All MLOs have to complete real estate continuing education, but the best don't stop there. Our industry is ever-changing, and the most successful lenders are the ones who never stop learning.
That’s why we’ve put together this collection of deep-dive resources just for you. These resources go beyond what's covered in our 1-Hour SAFE - Balancing AI & The Human Element (2025) CE course, giving you deeper insights, fresh perspectives, and actionable strategies to apply in your day-to-day business. So dive into these expert-approved reads and keep pushing your business forward.
1️⃣ AI Is Changing The Mortgage Lending Game
This April 2025 industry article lays out how AI is shaking up mortgages for better and worse. It’s a candid look at the huge efficiency gains lenders are seeing alongside the new risks (like those quirky AI “hallucinations” that can spew out wrong answers). The best part? It drives home that people still matter – AI works best as a sidekick, not a replacement. MLOs will appreciate the balanced take: you’ll feel excited about AI’s potential to streamline your workload, while staying alert to the pitfalls and the need to keep your human expertise firmly in the loop.
ameenaa
2️⃣ How the Mortgage Industry Embraced Generative AI in 2023
Curious what your peers and competitors have been doing with ChatGPT-style tech? Although it's a couple of years old, this eye-opening roundup gives you a front-row view of the generative AI revolution in mortgage lending. From lenders building smart chatbots to real estate platforms deploying AI assistants, you’ll see concrete examples of innovation in action. It even touches on how regulators started paying attention (hint: the Biden administration and CFPB were watching). By reading this, you’ll get fresh ideas and a sense of urgency – it’s a friendly nudge that the AI train is leaving the station, and savvy mortgage pros are already onboard (cautiously but surely!).
Spencer Lee
3️⃣ How Generative AI is Changing the Mortgage Process
This accessible explainer shows exactly how generative AI is streamlining the day-to-day grind of loan origination – think quicker document reviews, instant transcriptions of client calls, and faster moves from application to closing. It also spills the tea on the flip side: concerns about accuracy, bias, and why a lot of lenders are tapping the brakes until rules catch up. Perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that even with AI handling the heavy lifting, the human touch is still indispensable in complex or emotional situations. MLOs will come away with a clear picture of AI’s real-world perks and perils – and feel confident that there’s still a critical role for the human element in an AI-powered process.
Andrew Dehan
4️⃣ All Aboard the AI Train: A Practical Roadmap for Lenders
Ready to get hands-on with AI? This guide from a respected mortgage consultancy is like a free playbook for implementing AI in your business. It walks you through proven use cases that are delivering results right now (from automating tedious data entry to supercharging compliance checks), and it peeks at emerging tech that’s just around the corner. Crucially, it offers step-by-step strategies to adopt these tools responsibly – keeping you on the right side of regulations and customer satisfaction. MLOs who read this will feel empowered and ahead of the curve, armed with actionable ideas to boost efficiency, cut costs, and wow customers without losing the human touch that sets their service apart.
Kris van Beever
5️⃣ The Use of AI for Less Discriminatory Alternative Models in Fair Lending
Striking the balance between innovation and ethics is a hot topic, and this piece zeroes in on exactly that. Written by compliance experts, it explores how AI can actually help make lending fairer by finding less discriminatory ways to evaluate borrowers. It acknowledges the elephant in the room – biases in algorithms – but then shares how financial institutions are tackling that through “LDA” models and vigilant monitoring. For an MLO who’s passionate about equal opportunity (and keen to avoid costly fair-lending violations), this article is pure gold. You’ll learn best practices to make sure your shiny new AI tools don’t accidentally trip over ethical lines, all while maintaining the speed and efficiency that make AI so appealing in the first place.
Melissa Pazornik
6️⃣ CFPB Issues Guidance on Credit Denials by Lenders Using Artificial Intelligence
Wondering how regulators feel about that black-box AI underwriting model? Spoiler alert: they’re not giving it any free passes. This official guidance from the CFPB (no dry legalese, we promise) makes it crystal clear that if a lender uses AI to make a credit decision, they still have to tell the borrower exactly why they were approved or denied – just as they would if a human made the call. “There is no special exemption for artificial intelligence,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra warns. For MLOs, reading this is a must because it translates into one big takeaway: clarity matters. It’s a quick read that could save you from compliance headaches and confirm you’re using AI in a way that stays on the right side of the law (and your clients).
7️⃣ AI-Driven Fraud Poses a Serious Threat to the Mortgage Industry
This article is as gripping as a crime thriller – except it’s real, and it’s happening in our industry. It reveals how scammers are now leveraging AI for evil, from deepfake videos of “borrowers” to synthetic voices, all to trick lenders and steal money. Mortgage fraud expert Sarah Frano breaks down jaw-dropping examples (ever heard of a deepfake client meeting?) and shares practical tips to sniff out and stop these high-tech cons. If you’re an MLO, consider this your fraud survival briefing. You’ll get a scary-good understanding of the latest schemes and learn how to protect your borrowers and business. It’s an urgent reminder that as we deploy AI for good, criminals are right behind – and we need to stay one step ahead.
Patrick Barnard
8️⃣ Fannie Mae launches AI fraud detection partnership with Palantir
Here’s some exciting news straight from the source: in May 2025, mortgage giant Fannie Mae announced a cutting-edge AI partnership aimed at catching fraudsters in the act. This press release describes how Fannie’s new “Crime Detection Unit,” powered by Palantir’s AI tech, can spot suspicious patterns across millions of data points in seconds – things that used to go unnoticed until it was too late. For MLOs, this is a feel-good read about the cavalry coming to the rescue. It shows that big players are investing in tools to protect the industry (and by extension, your pipeline) from bad actors. You’ll walk away impressed at how fast and smart fraud detection is becoming, and reassured that the lending ecosystem is arming itself with serious AI muscle to keep deals safe and sound.
9️⃣ As Lenders Move to More AI, Digitization, Borrowers Want A Real Human
Think all this tech means borrowers want a fully automated experience? Think again. This piece shares new J.D. Power survey results that are a wake-up call: an overwhelming majority of homebuyers (including the younger crowd!) say they crave personal guidance from their loan officers, even as lenders roll out more AI and digital portals. In fact, 61% of borrowers now insist on always having the option to talk to a human in a “perfect” mortgage process – a big jump from a few years ago. For you as an MLO, the message is loud and clear. Reading this will remind you that your expertise, empathy, and hand-holding are irreplaceable assets. It’s a friendly nudge that combining high-tech with high-touch is the winning formula in today’s market, and that staying approachable and “real” with clients is what will set you apart in an AI-driven world.