Takeaways from ICE Experience 2026

I spent last week at ICE Experience 2026 in Las Vegas talking with mortgage lenders, brokers, and vendors about how origination works today.

Here are my takeaways:

The Industry Is Stuck in the Past

A mortgage bank I spoke with mentioned that their communication is still entirely face-to-face — they haven’t yet transitioned to Microsoft Teams.

They aren’t the only ones. Mortgage origination is a complex, highly regulated process, and many teams rely on systems that have been in place for years.

Most people we spoke with are aware of these inefficiencies, but replacing core workflow infrastructure is not simple.

AI Is Coming, but Adoption Is Slow

AI has only recently become part of the conversation in mortgage.

Many teams are curious about how it could reduce repetitive work, but are hesitant to be first movers.

The hesitation usually comes down to a few things:

• Compliance requirements are strict, and mistakes are costly
• Existing POS and LOS systems are deeply embedded into daily workflows
• Teams don’t want to introduce new tools that create more complexity

What This Means for Copperlane

At Copperlane, we think the best technology works with existing workflows instead of trying to replace them overnight.

Our agent Penny integrates with current POS and LOS systems so lenders don’t need to change how they already operate. From there, we focus on automating the most manual parts of origination, with compliance as our top priority.

A lot of the cost in mortgage still comes from coordination work that software should be able to handle more reliably. When that work becomes easier, loan officers can spend more time advising borrowers and less time managing paperwork.

Continuing the Conversation

Conversations at ICE reinforced something we think about often: the people closest to the workflow usually have the clearest view of what needs improvement.

We’re grateful to everyone who shared their perspective and helped us better understand where the biggest opportunities are.

If you’re a mortgage lender or broker thinking about how AI might fit into your workflow, we’d love to learn from you.

Reach out at founders@copperlane.ai.