectrum — and why starting in co-pilot mode is the right call for every new lender - How reasoning traces let CopperLane literally open Penny's brain and see why she made every decision - Why Penny doesn't just request documents — she explains why they're needed, flags inconsistencies across files, and follows up proactively with the borrower - The letters of explanation use case: how Penny catches a large unexplained deposit and goes back to the borrower before it ever hits the loan officer's desk - Why siloed systems and inconsistent workflows are quietly costing lenders more than they realize - The one thing lenders should stop doing manually — and the one thing they should never stop doing personally Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.