How Top Loan Officers Are Using AI to Do More With Less

In this episode of The Loan Officer Playbook Podcast, we sit down with Jake Vermillion, Chief Marketing Officer at Mortgage Champions. Jake shares how the best lenders are using AI, systems, and real-time coaching to scale relationships—not just operations. With a unique upbringing in the mortgage industry and a decade of leadership, Jake breaks down what the next generation of loan officers needs to succeed in a tech-enabled future.

Key Takeaways

• Tech Should Empower, Not Replace the LO
  Jake explains why the goal isn’t automation for its own sake—but freeing LOs to have more high-trust conversations.
  
  

• Branding Depends on your Channel
  Retail lenders must keep the LO front and center, while direct to consumer models can lean into tech-first branding like voice AI.
  
  

• AI is Here—But How You Use it Matters
  Everyone will have access to the same tools. The differentiator? How strategically you apply them to real problems.
  
  

• The Future: Fewer LOs, Higher Production
  With the right systems, training, and data, tomorrow’s LO teams will be smaller—but far more effective.
  
  

• Trust is Still the Currency
  No matter how advanced AI gets, if a borrower senses a lack of trust, they’ll ask for a human every time.

For more insights from Jake Vermillion listen to the full episode on The Loan Officer Playbook Podcast!