Nearly nine in ten mortgage brokers (89%) want technology to play a bigger role in streamlining the mortgage application process, up from 74% six months ago, according to research from Nottingham Building Society.
The lender's latest broker survey found that 90% of brokers believe lenders are already using technology effectively to support intermediaries and improve the mortgage journey.
The findings suggest brokers are increasingly focused on how technology can help tackle inefficiencies and support more complex cases, rather than whether it should be used at all.
A third of brokers (33%) said technology improvements would have the greatest positive impact when handling complex or non standard cases. The same proportion highlighted clearer tracking of case progress, while 32% pointed to better integration between broker and lender systems and faster decisions in principle.
Nearly a third (32%) said reducing manual document submissions would improve their ability to place cases, while 31% said more consistent underwriting decisions would make a positive difference.
The research also highlighted mixed attitudes towards the growing use of artificial intelligence in the mortgage process.
Around a third of brokers said they would be comfortable with greater use of AI or automation in areas such as document verification and administration (33%), initial affordability assessments (33%), broker lender communications (33%), case prioritisation and triage (32%), customer updates and tracking (31%), and income and expenditure analysis (31%).
When asked where AI could have the greatest impact, 22% identified regulatory and compliance checks, while 21% pointed to support for borrowers with multiple income streams and 20% highlighted improved interpretation of income and expenditure information.
However, one in five brokers (20%) said AI would not have a meaningful positive impact on the mortgage process, indicating that concerns remain about the technology's role in lending decisions.
The survey also found that 33% of brokers believe clearer rules around the use of AI in mortgage applications would be among the regulatory changes most likely to support the UK mortgage market.
The findings come after Nottingham Building Society launched its proprietary mortgage platform, IDI (Inviting Difference In), developed in partnership with MQube, which uses automated document checks and affordability assessments to support underwriting.
Aaron Shinwell, chief lending officer at Nottingham Building Society, said: "Technology is already making parts of the mortgage process work better, but brokers are telling us very clearly where the next wave of improvement needs to land. It has to help with the real pinch points – borrowers with complex incomes, case visibility, reducing time intensive administrative tasks and the moments where a good case can stall because the system isn’t capable of reading the full picture."
He added: "AI may have a role to play, but confidence will depend on how it is used. Brokers want tools that make the process clearer and fairer, with transparency and oversight. The opportunity is to combine better technology with sound judgement, so borrowers with more complex financial lives are assessed with the care and context their circumstances deserve."
