Amid ongoing industry noise, three priority areas remain for lenders: originating faster, cutting costs and improving the borrower experience. Antonio Little, vice president, national sales manager, ServiceLink, explains how strong partnerships contribute to those goals.

In any healthy relationship, it’s important to know what the other party wants, expects and needs to ensure longevity. The same is true in the mortgage lending business. In a world where it can be hard for lenders to cut through the noise of industry jargon and over-hyped promises – finding a title and closing provider that not only understands your pain points, but can deliver real solutions, can be a tall task.

It's safe to say that the priorities of lenders differ from institution to institution. However, there are some overarching themes that are emerging from an industry perspective. Data from the Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey (MLSS) indicates that lenders are first focused on streamlining their business processes. Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed said this was their top business priority in Q2 of 2025. Cost cutting (29%) and implementing consumer-facing technology (27%) also emerged as key areas of focus for lenders.

So, what does this tell us? Lenders have a clear roadmap for the future, but to achieve these goals, they need to partner with a solutions-oriented service provider that can deliver on these priority areas. Over several decades, ServiceLink has demonstrated a commitment to providing tech-enabled solutions to dramatically improve the “Big 3”: speed, cost and the consumer experience. Let’s take a look at how our technology and expertise impact these all-important areas.  

Improving speed and reducing costs go hand-in-hand with ServiceLink’s solutions

The benefits of ServiceLink’s proprietary mortgage technology, both back-end and consumer-facing solutions, center around the key areas of speed, transparency and cost-effectiveness.

For lenders looking to reduce application-to-closing timelines, ServiceLink developed EXOS® Title technology. This instant title product accelerates decisioning and enables lenders to reduce rate lock periods by quickly clearing the way to the closing table. By providing title complexity information early in the origination process, our lender partners can set clear timeline expectations with their borrowers at the start of their transaction. In fact, many are surprised to find that the majority of their loans qualify for fast-tracking through the instant title process. While many vendors claim to have instant title, ServiceLink leverages its vast repository of title-grade data to provide not just speed, but more accurate underwriting. These efficiency gains, combined with ServiceLink’s competitive fees, help lenders save on each transaction.

On the closing side, lenders have benefited from ServiceLink’s EXOS® Close solution which has been proven to reduce timelines, increase transparency, and allow borrowers to close when, where and how they want. Through minimal technology lift for the lender, this solution puts the borrower in the driver’s seat, empowering them to self-schedule their own signing appointment for the exact closing date and time of their choice from within a lender-determined range. They can also choose whether to close in-person, in a branch or virtually. Historically, nearly 100% of borrowers select the first-available date, which can be a time savings of two to three days. Lenders can also schedule on behalf of their borrower.

When it comes to securing a trusted signing agent, we’ve got that covered, too. ServiceLink stands apart in this arena due to its depth which includes 50-state coverage and a national network of 12,500 notaries and attorneys that have expertise in remote online notarization (RON), in-person electronic notarization (IPEN), hybrid signings and traditional wet signs.

While wet signs have been the hallmark of closing appointments for years, more lenders are moving toward eClosings to save time and money. RON closings, in particular, can be up to 15-20 minutes quicker during the appointment, further accelerating the origination process. When combining it with EXOS Close capabilities, scheduling is faster, notary travel is eliminated and errors can be caught and corrected in real time, giving lenders the ability to process more signings in less time and start the post-closing and funding process sooner.

The consumer experience is always top of mind with ServiceLink

While we partner with lenders to deliver exceptional service and solutions, we know that their borrowers are an extension of our clients. That’s why we continually invest in and develop borrower-centric technologies.

The 2025 ServiceLink State of Homebuying Report underscores this strategy as recent or prospective buyers not only legitimized the benefits of mortgage technology, but their responses indicated they wanted to play a more active role in the transaction. With only a few borrower touchpoints throughout the process, EXOS Close gives the borrower decision-making power by scheduling their closing via their phone or tablet for the date and time that is most convenient for them. The digitization of this former manual process brings this aspect of the transaction into current times where consumers can typically point, click and buy.

And, we aim to eliminate uncertainty associated with the closing process. After scheduling, borrowers immediately receive information about their signing agent – including name, photo, contact information and (for in-person appointments) the make and model of their vehicle. They get proactive milestone updates at key steps prior to the appointment, including when the signing agent is on their way.

Throughout the years, we’ve seen these instant scheduling capabilities lead to higher satisfaction rates and a more streamlined process for all parties involved.

Conclusion

When it comes to solving the “Big 3,” tech-enabled title and closing solutions are available. Lenders just have to select a provider like ServiceLink that is a trusted partner, and one that will work diligently to deliver products and services that are mutually beneficial for both the lender and their borrowers.

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