Here's a useful tip for pretty much any mortgage originator.

Newton and Fastkey Technologies have just launched a service you can use to fetch official CRA documents for your mortgage customers.

They've dubbed it VerifyCRA.

The company says the tool "eliminates fraud, ensures document authenticity, and saves you hours of manual follow-ups." That's time brokers can reallocate to finding deals and closing them.

Here's how it works, what it costs (hint: you'll like the current price), and where it comes in handy...

The latest dump of stale shutdown-delayed data suggests the U.S. economy has the stamina of a heavy smoker.

GDP estimates (more on those below) argue otherwise.

Either way, traders have solidified bets that a Fed cut next month is on the way. So far, this is pulling even Canadian rates in the right direction.

Lenders are in a perpetual slugfest for business, especially monolines that lack bank-matching uninsured rates.

In the past, we've noted how world leaders like U.S.-based UWM do weekly real-time "Sales Huddles" (see this) and key updates videos (see this) starring their CEO.

UWM commits to this weekly ritual to motivate and inform brokers, a concept that wouldn't feel so groundbreaking if it weren't for the fact that its CEO is billionaire Mat Ishbia.

This guy is like a nuclear reactor full of energy—captivating to watch—and he knows the mortgage business better than his own home address.

But if a busy billionaire can find time to speak to brokers and add value each and every week, it raises an uncomfortable question for Canadian bank rivals. Why aren’t more lender bosses out rallying brokers online, showing their customers clear, practical ways to generate more deals?

In Canada, few lenders and broker networks offer anything close to such regular weekly commentary. One exception is a guy who may not share Ishbia’s net worth but definitely matches the enthusiasm for sharing insight: RMG’s Bruno Valko.

With no blockbuster data dropping on Monday, traders were stuck gnawing on the same stale crumbs about December's Fed policy decision. Officials at the central bank have ample influence over Canadian rates. However, this time the Americans could have less sway over a Bank of Canada that "sees the current policy rate at about the right level" already.

Canadian shoppers have apparently discovered the off switch on their wallets, just as U.S. sentiment is slumping, and manufacturing is losing mojo.

Yet, despite some data whispering in central bankers' ears to “ease more,” underlying inflation is uncooperative enough to make that wishful thinking, for now.

If you're a broker whose client database is measured in Gigabytes and whose business succession plan is “the kids can fight over it after I’m on the golf course in the Caribbean,” feel free to ignore this story.

If, however, you think compelling, one-of-a-kind, online mortgage experiences are a moat that keeps the barbarians outside the gate, stop everything and bookmark this page—because the barbarians are going nuclear.

UX is more than AI

Five years from now, mortgage success will depend on what you deliver that AI algorithms can't.

That's when user experience (UX) becomes make or break. After all, we all sell the same basic product and can all type "What's the best mortgage rate" in ChatGPT.

Originators will need to ask themselves, "Why should anyone pick me instead of the polished avatar on their next AI search?"

To thrive amid information overload, mortgage pros will need two things that don’t grow on trees:

• A better way to support mortgage decisions
• A technology edge to deliver closed loans more easily

Well over 9 out of 10 mortgage websites are digital brochures that scream, “Please ignore me.” Most are templated ineffectiveness—professional, mind you—but conversion disasters nonetheless.

For originators who depend on website conversion, sites in 2026 must be different.

They’ll need to be hyper-personalized, elegantly simple, conversational, data-rich, ultra-fast, and backed by real-time support—while still delivering the classic "three Cs":

1. Clarity – Helping people quickly grasp and refine their options
2. Confidence – Reassuring people they’re making the right call
3. Control – Reducing stress by helping people feel in charge of the process

To be more than a digital business card—to be a true business cultivator—an online presence has to link leads to proprietary insights, products or experiences that rivals can't match.

And this means 'can't match' in either the consumer's opinion, or legally due to patent law.

How the future looks

What might a state-of-the-art website look like in the future? Leading broker and lender sites will likely have all of the following in the next few years:

A long-delayed jobs report and an epic equities selloff both weighed heavily on yields Thursday.

For the time being, Scotiabank has shut the door—and double-bolted it—on discretionary broker-channel rate discounts.

Brokers are stuck quoting off Scotia's rate sheet, and any sweeter deal comes straight out of their own commission cheques via buydown.

But that's just the half of it.

On top of the freeze on discretionary pricing, brokers see Scotia’s retail reps quoting numbers well under what the broker channel is allowed to offer.

We just saw one three-year fixed quote come in 29 bps lower, for example.

"Max buydowns don't even get you close to branch discretionary rates," one broker told MLN.

In fact, complaints about Scotia’s recent pricing are piling up from brokers, and that naturally raises two questions:

1. Why is Scotia operating with policies that foster discontent?
2. What should brokers do about it?

We spoke with a range of opinionated sources to understand both sides of this dilemma. It turns out, it's an issue that requires perspective.

If you rely on Scotia as a broker, here's what you have to know.