The Association of Independent Mortgage Experts announced late Wednesday it entered into a new partnership with consumer lending technology platform Blend to make the company’s digital mortgage solution available to the mortgage broker community.
During a panel discussion at AIME's Mortgage Expert Workshop in Irvine, Calif., Blend CEO Nima Ghamsari broke the news of the partnership, which provides brokers access to Blend’s digital mortgage solution for the first time.
For a limited time, AIME is making the technology available to its broker members at no cost via its partnerships with several wholesale lenders, who have committed to adopting Blend’s digital mortgage technology. These lenders include several large lenders, like Caliber Home Loans, Flagstar Bank, and United Wholesale Mortgage, the association said.
AIME Chairman Anthony Casa said the partnership is a win for brokers.
“AIME's partnership with Blend is a monumental win, as it enhances mortgage brokers’ ability to deliver a fully digital customer experience, while automating many of the steps of the mortgage process,” Casa said. “This will lead to faster closing times and help brokers exceed borrowers’ expectations and grow their business with a more streamlined process."
The partnership provides wholesale lenders and brokers with Blend’s technology to drive efficiency and collaborate more easily with brokers, the company explained. AIME also announced it is also working with AFR Wholesale, Franklin American Mortgage, Paramount Residential Mortgage Group and Stearns Lending to integrate with the Blend platform.
The partnership is a strong early achievement for AIME, which has more than 7,000 paid members, the association explained, adding that it is focused on bringing the mortgage broker channel the best technology.
Ghamsari said that the company is excited for the partnership and ultimately, how it helps bring transparency to the lending experience.
“We’re constantly innovating at Blend to eliminate friction from the consumer lending process, and we’re excited to bring our technology to independent brokers in partnership with some of the top wholesale lenders in the country,” Ghamsari said. “The more consumers we can help have a simple and transparent lending experience, the more we’ll be able to drive positive change and a more efficient, healthier system for everyone.”
Blend will enable brokers to fully operate out of one singular system. Brokers, who can sign up through Blend's page for brokers, will be able to take customer applications, receive documentation, price loans, and push loans directly into the system of their chosen lender with one click. The process will integrate up to five different steps that brokers currently have to take into a single user-friendly platform, AIME explained.
