Stephen Butler: The mortgage industry’s AI reality check
From Power House by HousingWire
May 21, 2026 · 17 min
About this episode
Zeb Lowe interviews Stephen Butler about the practical implementation of AI in mortgage lending and the industry's challenges with technology adoption.
On this episode of Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with AI and enterprise software executive Stephen to discuss where artificial intelligence is actually headed in mortgage lending beyond the hype cycle. Stephen explains why the industry is shifting from flashy AI promises to practical implementation, with the real opportunity centered around augmenting teams, improving workflows, and scaling production more efficiently. The conversation also explores why mortgage tech adoption has historically struggled, and why change management — not technology itself — remains one of the industry’s biggest obstacles. Zeb and Stephen also dive into interoperability challenges, clean data infrastructure, AI drift, and how artificial intelligence could reshape staffing models, lender consolidation, and loan cycle times over the next several years. At its core, this episode is about a simple reality: the lenders investing in AI infrastructure and adoption today may define the next era of mortgage lending. Related to the episode: Zeb Lowe’s LinkedIn Stephen Butler's LinkedIn The Power House podcast brings the biggest names in housing to answer hard-hitting questions about industry trends…
People in this episode
Host: Zeb Lowe
Guest: Stephen Butler
Topics covered
- artificial intelligence
- mortgage lending
- technology adoption
- change management
- workflow improvement
- staffing models
Keywords
- AI
- mortgage industry
- technology
- lending
- data infrastructure
- change management
- efficiency
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: HousingWire
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