What's Slowing Down Mortgage Files Right Now in 2026?

My name is Dino Alabre and I've been in the mortgage industry in the last 6 years. Over the last few weeks I’ve been speaking with mortgage brokers, branch managers, and loan officers to better understand where teams are experiencing the most operational friction in today’s market.

I’ve heard everything from appraisal delays and processor overload to borrower readiness and pipeline fallout, so I decided to put together a short industry survey to better understand what teams are dealing with most consistently.

Would genuinely appreciate any insight from people currently working in mortgage/lending. Should only take about 2–3 minutes.

1. What best describes your role?

Independent Mortgage Broker

Loan Officer

Branch Manager / Team Lead

2. What currently creates the MOST operational friction for your team?

3. What typically happens to borrowers who are interested but not currently mortgage-ready?

We manually follow up over time

We use CRM reminders/tasks

We move them into automated drip campaigns

We revisit them only if they reach back out

Most eventually fall through the cracks

4. Approximately what percentage of borrowers who initially show interest never become funded loans?

A

Less than 10%

B

10–25%

C

25–50%

D

50%+

5. When was the last time a borrower you thought was “dead” later became closable?

This week

This month

Within the last 3 months

Within the last year

Rarely / almost never

6. How does your team currently track borrowers who are not ready today but may become financeable later?

CRM reminders/tasks

Spreadsheets/manual notes

Personal/manual follow-up

Automated workflows

We don’t really track them consistently

7. Which operational issue creates the MOST stress for your team currently?

Borrowers going cold

Borrower communication

Processor capacity

Underwriting delays

Appraisal timelines

Loan fallout

Staffing limitations

8. What operational workflow inside mortgage still feels far too manual today?

9. Where do current mortgage CRMs or systems fall short most for your team operationally?

10. Would you be open to a short follow-up conversation to discuss operational workflow challenges further?

Yes

No

If Yes Email

Really appreciate the insight this has been extremely helpful in understanding where mortgage teams are experiencing the most operational friction today.

If you included contact email, I may reach out for a short follow-up conversation.

Referrals:

If you know a loan officer, mortgage broker, branch manager, or mortgage professional who would be open to sharing their perspective, feel free to share this form with them or make in introduction

Connect with me:

Thanks again for sharing your insight. I’d love to stay connected.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dino-alabre-144417239
X / Twitter: @DinoAlabre23
Facebook: Dino Alabre