The materials available in this article are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your own advisors with questions regarding the mortgage lending software content herein. The opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the individual authors and may not reflect the opinions of MeridianLink, Inc.
Independent mortgage banks are leading mortgage lending market, originating roughly 84% of single-family loans in the U.S. in 2025. They’re the primary lenders for low- and moderate-income, first-time, and minority homebuyers. And, despite several consecutive quarters of net production losses between 2022 and 2024, they’ve emerged from that period stronger than ever.
Historically, much of that growth came through specialization, operational focus, and continued market share gains vs. banks and credit unions. But as IMBs control the majority of the market, the question is: where does the next era of growth come from? And what will it take to get there?
The next phase of IMB growth will be won on performance
During prior mortgage cycles, strong refinance activity, and broad purchase demand allowed many IMBs to grow despite workflow friction, disconnected systems, and technology limitations. Elevated volumes helped absorb those inefficiencies.
Today, the environment is different.
Margins are compressed, refinance activity is slower, and borrower expectations continue to evolve.
Meanwhile, purchase demand is, as National Mortgage Professional describes it, “splintering” across regional markets. In some areas, a combination of economic uncertainty, elevated mortgage rates, rising home prices, and increased inventory is putting the brakes on activity. In others, demand remains resilient—fueled by factors like affluent buyers, stronger local economies, and a lower cost of living.
For many IMBs, future growth may depend less on capturing additional market share and more on improving profitability within the market that they already dominate.
That means controlling costs, reducing fallout, and removing friction across the lending journey: eliminating costly workarounds and adapting to changing market conditions and borrower needs, to streamlining backend workflows that help teams move faster and respond sooner. These efficiencies can lower overhead, strengthen borrower engagement and pull-through, and ultimately give IMBs more room to serve a broader range of borrowers.
MeridianLink Mortgage: A smarter path to profitable growth
In this next chapter, there’s no room for outdated mortgage lending software, costly patchwork solutions, excessive handoffs, or rigid workflows.
That’s why more IMBs are turning to MeridianLink® Mortgage, replacing complexity with a more connected approach to lending. With configurable workflow automation, expanding AI-enabled capabilities, decision-ready data, and access to hundreds of seamless integrations, MeridianLink Mortgage is built to help IMBs lend more efficiently, control costs, and deliver a better borrower experience.
- Raise pull-through rates and shorten loan cycles. Built-in and third-party PPE and POS options connect directly to rules-based automation, eDocs, web portals, and more, for fewer handoffs, less friction, and more opportunities to keep borrowers moving toward close.
- Close more loans and keep growth targets on track. Smooth, digital-first applicant experiences that flex to accommodate a wide range of borrower scenarios make the application process easier and more responsive, so IMBs can keep borrowers engaged and reduce the friction that leads to fallout.
- Trade costly, convoluted bolt-ons for a scalable, cloud-based platform. Direct core integration, reliable instant decisioning, and access to real-time intelligence and insights reduce operational complexity, eliminate unnecessary workarounds, and lower the cost of lending.
- Stay ahead of evolving demands with modular, open-API technology. Unify the systems and integrate with the vendor solutions your teams rely on, from title and fee services to ID verification. That flexibility makes it easier to adapt as market conditions, borrower expectations, and business priorities change.
See how our mortgage lending software can sharpen your IMB’s performance, uncover additional growth opportunities, and solidify lasting borrower relationships.
