20 years ago, many brokerages looked and operated in very similar ways. Typically small, local business, many firms focused solely on standard residential mortgage applications. Processes were straight forward and the range of product options available was far narrower.
There was very little need – or opportunity – for differentiation between firms, so a one-size-fits-all approach was generally taken, both in terms of service delivery and the tools brokers used.
But in today’s market, the landscape looks quite different.
In response to tightening regulations, economic pressures, shifting lender criteria and changing customer expectations, many firms have had to adapt to survive. Many modern brokerages have carved out specialist niches in complex areas such as buy-to-let, later life or adverse credit cases.
Others have doubled down on high-volume residential work, building streamlined systems to serve ‘vanilla’ clients at scale.
Some have grown into regional or national setups, while others have remained intentionally small to ensure – and benefit from the delivery of – a highly personalised, local service.
Today, no two brokerages are the same. Each has its own unique proposition, processes and client base.
And yet, while the industry has evolved, the technology many brokerages are using hasn’t kept pace.
Many CRMs, for example, are still set up for the noughties’ mortgage market. They’re rigid, overly prescriptive, and built around fixed workflows that assume every brokerage still operates in the same way. Instead of enabling flexibility they impose structure, forcing brokers to adapt or stunt development to continue to fit an outdated mould.
In 2026, technology should enable growth, not hinder it. Brokerages need systems that reflect the reality of their workload today – a workload that’s varied, evolving and increasingly complex.
A modern CRM should be flexible enough to support a variety of business models and enhance productivity. And it should be able to adapt over time as needs continue to change – as undoubtedly they will.
Regardless of whether a firm is a two-person setup handling straightforward remortgages or a large, multi-adviser operation dealing with complex cases, a CRM should be shaped to fit the brokerage and empower its advisers to work efficiently and effectively.
In the modern world, brokers should be able to call on automation. Customers should be able to view their application progress themselves at the touch of a button. Communication between broker and customer should be quick and seamless.
With property transactions dragging out with every year that passes, as an industry we have a duty to do what we can to simplify and speed up every element of the process. But the sector that continues to rely on rigid, legacy systems cannot move forward.
The mortgage market never stands still. Brokers today need tools that will evolve as priorities change and diversify as needs require.
A CRM that does so is more than just software, it’s a competitive advantage.
