From Capital Markets to Community: Amy Creason on Standards, Data, and Leadership

Why Copperlane Thinks AI Should Empower Loan Officers—Not Replace Them

The mortgage industry is no stranger to new technology. But every once in a while, a company comes along that doesn't just automate an existing process—it challenges how we think about the work itself. On this episode of MISMO Mic'd Up, I sit down with Copperlane co-founders Athan Zhang and Brianna Lin, two young entrepreneurs who are bringing a fresh perspective to one of the industry's oldest challenges: helping loan officers spend less time on administrative work and more time serving borrowers. Despite being early in their careers, Athan and Brianna didn't stumble into mortgage by accident. Growing up with parents who worked within the GSE ecosystem gave them an appreciation for the full mortgage lifecycle—from origination all the way through the secondary market. That unique perspective helped them identify a problem many lenders have accepted as inevitable: too much time spent on repetitive, manual tasks that ultimately increase cost, create compliance risk, and distract loan officers from building relationships. Their solution is Penny, an AI-powered loan officer assistant designed to function less like software and more like another member of the lending team. Penny follows up with borrowers, reviews documents, answers questions, assists with quality control, and integrates directly into the systems lenders already use—all while keeping the human loan officer at the center of every relationship. We also dive into one of the most important conversations happening in mortgage today: responsible AI. Athan and Brianna explain how Copperlane approaches governance, testing, compliance, and lender oversight long before regulations require it. Their philosophy aligns closely with the industry's growing emphasis on AI governance, transparency, and trust. The conversation also explores Copperlane's recent $4.1 million seed funding round, what investors are seeing in mortgage technology, and why the founders believe success comes from spending as much time listening to customers as writing code. Their commitment to attending industry conferences, engaging directly with lenders, and learning how mortgage really works has helped shape both their product and their company culture. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this episode is that the future of mortgage isn't about replacing people with AI. It's about giving people better tools so they can do what they do best—build trust, advise borrowers, and create better homeownership experiences. Whether you're a lender evaluating AI, a technology provider building for the industry, or simply curious about where mortgage innovation is headed, this conversation offers an optimistic look at what happens when next-generation entrepreneurs combine cutting-edge technology with a genuine respect for how this industry works. This is a conversation about innovation, responsible AI, and why the next generation of mortgage leaders may already be here.

How AI Will Separate Mortgage Winners from Everyone Else

In this episode of MISMO MIC’d Up, I sit down with Jagjit Singh from JazzX AI [https://jazzx.ai/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] to discuss one of the most important questions facing mortgage lenders today: What will separate the lenders who merely experiment with AI from those who successfully operationalize it? While much of the industry remains focused on pilots, proofs of concept, and isolated use cases, Jagjit argues that the real opportunity lies in something much larger. The next generation of mortgage lenders won't simply use AI to accelerate individual tasks—they will redesign workflows, institutionalize knowledge, and embed intelligence across the entire lending lifecycle. Drawing on more than fifteen years of mortgage lending experience and his current role helping build AI-native mortgage technology, Jagjit shares his perspective on where the industry sits on the AI maturity curve and why many lenders are underestimating the organizational changes required to realize meaningful returns from AI investments. We explore the critical difference between workflow acceleration and true operational intelligence, and why successful AI adoption requires far more than deploying new technology. The conversation dives into the concept of institutionalizing intelligence—capturing the knowledge of top performers, embedding it into systems, and creating consistency across underwriting, processing, fulfillment, quality control, and post-close operations. Jagjit explains how AI has the potential to preserve and scale expertise across an organization, helping lenders make more consistent risk decisions while reducing dependence on tribal knowledge. We also discuss the importance of governance, change management, organizational trust, and leadership commitment. As Jagjit notes, the lenders that emerge as industry leaders won't necessarily be the ones with the most AI tools—they'll be the organizations that successfully integrate AI into the fabric of their operations and culture. Whether you're a lender actively evaluating AI initiatives or an executive trying to understand what comes next, this conversation offers practical insight into where the market is heading and what it will take to compete in an increasingly AI-enabled mortgage ecosystem.

Beyond the Appraisal: How UAD 3.6 Will Transform Mortgage Valuation

The mortgage industry is rapidly approaching one of the most significant valuation transformations in decades. With the UAD 3.6 mandate on the horizon, lenders, appraisers, AMCs, and technology providers are preparing for a future built on structured data, greater automation, and new approaches to property valuation. On this episode of MISMO MIC'D UP, Brian Vieaux sits down with Brian Zitin, Founder and CEO of Reggora, to discuss what UAD 3.6 really means for the industry—and why the impact extends far beyond simply updating appraisal forms. Brian shares the story of how Reggora was founded, from an entrepreneurial college project to becoming one of the mortgage industry's leading appraisal management platforms, now facilitating nearly one out of every four appraisals in the country. The conversation explores how valuation technology has evolved, why appraisal logistics have historically been one of mortgage lending's biggest bottlenecks, and how better data can unlock new opportunities for lenders, investors, and consumers alike. The discussion dives deep into the industry's readiness for UAD 3.6, the challenges of coordinating lenders, appraisers, LOS providers, and technology vendors, and why the coming months may bring both innovation and disruption as implementation deadlines approach. Brian and Brian also examine the future of hybrid appraisals, the growing role of AI and computer vision in property inspections, and why the traditional appraisal process may look dramatically different over the next decade. From mobile data collection and automated quality control to appraisal waivers and emerging valuation products, this episode offers a forward-looking perspective on where mortgage valuation is headed. If you want to better understand the intersection of appraisal modernization, structured data, AI, and the future of mortgage lending, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

From Capital Markets to Community: Amy Creason on Standards, Data, and Leadership

On this episode of MISMO MIC’d Up, I sit down with Amy Creason for a conversation that blends mortgage innovation, industry collaboration, and leadership. We start with an important but often underappreciated topic inside the mortgage ecosystem: the Commitment File. Amy helps unpack why this work matters, the operational friction it aims to solve, and why standardization in this area has the potential to create meaningful efficiencies across the secondary market. We discuss the broader industry implications, including how lenders, investors, technology providers, warehouse banks, and capital markets participants all have a role to play in shaping and adopting this work. Amy shares perspective on why now is the right time for the industry to lean in, what success could look like if the Commitment File gains broad adoption, and why collaboration through MISMO remains critical to reducing complexity across the mortgage manufacturing process. The conversation also shifts to leadership, inclusion, and industry culture through Amy’s involvement with CapitalW Collective. We discuss the mission behind CapitalW and the organization’s work to support and elevate women in mortgage capital markets through education, visibility, networking, and advocacy. Amy talks candidly about the importance of representation, mentorship, and creating environments where more voices are welcomed into the conversation. We also explore how stronger diversity of thought ultimately leads to a healthier, more innovative mortgage industry. This episode is a reminder that progress in mortgage banking does not happen in silos. Whether it is standards development, operational modernization, or building a more inclusive future for the industry, the best outcomes happen when people come together to do the work. If you care about the future of mortgage capital markets, industry interoperability, and creating a stronger ecosystem for the next generation of leaders, this is an episode you will not want to miss.

Introduction to FRAME: Framework for Responsible use of AI in Mortgage Ecosystem

On this special edition of MISMO MIC’d UP, Rick Hill joins Brian Vieaux for an important industry conversation introducing MISMO FRAME — the Framework for Responsible AI in the Mortgage Ecosystem. Built by the industry, for the industry, FRAME is designed to help lenders, servicers, technology providers, and other mortgage stakeholders confidently navigate the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence while maintaining trust, transparency, and responsible governance. Throughout the episode, Brian and Rick break down why the mortgage industry urgently needs a practical, mortgage-specific AI framework. As AI adoption accelerates across underwriting, document recognition, customer engagement, compliance monitoring, servicing, quality control, and marketing, many organizations are struggling with key questions around ownership, governance, risk management, vendor oversight, and regulatory readiness. FRAME was developed to address those concerns with a scalable, implementable approach tailored specifically to the realities of mortgage lending. The conversation explores the growing complexity of AI usage inside organizations — including tools already embedded inside vendor platforms, CRMs, email systems, note-taking software, and consumer-facing applications. Rick explains why many lenders are already using AI without fully understanding where it exists, how it operates, or what risks may accompany it. The episode highlights how FRAME helps organizations create visibility into their AI ecosystem, establish governance structures, assess use cases consistently, and prepare for increasing scrutiny from regulators, investors, GSEs, and state agencies. Brian and Rick also walk listeners through the core components of FRAME, including: * AI inventory management * Governance policies * Risk assessments * Incident and change logging * Performance and fairness testing * Risk tiering and oversight structures * Vendor accountability and documentation practices Listeners will hear why FRAME was intentionally designed to be practical and flexible — not a rigid compliance mandate. Instead, it serves as a common operational framework that organizations of all sizes can adopt and scale over time. The discussion also explains how FRAME aligns with broader frameworks like NIST while simplifying implementation specifically for mortgage industry participants. In addition, the episode provides insight into the collaborative work happening inside the MISMO AI Community of Practice and the broader industry effort to establish responsible guardrails for AI adoption before formal regulations fully mature. Brian and Rick emphasize that this work is not about slowing innovation — it is about enabling the industry to innovate responsibly and confidently. Whether you are a lender executive, compliance leader, technologist, risk officer, vendor partner, or simply trying to understand how AI governance is rapidly becoming a business necessity in mortgage lending, this episode offers a timely and practical look at one of the most important industry initiatives currently underway. If AI is already in your organization — and chances are it is — this is a conversation you do not want to miss.