The 2025 AI Pioneer Award Winners Are …

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significant due to its potential to revolutionize various aspects of life and work by enhancing efficiency, automating tasks, and generating valuable insights according to the University of Cincinnati. AI’s ability to process vast amounts of data and learn from it enables it to improve decision-making, personalize experiences, and solve complex problems across diverse fields. Today AI is helping improve lending, but those companies that are using this technology are not getting recognized. That changes now. PROGRESS in Lending has launched the first ever AI Award dedicated to lending. The AI Pioneer Award winners in alphabetical order are …

ABBYY is transforming KYC with the integration to IBM watsonx.ai Orchestrate. The solution combines IBM watsonx.ai Orchestrate intelligent agents with ABBYY’s document AI and ABBYY Timeline, its cloud-based process intelligence platform. It automates and orchestrates the entire KYC workflow, from document collection and analysis to ongoing compliance monitoring. It’s a new standard for KYC automation. In this partnership, IBM provides workflow orchestration. Watsonx.ai Orchestrate automatically validates extracted data, manages follow-ups and escalations, and integrates checks directly into internal compliance systems. This approach ensures proactive risk monitoring and automatically triggers corrective actions when necessary. For its part, ABBYY brings its expertise in document AI and process intelligence, ensuring the extraction and structuring of data from complex and varied documents, even those that are poorly scanned or come from international formats. The solution also enables continuous monitoring of the workflow to anticipate delays or compliance issues. Together, IBM and ABBYY enable financial institutions and insurance companies to process large volumes of documents quickly and reliably, while ensuring complete traceability, integrated regulatory compliance, and optimal audit readiness. Strategic benefits include: • Intelligent end-to-end orchestration, from data capture to decision execution. • Real-time risk visibility with ABBYY’s process intelligence platform, which detects bottlenecks, compliance gaps, and exceptions. • Integrated compliance and full auditability at every stage. • Scalability to accommodate growing onboarding volumes. • Reduced manual intervention, optimized operational costs, and increased customer satisfaction. From initial document intake to ongoing risk monitoring, this integration empowers compliance teams to shift from reactive to proactive—without adding complexity.

American Financial Network, Inc. (“AFN”) has a long history of embracing cutting-edge technology as soon as it makes sense for our industry. With the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), AFN was not shy to make its acquaintance. From the early ChatGPT, which could take questions from AFN employees and retrieve answers from the AFN library of documentation, to the turbo-charged AI available today, AFN has made AI an integral part of its daily work. Today, AFN employs an AI engine that uses a large language model that has analyzed scads of loan data along with investor guidelines and is now able to determine requirements on each new loan, at each phase of the loan. Based on that determination, this dynamic AI engine will either trigger a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot to carry out a task or push the task to a queue when a human touch is required. This amazing AI engine has learned more than 3,500 tasks that could be required in the course of a loan and more than 1,100 documents or requirements needed to process, underwrite, and ultimately close a mortgage loan. The “assembly line” mentality is far in the past at AFN, as tasks are easily done concurrently by several different parties and the AI engine itself. Standard 30-day closings are becoming a thing of the past, as AI makes the dream of 15 days to close a reality. With each transaction, it gets “smarter” and more useful to AFN employees. It is not meant to replace humans in the AFN workforce, but to simplify their workflow so they can multiply their caseload without sacrificing quality of service or compliance. In addition to assisting production and operations with their tasks, AFN’s AI engine is used for more accurate volume and financial forecasting, along with detailed action items, to maximize profitability. Internal chatbots are deployed to cover everything from loan data to benefits and Human Resources (HR) data. AFN’s MLOs benefit from AI assistants, which help to schedule appointments, follow up on leads, identify refinance opportunities, assist applicants with prequalification, and more. AI can also create personalized marketing collateral and ads geared toward each MLO’s database and audience of prospective homebuyers and homeowners. External chatbots are able to answer applicant questions in a way that is tailored toward conversion, help walk applicants through the application process, and improve their overall experience. AI can analyze loan eligibility, call out roadblocks, and identify the best programs and rates for loan applicants based on their financial picture.

In mortgage lending, technology adoption has often been tactical: point solutions layered on top of one another, more splatter than strategy. With AI, that approach is a recipe for confusion, wasted spend, and regulatory risk. The lenders who will win are the ones who treat AI adoption as a strategic transformation, not a tech experiment. That is why Big Think and NexLevel Advisors created the AI Readiness Assessment, a structured engagement that helps lenders move from curiosity to capability. The Assessment begins with an outside-in evaluation of a lender’s technology stack, data quality, culture, and change readiness. It then guides executives through alignment workshops that cut through noise and prioritize the AI use cases with real impact, such as automating underwriting review, detecting anomalies in wire instructions, or predicting borrower retention risk. The result is a phased, tailored roadmap that translates AI from hype to execution. Lenders gain clarity on where to start, confidence that investments are tied to measurable ROI, and alignment across leadership teams. The Assessment is designed to help lenders surface 3 to 5 critical AI use cases within the first 60 days, positioning them to accelerate underwriting cycles, strengthen fraud defenses, and create new revenue opportunities while avoiding the trap of chasing every flashy AI tool. The AI Readiness Assessment is not just about AI; it is about disciplined modernization. By enabling lenders to make judicious, strategic technology choices, it is helping them become the smart implementers who will define the next era of mortgage innovation.

Blue Sage Solutions is transforming the mortgage industry by embedding advanced artificial intelligence directly into its end-to-end Digital Lending Platform, —not as a bolt-on feature, but as a core, integrated capability that redefines how lenders operate. The company’s latest innovation, the Blue Sage AI Sales Agent, exemplifies this approach. Built natively into the platform, it combines real-time voice recognition, natural language processing and advanced speech synthesis to streamline loan officer workflows and elevate borrower engagement. Loan officers can use the AI Sales Agent to create contacts, retrieve loan information, run borrower scenarios and send emails instantly—without navigating multiple screens or re-entering information. The assistant understands various accents and dialects, maintains fluid, human-like multi-step conversations and integrates seamlessly with enterprise systems via scalable APIs and low-code tools. Blue Sage’s AI vision prioritizes enhancing workflows, delivering measurable efficiency gains while keeping human expertise at the heart of the lending process. As AI rapidly evolves, Blue Sage’s open, API-first architecture ensures lenders can adapt, scale and innovate without disruption—cementing its role as a true AI pioneer in mortgage technology.

Over the past 18 months, Insellerate has been at the forefront of redefining how mortgage lenders operate, compete, and grow—by embedding advanced AI directly into the sales, service, and compliance engines of the lending lifecycle. Its flagship AI solution, Aithena, has become a catalyst for measurable transformation across multiple lenders nationwide. Among the most compelling success stories is Ladera Lending, a forward-thinking mortgage company that partnered with Insellerate to solve persistent performance gaps: too many unqualified inquiries, limited loan officer capacity, and lost opportunities due to manual sales processes. By integrating Aithena’s AI Call Assistant, Ladera Lending experienced a 38% increase in worked opportunities in just 7 days, a 21% reduction in time spent on non-viable leads, and an industry-leading 89.4% accuracy in predicting loan closures from the very first conversation. These aren’t incremental improvements—they’re exponential gains that reframe what’s possible in loan origination. With Aithena, Ladera’s loan officers now receive real-time insights into borrower intent, next-step coaching based on emotional intelligence cues, and predictive analytics that help prioritize which borrowers to follow up with—and when. The result? A more efficient, empowered, and emotionally attuned sales force capable of delivering a superior borrower experience, faster. As Scott Contreras, EVP of Ladera Lending, put it: “We are committed to consistently providing the tools and resources to help our loan officers be successful. Adding Aithena powered by Insellerate is another example of implementing technology to maximize our loan officers’ time while delivering a better borrower experience.” And Ladera is not alone. Across its customer base, Insellerate has been working with lenders for the last 18+ months to implement AI solutions that go beyond automation—they amplify human performance. From lead scoring and qualification to compliance monitoring and real-time coaching, Aithena is turning complex borrower interactions into clear, actionable insights. Consider these cumulative outcomes: 9X ROI achieved in the first 90 days for another lender using Aithena’s intelligent lead scoring Over 120,000 hours of sales calls reviewed since 2024 13.75% conversion rate for high-scoring leads—versus 0% for low-scoring ones Compliance cost reduction of over 90% for call monitoring and QA What makes Aithena different is its role as a “smart co-pilot” for lending professionals. Rather than replacing people, Aithena enhances their ability to make better decisions, faster—combining data science with behavioral insight to create a smarter, more empathetic approach to lending. In a time when the lending industry is under pressure to modernize, Aithena stands out not just for what it does, but for how it empowers lenders to work differently—with more confidence, clarity, and speed. This is AI not as a trend, but as a strategic business advantage.

How is Loyola AI using AI to improve the lending business? Probably not the way you’d expect. Many are trying to get generative AI to take over entire roles or even departments in the company, something a recent MIT study said will fail 95% of the time. That’s not the way to pioneer these powerful new technologies into the mortgage space. Loyola AI turned away from all the shiny object promises and focused on where these tools could make a measurable impact. The result is workflow-by-workflow AI intervention, shaving about an hour off each loan the lender processes and helping one lender double its fulfillment capabilities. The company isn’t trying to build a robotic loan processor, but rather to make every loan processor in the company perform like a superhero. It’s working. Loyola has about 25 workflows built, tested, and in use, but the real power is in how easy it is to build new ones. The company’s staff can have a new AI-powered workflow up and running in a matter of days, if not hours. With per workflow pricing, the lender can pick and choose where they want to save time and money. That’s how you get an ROI from AI in today’s mortgage business.

ChatMMI is the lending industry’s first AI-powered conversational interface for data analysis, and is powered by the industry’s most complete mortgage data and intelligence. It transforms how lenders, marketers, recruiters, and executives interact with market intelligence—making complex data as simple to access as asking a question. With ChatMMI, users can skip dashboards, filters, and spreadsheets— ask anything and get answers instantly. Want to know which lenders gained the most purchase volume in California last quarter? Or see retention by month for the past 5 years? Just ask. ChatMMI responds in real time, pulling from the deepest, most robust dataset in the industry. Behind the scenes, it taps into: 500 million+ origination records spanning 25 years; 8+ terabytes of data; and real-time insights across 150+ million properties and 3,000+ counties. When you ask ChatMMI a question, you’re not getting an approximation based on incomplete or unreliable source data. You’re getting a fast, precise response—backed by the mortgage industry’s most complete and trusted data engine. “With ChatMMI, we’re making all of that data and intelligence even more accessible,” said Dan Jones, Chief Technology Officer at MMI. “It’s like having a 24/7 data analyst who understands mortgage—and speaks your language.”

nCino (NASDAQ: NCNO) has introduced Doc Validation, an AI-powered tool that tackles one of the biggest pain points in mortgage origination: document processing. The typical bank, credit union or IMB loan officer today spends an average of 13.5 hours per loan just collecting and handling documents—time that adds cost, slows down closings, and frustrates borrowers. Why it matters A typical conventional mortgage requires 20–30 unique document types. Each one takes 10–15 minutes to manually validate and assign in the loan origination system (LOS). Errors occur in 10–30% of loan files, driving an additional $80–$275 in rework costs per loan. How it works Using proprietary AI, Doc Validation automatically classifies and validates common documents—including tax returns, W-2s, pay stubs, licenses and bank statements—in seconds. Files are routed to the right LOS folders automatically, and if a document is incomplete or inaccurate, borrowers receive instant feedback to correct it before the loan stalls. In nCino’s words “nCino’s AI-powered Doc Validation solution transforms document processing from a multi-hour manual task into an automated workflow that is nearly instantaneous,” said Tyler Prows, Director of Product at nCino. “The result is a direct reduction in per-loan processing costs, fewer origination delays, and greater overall confidence in borrower approval.” Availability Doc Validation is available now to select lenders through nCino’s Early Access Program with general availability expected in early Q4. Participation requires integration with the Encompass® loan origination system from ICE Mortgage Technology and a nominal implementation fee.

Over the past 18 months, NexLevel has emerged as one of the mortgage industry’s most impactful AI education sources. Through dozens of live trainings, webinars, speaking engagements, and published articles, NexLevel has empowered loan officers and mortgage brokers to not only understand AI—but to apply it in transformative, revenue-generating ways. While NexLevel did not coin the “point-of-thought vs. point-of-sale” concept, the company has been a leading voice in helping mortgage professionals align their messaging, content, and customer engagement strategies with this critical shift in buyer behavior. NexLevel’s work bridges the gap between technology and trust, showing loan officers how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and custom GPTs to elevate their thought leadership, personalize borrower communication, and create authentic, high-converting content—faster and with greater impact. Through hands-on coaching and practical instruction, NexLevel has demystified everything from AI video tools (like Riverside and Opus Clips) to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—guiding mortgage pros on how to become not just visible, but valuable in a crowded digital marketplace. NexLevel’s contributions are rooted in a passion for enabling others to lead. By turning AI from an intimidating trend into a practical tool, NexLevel is driving real progress. With AI, that approach is a recipe for confusion, wasted spend, and regulatory risk. The lenders who will win are the ones who treat AI adoption as a strategic transformation, not a tech experiment. That is why Big Think and NexLevel Advisors created the AI Readiness Assessment, a structured engagement that helps lenders move from curiosity to capability. The Assessment begins with an outside-in evaluation of a lender’s technology stack, data quality, culture, and change readiness. It then guides executives through alignment workshops that cut through noise and prioritize the AI use cases with real impact, such as automating underwriting review, detecting anomalies in wire instructions, or predicting borrower retention risk. The result is a phased, tailored roadmap that translates AI from hype to execution. Lenders gain clarity on where to start, confidence that investments are tied to measurable ROI, and alignment across leadership teams. The Assessment is designed to help lenders surface 3 to 5 critical AI use cases within the first 60 days, positioning them to accelerate underwriting cycles, strengthen fraud defenses, and create new revenue opportunities while avoiding the trap of chasing every flashy AI tool. The AI Readiness Assessment is not just about AI; it is about disciplined modernization. By enabling lenders to make judicious, strategic technology choices, it is helping them become the smart implementers who will define the next era of mortgage innovation.

Artificial intelligence is no longer an experiment in mortgage technology; it is the new standard for how lenders compete, innovate, and thrive. And at Optimal Blue, AI is not a bolt-on feature or future promise, but rather an integral part of the company’s capital markets ecosystem, powering solutions that lenders rely on every day. Through its suite of no-cost AI innovations – including Ask Obi, Originator Assistant, and a family of CompassEdge AI assistants – Optimal Blue is helping lenders make faster decisions, uncover hidden opportunities, and maximize profitability in ways previously out of reach. Launched in 2025, Ask Obi is a generative AI assistant designed for lending executives. It allows decision-makers to ask plain-language questions (like “where did margins shift most last quarter?”) and receive clear, visual responses drawn from Optimal Blue’s comprehensive capital markets platform. By aggregating live pricing, pipeline, concession, and lock data, Ask Obi transforms what once required complex spreadsheets and specialized analysts into instant, interactive insights. For mid-size and regional lenders especially, Ask Obi acts as an always-on data analyst, empowering executives to benchmark margins, identify outliers, and optimize investor strategies with unprecedented speed and confidence. The Optimal Blue PPE now includes Originator Assistant, a generative AI recommendation engine that automatically identifies alternate loan scenarios with more competitive pricing. The tool eliminates human bias in the loan structuring process, highlights pricing breakpoints, and suggests adjustments that open up more borrower options. For loan officers, this means less guesswork and more confidence presenting the best possible scenarios. For borrowers, it means more choices, faster answers, and a greater chance of achieving homeownership. Within months of release, Originator Assistant was rapidly adopted by lenders looking to equip originators with AI-powered insights that improve pull-through and borrower satisfaction. Optimal Blue has also embedded generative AI into its CompassEdge hedging and loan trading platform. Here, five specialized assistants tackle secondary-market-specific challenges: Profitability Assistant summarizes top drivers of pipeline gains/losses for CFOs; Projections Assistant delivers real-time, granular pipeline risk modeling; Trade Assistant recommends hedge selections aligned with policy and cost objectives; Position Assistant automates complex position management calculations; and Confirm Assistant accelerates TBA trade confirmation analysis. Together, these capabilities reduce manual processes, minimize human bias, and save secondary teams up to 30 hours a month – time that can be redirected toward strategy and profitability. Each of these capabilities is grounded in real-world use cases, built in close collaboration with Optimal Blue’s lending clients, and delivered at no additional cost. With Optimal Blue’s platform touching more than a third of all mortgages locked nationwide and ~40% of loans hedged and sold into the secondary market, the ripple effect of these innovations is significant. Executives are making faster, clearer decisions. Loan officers are presenting stronger borrower options. Secondary teams are capturing basis points once left on the table. In an industry defined by thin margins and constant change, Optimal Blue’s AI innovations demonstrate what it means to be a pioneer by not only transforming workflows, but redefining what lenders can achieve.

At Outamation’s AI platform, OutamateAI, is purpose-built for mortgage servicing and default operations, two of the most document heavy and labor-intensive corners of the industry. The technology helps servicers stop drowning in files and start making decisions faster, more accurately, and with greater confidence. With OutamateAI, every loan file, borrower correspondence, and legal document becomes instantly searchable. Instead of spending hours digging through folders, teams can now find exactly what they need in seconds. Scattered repositories are unified into a single AI-powered knowledge base where nothing gets lost. Beyond search, the platform automatically classifies every incoming document, extracts critical data points, from mortgage documents to legal filings, and flags urgent compliance deadlines before they slip through the cracks. What once took days of manual review now takes minutes, delivering speed without compromising accuracy. The impact of this automation is tangible. Workflows that used to take weeks can now be completed in days. Automated data extraction reduces errors and ensures consistency across the board, while built-in quality checks keep servicers ahead of evolving regulatory requirements. By streamlining document-heavy workflows, the technology enables teams to scale operations efficiently and handle increasing volumes without the need for proportional staffing increases. Most importantly, the company’s approach is not about replacing people, it’s about making them more powerful. By eliminating the grind of manual document handling, OutamateAI frees specialists to focus on higher-value work: such as helping borrowers, strengthening compliance, and driving smarter business decisions. In a business where regulations keep tightening and the demand for speed and accuracy keeps increasing, Outamation is demonstrating what real AI enablement looks like: practical, secure, and built to create unparalleled leverage for the different players of the lending industry.

Prudent AI is a leading innovator in AI-powered lending solutions. Lenders are experiencing significant operational efficiencies and growth with its cutting-edge income intelligence tool. Prudent AI empowers lenders to evaluate borrower repayment ability in minutes, unlocking deep financial insights while dramatically reducing processing time. With qualified income computed from all types of income documents in a fraction of the time of traditional methods, innovative non-QM lenders are gaining competitive advantages while closing more loans. Lenders partnering with Prudent AI experience dramatic operational improvements including: Borrower Evaluation in Minutes: Repayment ability assessment reduced from hours to minutes, with qualified income computed instantly from diverse document types; 70% Faster Processing: Teams redirect resources to high-value activities while AI handles data extraction and calculation; Enhanced Accuracy: Minimized calculation errors and zero false positives lead to better loan quality; Superior Customer Experience: Accelerated approvals create happier borrowers and stronger referral pipelines; and Market Differentiation: Forward-thinking lenders leverage cutting-edge technology to stand out in competitive markets. Prudent AI’s platform processes various income documents through automated data extraction with unmatched precision. The system provides intuitive data visualization, AI-powered assistance, and an easy-to-interpret risk scale for rapid decision-making. Implementation takes just 30 minutes with seamless API integration into existing tech stacks. Already trusted by more than 50% of non-QM lenders, Prudent AI consistently increases loan processing capacity while reducing operating expenses.

Tavant is redefining the future of lending through its AI-first strategy, delivering transformative solutions that enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and elevate the borrower experience. At the heart of this transformation is Tavant’s flagship platform, Touchless Lending®, an AI-powered Lending-as-a-Service solution that automates the entire mortgage lifecycle—from origination to servicing. Touchless Lending® eliminates manual bottlenecks by leveraging intelligent automation, machine learning, and generative AI. It replaces traditional, paper-heavy processes with optimized, machine-oriented workflows that enable loan officers, processors, and underwriters to make faster, data-driven decisions. This results in a 60% reduction in origination time and a 77% decrease in underwriting and processing costs. In 2024, Tavant launched LO.ai, a generative AI-powered assistant designed to augment the sales process. LO.ai reduces pipeline fallout, increases lead conversion, and shortens onboarding time for new loan officers. It empowers borrowers with personalized insights and educational tools, helping them make confident financial decisions. By automating routine tasks, LO.ai allows seasoned loan officers to focus on complex deals, driving down sales expenses while improving borrower engagement. Tavant’s AI solutions also address compliance and risk management. The platform includes built-in regulatory monitoring and real-time risk assessment, ensuring adherence to TILA RESPA, TRID, and agency guidelines. Sensitive borrower data is anonymized, masked, and tokenized, enabling secure, compliant operations at scale The impact of these innovations is measurable and compelling. Lenders using Touchless Lending® have reported: • A 3-day reduction in processing time • $2,000 in operational savings per loan • 15–30 basis points improvement in pricing execution • 73% drop in support call volume and 9% decrease in average handling time within three months of implementation • 30% reduction in ongoing transaction costs through microservices-based architecture Tavant’s AI-driven servicing solutions further enhance borrower satisfaction by personalizing interactions and proactively identifying churn risks. These capabilities are showcased through mobile demos and real-time dashboards, offering servicers a comprehensive view of borrower behavior and operational performance. Beyond mortgage, Tavant is extending its AI capabilities into home equity, banking, and financial services. Its AI agents are being deployed to coach sales teams, automate underwriting, and streamline compliance reviews. These agents are part of a broader vision to create an orchestrated ecosystem of intelligent microservices that adapt to market cycles and scale on demand. Tavant’s commitment to innovation is not just technological—it’s cultural. The company has embraced an “AI-first” identity, ensuring that every product, process, and partnership is rooted in intelligent automation and data-driven decision-making.

Veritiq is a comprehensive system for performing Quality Control and Quality Assurance projects designed with the needs of large distributed quality teams. The technology is designed to empower quality departments to take control of the quality process. Veritiq’s RPA proprietary Risk Management tool ARC – Audit Risk Management and Compliance Platform is a customizable workflow system with automated queue management and time bound tasks all in a cloud-based single integrated audit platform. The technology performs internal audits on CFPB, FNMA, FHA/HUD, USDA, VA, SCRA, MERS and Covid-19 with over 20,000 mandates and questions, continually updated. The system is created from the ground-up to be highly flexible and usable for virtually any kind of audits or workflows. It includes real-time standard and custom reporting in various formats; one centralized platform for all audit functions across the organization; automates routine processes to reduce and simplify audit workload; maintains a continually updated compliance checklist; and performs loan-level as well as organizational-level audits.

By strategically deploying AI across the title process, Williston Financial Group (WFG) is driving efficiency, reducing risk, and taking both time and cost out of the mortgage transaction. WFG’s investment in AI has been deliberate and outcome-driven. Rather than chasing hype, the company applied AI where it can most directly address longstanding pain points for lenders. The results are dramatic: orders are opened in half the time, document package processing costs have been reduced 85%, search is completed 5% faster, standard fraud checks are automated – with even more opportunities ahead as WFG applies its AI experience to more of the production process. Each of these efficiencies translates into more than back-office improvements. They directly benefit consumers by shortening timelines, lowering transaction costs, and reducing the stress of home buying and refinancing. The ability to open an order faster or finalize a closing without multiple back-and-forth iterations isn’t just about speed—it’s about delivering a more transparent, predictable, and customer-centric real estate experience. WFG’s investment is also making a difference for lenders. By embedding AI into its core workflows, WFG enables its partners to reduce operational overhead and focus more energy on borrower relationships. This alignment with lenders’ priorities helps to achieve their goal of lowering consumer costs and improving borrower outcomes. WFG also increases its vigilance against risk using AI. By deploying AI for data validation, identity verification, document accuracy, and anomaly detection, WFG minimizes the potential for costly errors and compliance issues. This reduces exposure for lenders while protecting consumers from delays, surprise costs, or post-closing corrections. WFG’s approach is holistic and continually evolving. From automated decisioning to AI-driven document processing, WFG is scaling investments where they deliver the greatest measurable impact. What sets WFG apart is its relentless focus on applying AI not for its own sake, but to drive down costs, accelerate timelines, and create tangible benefits for the consumer—an ethos that aligns perfectly with the mortgage industry’s most urgent goals. Ultimately, AI at WFG is not an experiment; it is a proven engine for change. By reimagining core processes, reducing inefficiencies, and enhancing the customer experience, WFG is demonstrating how AI can redefine the settlement services business. In doing so, WFG is not only strengthening its own operations — WFG is reshaping the way homebuyers, sellers, and lenders will experience the real estate transaction.