“What I love about working in the mortgage industry is it’s such a fulfilling opportunity to really help clients with one of the largest transactions of their life. Now we work really hard. It’s a lot of long hours. I start early and I end late, but it’s truly gratifying in the role that I have, because I love to really help individuals achieve their goals, achieve their full potential.”

– Daniel Watt

In this episode of Leading Lenders, Daniel Watt, Executive Vice President and Director of Mortgage and Consumer Lending at Mechanics Bank, shares how the company is reinventing the mortgage experience. With a hybrid lending model and a tech stack built for scale, Watt’s team is breaking records — even in a high-rate environment.

From implementing best-in-class pricing tools to rethinking underwriting and fulfillment processes, Daniel unpacks how Mechanics Bank built a modern platform without sacrificing human connection. Learn how leaning into high-tech and high-touch strategies keeps Mechanics Bank competitive against the biggest players in the industry.

Each episode of Leading Lenders: Risk, Reward, and Reinvention dives into how industry leaders are embracing change, overcoming challenges, and driving innovation in today’s market. Click here to navigate to the series page for videos 1-4. 

Episode 4 of Leading Lenders: Risk, Reward, and Reinvention is powered by Polly.