The 2025 Lending Tech Titan Award Winners Are …

We are very honored to have been approached by lenders to expand our awards program. They say that they turn to our winners when they are looking to invest in technology and now the lenders that are talking to us are looking to invest in technology. However, they want to know the tangible and intangible return on investment that they will get from choosing a new technology partner. As such, we have created the Lending Tech Titan Award to honor technology that truly benefits its users. We want to honor technology that is making a clear difference in the lending space. The 2025 Award Winners in alphabetical order are:

Optimized Real Estate Transactions: Benutech’s technology streamlines the opening process for buyers, sellers, and refinancing clients, resulting in significant time and cost savings. This results in enhanced operational efficiencies, reduced closing delays, and minimized human error. The company actively prevents title fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft, directly reducing financial losses for users. The combination of streamlined processes and robust fraud prevention tools facilitates faster closings, fostering increased transaction volume and greater customer trust and confidence. Benutech’s Lien Monitoring feature safeguards against the loss of lien position on title, mitigating potential losses on mortgages owned or serviced by clients. The company provides proactive processes for security and detailed insights into clients’ servicing and mortgage portfolios, consistently reducing loss mitigation efforts.

Benutech’s fraud prevention tools foster industry trust, strengthen partner relationships, and instill confidence by actively combating fraud, thus reducing stress for all parties. They also enhance trust in digital and remote real estate closings, providing clients with a competitive advantage through integrated fraud prevention platforms. The company’s ClientVerify.AI is a Lender and Settlement workflow software designed to simplify and verify real estate transactions for title agents, underwriters and loan officers. ClientVerify.AI is a user-friendly dynamic questionnaire that solicits all relevant transactional data elements from a buyer/seller/refinance client – and then verifies that data against public record – such as chains of title, possible involuntary liens, credit profiles, court records, state and federal alert systems, DMV license/ID verification, MINS/MERS loan identity, and more. The platform makes key real estate data accessible during critical decision-making steps in the real estate process, by asking the right questions at the right time and alerting the Lender or Settlement staff when there are discrepancies between client input and the verification of public record.

With ClientVerify.AI, accuracy is improved throughout the lending and closing process. The addition of accurate public record input helps alert Lenders/Closers to inaccuracies in client input and helps identify the potential of fraud. And typical silos between loan, title, closing, and other workflows are eliminated to create a streamlined experience for all parties involved. Benutech also provides a Lien Monitoring service that draws attention to properties where the servicer can mitigate loss. Utilizing a nationwide daily update of full and partial title transfers, involuntary liens attached, mortgage or HOA defaults, address changes, second or third mortgage defaults, and even bank account verification (matching bank account ownership to borrower name) – Provides valuable insight to the Servicer to prevent loan loss and then allows for recovery of properties/collateral for the mortgages they service. Without this information, reverse mortgage payments continue to be deposited into bank accounts that the Servicer is no longer required to deliver. Conventional loans can be prevented from being assumed by non-qualified borrowers.

Thousands of customers use ICE Mortgage Technology to drive business and improve efficiency through cutting-edge digitization. ICE Mortgage Technology, part of the regulated exchanges corporation Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), provides technology solutions for the “entire mortgage process”, automating all the steps between customer engagement and loan registration. The powerful ROI that the technology provides, keeps attracting new clients and existing clients to leverage ICE Mortgage Technology.

For example, Florida, US-based Raymond James Bank (RJF) has partnered with ICE Mortgage Technology to leverage the firm’s Encompass digital software to power its mortgage lending operations for high-net-worth borrowers. RJF, an affiliate of NYSE-listed wealth management firm Raymond James Financial, will utilize ICE’s Encompass solution to support the origination of mortgages for its affluent borrowers through both retail and delegated correspondent lending avenues. The investment bank already employs other ICE solutions including its Mortgage Electronic Registration System (MERS) and ICE Data Services, which ICE says made the “interconnectivity of Encompass a natural fit.”

And ICE continues to innovate.  Earlier this year, Freddie Mac and ICE announced enhancements that leverage both companies’ automation technologies to enable lenders to more quickly and efficiently underwrite mortgage loans starting at the point of sale. New enhancements give lenders heightened integrated access to the latest offerings in Loan Product Advisor^® (LPA^®), Freddie Mac’s automating underwriting system, from within Encompass^®, ICE’s widely used digital mortgage lending platform. The Encompass Underwriting Center’s dual AUS feature provides:

• Access to Freddie Mac’s LPA Choice^SM feedback messages, which offer actionable responses to help lenders make faster, informed decisions and turn more Cautions messages to Accepts. Feedback messages include information about debt-to-income ratios, loan-to-value ratios and reserves.
• Feedback on whether a given loan is eligible for employment representation and warranty relief.
• Access to critical LPA messages highlighting Freddie Mac’s automated collateral evaluation (ACE) and ACE+ PDR appraisal alternatives.

“ICE is actively digitizing mortgage lending; integrating systems, solutions and processes to provide maximum value for lenders and households alike,” said Tim Bowler, President of ICE’s mortgage technology division. “By virtue of this collaboration, Encompass users can now seamlessly access Freddie Mac’s latest LPA offerings as part of their existing workflows. As always, the goal is to increase efficiency, lower costs and help lenders put more qualified borrowers into homes they can afford.”

Informative Research’s technology, led by Ajay Trilokeshwaran and his team, delivers measurable and immediate ROI for lenders through substantial cost savings, operational efficiency, and accelerated workflows. The Verification Platform, a fully customizable waterfall automation system, and IR’s Credit Platform, including solutions like SoftQual, have enabled lenders, including those in the top 25, to reduce credit and verification expenses by up to 35%. On average, clients save $30 per closed loan in verification costs alone. In one notable case, a lender using SoftQual saved over $100,000 in just 30 days by avoiding unnecessary hard credit pulls for ineligible applicants. Another top lender reported a 75% reduction in verification costs on 15% of its loans, showcasing the scalability and precision of IR’s platform enhancements. These platforms automate critical steps in the loan origination process, reduce redundant ordering, and eliminate manual data entry through seamless integration with lenders’ loan origination systems. Lenders using IR’s solutions have also reported a 15% average reduction in closing times, resulting in faster time-to-funding and increased operational throughput.

Beyond hard-dollar savings, Informative Research delivers significant intangible value by enabling lenders to remain agile and competitive in a rapidly evolving mortgage landscape. Under Ajay Trilokeshwaran’s leadership, the technology team fulfills over 400 client-driven change requests annually, illustrating a deeply responsive and flexible development culture. This responsiveness allows lenders to shape platform functionality to meet their specific operational goals without delays or disruption. The Verification and Credit Platforms are designed for modularity and adaptability, giving lenders control over data sourcing and vendor prioritization while supporting compliance with evolving investor and regulatory guidelines. By strengthening integrations with Fannie Mae’s DU® and Freddie Mac’s LPA , these platforms enable automated income ℠ and employment verifications that qualify for rep and warrant relief, reducing loan manufacturing risk at scale. This flexibility helps lenders optimize operations and pivot quickly in response to market changes, giving them a strategic edge.

Additionally, partnerships with vendors like Halcyon and Thomas & Company have further enhanced platform capabilities, broadening access to real-time income and employment data. By reducing manual tasks and accelerating processing times, these platforms also improve borrower satisfaction, leading to enhanced brand perception, increased likelihood of referrals and long-term borrower relationships. Finally, IR’s commitment to partnership—evident in its collaboration between technology, sales, and customer success teams—helps lenders achieve long-term success. IR has maintained a 0% client churn rate and saw a 21% increase in client count over the past year, reflecting the lasting value, trust, and innovation that Ajay’s technology leadership brings to the mortgage ecosystem.

Service 1st, through its affiliate NCS, provides proprietary in-house technology that delivers a measurable return on investment by significantly reducing verification timelines, minimizing errors, and lowering labor costs through automation and direct IRS data access. With Service 1st’s enhanced 8821 tax transcript solution, lenders can receive IRS transcript data in as little as two to three minutes after borrower authorization. This is a major improvement over the traditional 4506-C process, which typically takes 72 hours or longer. By replacing a multi-day manual step with near-instant digital access, lenders save an average of 2.6 days per loan file during income verification. The speed and automation of the company’s 8821 solution also lower the number of underwriter touches required and eliminate the need for side-by-side comparison of borrower-provided tax documents and IRS transcripts.

One lender using this solution reported a 50% drop in labor costs tied to borrower verifications, enabling its staff to focus on complex or high-risk files instead of manual tasks. Because 8821 requests through Service 1st avoid the $4 per-year IRS surcharge applied to 4506-C transcript orders, clients can reduce their per-file verification costs even further. This benefit adds up to meaningful per-loan savings for multi-year transcript requests, where traditional fees would typically total $12 or more per loan. Internal audits also show that Service 1st’s digital submission process and formatting checks reduce IRS rejection rates by 6% compared to the national average, eliminating common delays tied to form errors and data mismatches. Fewer rejections also reduce borrower touchpoints and remove the need to reorder transcripts—further cutting costs and shortening cycle times. In addition to current-year tax transcripts, the 8821 solution allows lenders to access up to three future years of IRS data using the same borrower authorization, giving them ongoing visibility into borrower income and supporting future QC and servicing needs. Service 1st’s verification of employment and income (VOE/VOI) platform produces measurable outcomes by using automated verification methods to improve efficiency and shorten cycle times. Nearly 70% of the company’s VOE/VOI orders are completed in under 12 hours, and more than 82% are completed within 24 hours. This allows lenders to keep files moving without costly follow-ups or extended processing times. The company’s credit report supplements—which enable lenders to update or amend a borrower’s credit profile—deliver similar results. More than 68% of credit supplements are fulfilled in under 12 hours, and nearly 77% are completed within 24 hours.

These faster turnaround times help lenders close loans faster, reduce overhead, and improve operational performance across origination teams. Together, these innovations let lenders process more loans, faster and with greater accuracy—resulting in fewer errors, lower costs, and significant time savings that translate directly into improved margins.

ServiceLink’s EXOS® technologies have revolutionized the lender and borrower experience through unparalleled, market-proven innovations that streamline processes and eliminate inefficiencies throughout the entire mortgage process, saving our both time and money. Today’s borrowers want to work with a lender that offers the technology ServiceLink provides its clients. In its 2025 State of Homebuying Report (SOHBR), which surveyed more than 1,500 people who either purchased or attempted to purchase a home in the last four years, 76% of borrowers said they would be more likely to work with a lender that offered scheduling of appraisal or closing appointments on a phone or tablet for the exact date and time they desire. ServiceLink’s online scheduling solution does just that. ServiceLink is the only provider that offers a real-time scheduling solution, giving users direct access to the schedules of the nation’s most qualified agents at the tap of a finger, through its first-of-its-kind calendar syncing capabilities. Borrowers can select the exact date and time of their appraisal or signing appointment and will receive the appraiser or signing agent’s profile with their name, picture and the make and model of their car sent right to their phone. In the case of closing appointments, borrowers can also select their preferred location and opt to close in-branch, in a different location or fully virtually. Borrowers agree that this technology would sway them toward using a particular lender.

According to SOHBR, the biggest benefits of using technology in the mortgage process are convenience and ease of use, time savings and flexibility to make progress on their own schedule. ServiceLink’s solutions deliver all three. This is why eight out of 10 of the industry’s largest lenders rely on ServiceLink. The efficiency its suite of products offers cuts days from the origination cycle time, enabling lenders to close loans faster and reduce costs. Its scheduling capabilities through EXOS® Close eliminate the need for phone tag and immediately allow borrowers to select a time that meets their needs. Nearly 100% of consumers select the first available date to close and this technology has led to a roughly 98% reduction in reschedules. In less than a minute, the average consumer’s appointment is confirmed with an agent. In the SOHBR, 42% of respondents said they want to see a speedier process. EXOS® Valuations technology meets that need with turn times that average less than four days. ServiceLink provides its clients with the tools that the borrowers desire and help them improve customers satisfaction. SOHBR data also shows that 43% of respondents want to see less paperwork and more electronic forms throughout the process. This year, ServiceLink made enhancements to its EXOS® Close technology with the addition of an in-platform determination of remote closing eligibility, assessing state and county acceptance requirements. With lender approval, it gives eligible borrowers the immediate option to schedule their closing online.

ServiceLink’s EXOS solutions have aided some of the industry’s largest lenders and servicers in digitizing and streamlining key milestones in the mortgage process, increasing transparency and, most importantly, creating a positive consumer experience. Providing clients with a positive experience keeps them coming back. ServiceLink prioritizes the borrower at every step. Borrowers who recently closed virtually with ServiceLink rated the experience 5 out of 5 stars, commenting on the ease of use, efficiency and streamlined process. ServiceLink’s processes also increase transparency, which 49% of SOHBR respondents said they would like to see more of in the homebuying process. With the transparency today’s users expect, EXOS scheduling technology provides borrowers with the name, picture, make and model of the appraisers and signing agents’ vehicle sent right to their smartphone or tablet. This helps further instill trust and enhances the consumer experience. It also provides updates at key milestones throughout the appraisal or closing process, even providing a GPS-coordinated ETA when the signing agent or appraiser is on their way. A recent update, where users can utilize SMS text messaging technology to schedule appraisal appointments, further increases flexibility and transparency for borrowers. ServiceLink’s technology also offers a boost in brand familiarity with private labeling communications throughout the process. EXOS technologies also connects clients with its best-in-class notary and valuation panels. Adding that human touch to its technology, with widespread availability, further improves ServiceLink’s customer experience.

A Williston Financial Group Company, Volly’s Marketing Suite delivers measurable ROI by helping lenders strengthen borrower relationships and drive repeat business through personalized, automated retention programs. Over the past three years, Volly clients have generated $5.3 billion in repeat loan volume—demonstrating the powerful impact of staying connected with past customers. In today’s highly competitive lending landscape, Volly’s mortgage CRM platform has also proven effective in supporting new business growth. Since 2022, lenders using Volly have grown their portfolios by 26%. The platform’s portfolio retention solutions are key to maintaining and deepening relationships with existing customers. In just the past year, Volly clients sent approximately 1.3 million emails and achieved an average open rate of 60%—nearly twice the industry average—highlighting strong engagement and message relevance.

Volly delivers more than just measurable results—clients benefit from a strategic partnership that enhances their efficiency, brand strength, and ability to compete. As a trusted industry leader since 2004, Volly brings decades of experience in mortgage technology and marketing. One-third of the nation’s top 25 banks rely on Volly to increase business and profitability, a testament to its impact and reliability. Volly’s customizable, easy-to-use software and expert creative services help clients launch campaigns faster—an essential advantage in a fast-moving market where agility matters. By serving as an extension of in-house marketing teams, Volly frees up valuable internal bandwidth. Clients benefit from Volly’s expertise in mortgage-specific marketing, enabling them to elevate their brand presence and drive better results without overextending their teams. Finally, Volly offers the scale and sophistication of a large technology provider with the hands-on support of a true partner. The platform integrates seamlessly with clients’ existing tech stacks via modern, open APIs. And Volly’s experienced team of marketers, developers, and designers provides tailored support to create impactful, on-brand campaigns that resonate with borrowers.