Top 8 Best Mortgage CRMs For Mortgage Brokers In 2023

Are you a mortgage loan broker looking for a CRM specifically designed to automate and streamline your day to day workflow? You have come to the right place. There are a plethora of CRMs on the market today, many specifically designed with mortgage loan officers in mind. These powerful tools can take care of managing clients, handling documents, signatures, chasing via emails/SMS and so much more. For this article, our team researched and reviewed 8 of the best CRMs for mortgage loan offers/brokers today. Breaking down pricing, pros and cons, features and more to help you choose the best option.

Mortgage officers and brokers are the lifeblood of the global housing market. Given that the average housing prices increased by 19 percent last year, according to CNN, many more customers are flocking to mortgage businesses for funding. The industry is growing.

It is for this reason that a good CRM is now a necessity for gaining an edge over the competition. Any old CRM won’t work in this context, one specially equipped to handle borrowers and all the lending activities they'll engage in is by far the better option. So without further ado, let’s jump into this article for getting to know the best CRM for making transforming your day-to-day business life.

What is Important to Look for in a CRM for Brokers and Loan Officers?

When analyzing your options for a mortgage CRM, you should ensure that they tick the following boxes:

1. Document and e-signature handling

Loan officers handle several documents, both in-house and with their customers. Your chosen CRM must have file-sharing features as well as secure cloud storage. Furthermore, customers should be able to append e-signatures to the relevant documents, allowing them to deal with clients from distant locations.

2. Integrations with LOS systems

A loan origination system takes a completed loan application and processes its mortgage transactions from application to post-closing. This system is an integral part of any mortgage CRM. As such, CRM software is incomplete if it does not have an LOS.

3. Integrations with third-party mortgaging software

A good CRM for brokers and loan officers must be able to share and consolidate data with other mortgaging apps like Calyx and Encompass. It must also support esoteric files like the Fannie Mae 3.2 file format.

4. Built-in CMS to publish content

While this may not be a requirement, a content management system might be a beneficial feature for mortgage CRMs. This feature allows brokers and loan officers to provide information about their companies. It also serves as an advertising medium that they can leverage to outline their loan offers.

5. Digital 1003 features

The 1003 form, or Uniform Residential Loan Application, is the standardized form most mortgage lenders use in the United States. In this modern age of computers and digitization, a good mortgage CRM must support digital 1003 application forms. That way, customers can apply for loans from the comfort of their homes.

Examples of how mortgage loan officers use CRM:

Typically, brokers and loan officers manage their borrowers like conventional businesses manage their customers. After all, lending money is the primary source of income for mortgage businesses and they need to prioritize it for their own good. Just like solopreneurs or accountants, here are the top 5 ways brokers use a mortgage CRM:

1. Loan officers use mortgage CRMs to generate loans and acquire more borrowers through email campaigns and other digital marketing strategies
2. Some mortgage CRMs like BNTouch include website and landing page builders that brokers can use to create web pages for their companies conveniently
3. Mortgage broking often involves interaction with clients and partners. Mortgage CRMs help brokers and loan maintain active communication through voice calls, live chat, and video calls
4. Most mortgage CRMs include web form builders that can be used by loan officers for creation of digital 1003 forms. They can also use this technology to create feedback forms that clients can use to give their opinion about the business
5. Mortgage CRMs help loan officers manage their time by automating repetitive and mundane operations. Common tasks like notifications, welcome messages, and email campaigns can benefit from the automation tools mortgage CRMs offer

Quick Comparison of Mortgage CRM Software for Loan Officers:

The Top 8 Best CRM Software for Brokers and Loan Officers Are:

1. Shape CRM
2. BNTouch
3. Whiteboard CRM
4. Hubspot
5. Pipedrive
6. Zoho CRM
7. DigiFi
8. Mortgage Magic

1. Shape CRM

Founded: 1999
HQ: Irvine, California, United States

Shape CRM offers six tools and features to help manage your mortgage business. The pipeline management tool helps you prioritize and time manage your daily activities according to a preset workflow. You can also use this tool to capture and score leads from multiple marketing channels and store their information in a single database. Moreover, you can assign and manage projects in an automated interface while avoiding duplicates.

Another of Shape CRM’s useful features is the sales automation tool, which you can use to conduct email campaigns. This tool allows you to build your campaigns from scratch using an HTML-based editor. Alternatively, you can save time by choosing from the extensive email template library Shape CRM provides. Other time-saving features include pre-built campaigns and bulk email blasts.

If you’re looking to make VoIP calls from the comfort of your app, Shape CRM compares favorably to CRMs like Hubspot and Zoho CRM. ShapeCRM claims that its caller app boosts productivity by up to 40 percent. This is hardly surprising, given that this software can track the performance of outgoing calls. Furthermore, it automatically routes inbound calls to the nearest available agent and can even record calls.

Shape CRM ships with a built-in customer point-of-sale service that is accessible on any device. It allows you to customize the appearance of this client portal with your company's colors and logos. You can also use the client portal to conduct surveys and receive client feedback. What's more, this tool serves as a file exchange service, allowing your clients to upload documents to a secure database.

Shape CRM scores 4.6/5 on G2 and 4.9/5 on Capterra.

2.  BNTouch

Founded: 2004
HQ: Beaverton, Oregon, United States

BNTouch is a feature-rich CRM specially designed for the mortgage industry. It is a leading mortgage software with high-profile customers like Empire Mortgage, Alterra Homes, and Summit Funding. Nevertheless, BNTouch caters to businesses of all sizes, offering three pricing plans based on the size of your enterprise. This way, you only pay for what you use.

BNTouch offers a lead pipeline and communication tracker to help you manage borrowers and partners. It helps you organize potential borrowers by their stage in the pipeline, allowing for clear segmentation of leads, prospects, and funded and canceled borrowers. BNTouch also provides an intelligent lead distribution system that automatically sorts and assigns leads to the appropriate loan officer or sales rep.

BNTouch's sophisticated email marketing and text automation system is designed to send targeted messages with minimal human intervention. This centralized email platform allows all team members to put their emails into one shared account. That way, any authorized user can modify pre-written messages in the system. BNTouch's email marketing tool allows you to save client details as meta tags so you can write a broadcast email once. BNTouch will fill in the appropriate data when it sends automated emails.

Another one of the outstanding features of BNTouch is the marketing content library that comes up with hundreds of pre-made advertising content. This library contains 13 types of content, including newsletters, market updates, social media posts, and email templates. You can also create custom content and save them to the library.

As a dedicated mortgage CRM, BNTouch simplifies the loan application process. It allows you to create custom digital 1003 application forms for your clients. All you need to do is send a link to their custom client portal, and they'll be able to fill out their online application easily. Using BNTouch, you can even embed this link as a button on your company website.

BNTouch offers many other features that make it one of the best mortgage CRMs of 2023. It offers a website and landing page builder, custom video content, e-signatures, and live chat. While it may not be the cheapest software on this list, it is one of the most affordable. Many customers have commended its ease of use and intuitive user interface. A happy customer on G2 states that:

“I love that it is user-friendly, and straight to the point. I love the fact that you can set daily tasks and reminders, and keep track of new inbound leads, referrals, etc.”

BNTouch scores 4.2/5 on G2 and 4.5/5 on Capterra.

3.  Whiteboard CRM

Founded: 2014
HQ: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Whiteboard CRM’s main goal is to improve relationships between loan officers and their clients and referral partners. It is a scalable CRM solution with one of the best pricing plans of all CRM in the mortgage industry. This software is perfect for growing businesses as it unlocks the full range of its features for all subscription plans. In addition to this, as the size of your team grows, you will have to pay a lesser amount, and this is something that makes Whiteboard CRM remarkable and unique!

Whiteboard CRM’s relationship management campaigns help you follow up on new leads and referrals, keeping them up to date and reminding them to move forward with the loan process. It helps you manage your time efficiently and keeps your leads engaged until they take the next step. In addition, Whiteboard CRM promptly notifies you by email, text, or in-app when you receive a new lead from your website.

The lead pipeline is the heart of any sales business. To that end, Whiteboard CRM helps you create a lead management pipeline or works with any existing one you have. It updates clients on all pending actions and communicates with co-borrowers and loan partners. Interestingly, Whiteboard CRM has built-in mortgage pipeline sequences, saving you from wasting time on a complicated setup process. This software also offers specific pipelines for credit repair, follow-ups, and cancellations.

One of Whiteboard CRM’s most powerful features is the automated loan status notification. This feature sends emails or texts to loan officers and customers at every step of the loan process. Additionally, all communications and email correspondence are accessible from a central location. Likewise, you can create, assign, and complete tasks using the Mortgage Playbook.

Whiteboard CRM scores 3.8/5 on G2 and 5/5 on Capterra.

4. Hubspot

Founded: 2006
HQ: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

You can rarely find any CRM that can match what Hubspot offers in terms of modularity. It offers hundreds of sales, CRM, and CSM tools, far more than any other software on this list. Although Hubspot is never advertised as a mortgage CRM, the sheer range of its features affords it the flexibility to be used in any industry. One notable feature is the deal pipeline which you can use to track all ongoing loan applications and predict future income based on funded clients.

One of Hubspot's primary functions is email marketing. As such, it provides several tools that complement email integration. For one, you can create engaging email content using the hundreds of email templates Hubspot provides. Furthermore, you can track client interaction with each email and view them on the contact timeline. The email automation tool allows you to schedule email sending and receipt times and receive notifications on them.

If there's one feature that draws customers to Hubspot, it's the in-app VoIP call software. This tool allows you to have voice calls with employees and clients from within the app. It can also record and save these calls in multiple formats while generating text transcripts. The stellar part of the caller app is its provision of a service hub which is a customer support software that enables you to develop deeper relationships with clients. The service hub also includes a knowledge base for written and video blogs that provide borrowers and partners with relevant information about your company.

Hubspot is a great all-in-one CRM with several features and functionalities that can be applied to any business. Nevertheless, none of its features are tailored specifically for mortgage businesses. As a result, you may have to put in more work to customize it for your business. Still, considering the pricing plans and the sheer number of features, this effort is certainly worth it.

Hubspot scores 4.4/5 on G2 and 4.5/5 on Capterra.  

5. Pipedrive

Founded: 2010
HQ: New York, United States

Pipedrive is one of the most popular general-purpose CRMs of the last decade. It has over 100,000 paying customers in 179 countries that use its simple but powerful pipeline management system. In fact, Pipedrive claims that you can use the software to its fullest potential in just four easy steps.

Pipedrive's main offering is the sales pipeline, a feature integral to mortgaging businesses. It helps you manage your leads and deals by providing a visual representation of progress, ownership, and communication. Using this pipeline, you can manage up to 3000 open deals with the entry-level plan and scale up to higher tiers as needed. Many business owners have reported that Pipedrive has helped them close more deals in less time, allowing them to attend to other aspects of their enterprise.

Pipedrive's workflow automation feature allows you to execute complex actions based on dynamic triggers and conditions. The automated pipelines are highly customizable and can be quickly constructed using a drag-and-drop builder. Remarkably, Pipedrive offers an AI-powered sales mentor to help you boost your performance. This feature helps you automate repetitive tasks, keeping you fresh and motivated for more rewarding tasks.

Big data is the driving force behind 21st-century enterprises, including mortgaging businesses. Pipedrive's Insights helps you leverage your customers' data to grow your business and increase profits. This tool helps you recognize winning patterns that can optimize your workflow and displays them on an interactive dashboard. Unlike most CRMs, Pipedrive provides customizable reports that display the data you need to see. You can also set concrete business goals and use the sales reporting feature to track your progress.

Pipedrive boasts excellent customer reviews, with special commendation given to the affordable starting price. Its intuitive UI and customization options have also received praise. Despite some reports about bugs and technical issues, we didn't encounter any during our trial run.

Pipedrive scores 4.2/5 on G2 and 4.5/5 on Capterra.  

6. Zoho CRM

Founded: 2005
HQ: Austin, Texas, United States; Chennai India

Zoho CRM is one of the oldest SaaS companies in the world; it has been providing enterprise software for over 25 years! Despite Zoho CRM being one of the later additions to Zoho's line of SaaS, it has gathered over 80 million customers worldwide. Startups and small mortgage businesses will particularly enjoy using Zoho CRM because it meets all their basic CRM needs for zero cost.

Zoho CRM is popular among solo loan officers and freelancers because of its Sales Force Automation feature. This tool works just like a personal assistant, managing your leads, clients, and deals. It saves not only time but also the hiring costs of getting someone to fill that role. The Sales Force Automation helps you capture borrowers, score them based on win probability, and follow them up using their contact information. As its name suggests, this tool provides workflow management services that you can use to automate repetitive tasks.

Zoho CRM offers real-time communication with clients using its Omnichannel. This tool lets you import client correspondence from your emails into the app, including the entire conversation history. You can also integrate your calls and sales from third-party apps with Zoho CRM. The Omnichannel allows you to take notes and set reminders to follow up on customers. It also notifies you of missed calls and sends call analytics.

Zoho CRM’s pricing model is such that you only need to upgrade to higher tiers as your business grows. All of the basic features you need to run your business are available in the free plan. Nevertheless, if you need a higher cloud storage capacity or convenience features like AI insights, you can subscribe to the professional or enterprise plan.

Zoho CRM scores 4/5 on G2 and 4.3/5 on Capterra.

7. DigiFi

Founded: 2011
HQ: Singapore

DigiFi is an online lending technology that streamlines the lending process from application to funding. Unlike other CRMs, it does not aim to be an all-in-one solution. Instead, it offers three major features that help your business acquire more borrowers while funding their loans faster.

DigiFi’s loan origination system is extremely flexible and can be customized to meet your company’s unique origination process. This system contains everything needed to operate a modern lending business, including automation, credit, and regulatory tools. It also offers compliance features and allows you to customize the data structure, application views, and borrower communications.

DigiFi provides an automated decision engine that simplifies the integration of data sources. It also offers a no-code decision workflow builder, allowing you to create workflows that ensure compliance and improve efficiency. If you’re tech-savvy, DigiFi lets you process decisions through its JavaScript API. Moreover, this decision engine provides real-time reporting and analytics, which you can use to gauge your performance and identity areas for improvement.

Like many other CRMs, DigiFi offers a self-service lending portal for borrower communications and other lending activities. However, this feature is unique in that it is tightly integrated with the loan origination system and the decision engine. In addition, the self-service portal is highly customizable, secure, and well-optimized for mobile devices. DigiFi also provides deployment and hosting services for your lending portal, allowing you to focus on your customers rather than software maintenance.

DigiFi has yet to gain much traction among business owners despite being in the CRM market for over a decade. This could be attributed to its highly specialized feature set. However, the costly subscription plans are also a major reason for the low customer count. With an $8000 starting price, it's easy to see why small businesses shy away from DigiFi.

Digify scores 4.6/5 on G2 and 4.8/5 on Capterra.  

8. Mortgage Magic

Founded: 1990
HQ: Rainham, Medway, United Kingdom

Mortgage Magic is built from the ground up to cater to mortgage businesses in the UK. It offers customers a complete mortgage advice process and provides solutions for CRM, digital presence, and lead management.

Mortgage broking involves handling large amounts of client and borrower financial information. As a result, the fine line between private data and public information can often get blurry. Luckily, Mortgage Magic automates compliance requirements for you and helps you keep within reporting regulations. Using this software means you can never violate GDPR, particularly if you're a UK-based business. Moreover, Mortgage Magic's secure end-to-end video connections and ID verification are on hand when conducting compliance activities.

Mortgage Magic provides a client portal for communications between you, clients, borrowers, and partners. This software also doubles as a secure file-sharing service, allowing clients to send documents and append e-signatures as needed.

Additionally, clients can update the information displayed on their profile, freeing them to attend to more important tasks. The best thing about the client portal is that it allows you and your client to engage in real-time video calls and instant text messaging while working on the same document.

Despite its primary role as a CRM, Mortgage Magic performs some accounting operations. It can monitor and track your finances, including commissions and fees. This information is displayed as comprehensive reports and can be accessed through the web app or mobile apps on Android and iOS.

Mortgage Magic scores 4.7/5 on G2 and 4.8/5 on Capterra.

How to pick the right CRM for your enterprise

As discussed in this article, choosing the right CRM to meet your needs is not as straightforward as it may initially seem. Luckily, we have given you guidelines on what to look for in a CRM and how to assess your CRM needs. Each software discussed in this article is an equally viable option, but with subtle and not-so-subtle differences that may serve to sway you. It's up to you to choose the right software to help grow your business.

Our Top Pick - Shape CRM

Shape CRM offers a full feature set, including borrowers and partners management, automation, collaboration tools, live chat, e-signature support, and many more. It is specially built for mortgaging and lending businesses, making it our best mortgage CRM in 2023.

Try Shape CRM Free

Need more small business software advice? Take a read of some of our related guides below:

• Best CRMs For Small Businesses
• Top Benefits Of CRM
• Best HR Software for Startups & Small Businesses
• Best Quotation Software Tools for Small Businesses
• Best CRMs for Sales Teams and Reps In 2023

Meet the author - Ademilade Shodipe-Dosunmu

Ademilade is a versatile and multi-faceted content writer with over 5 years of expertise in SaaS, technology, business, finance, travel, and entertainment journalism. During his years in the dynamic content landscape, he has worked with a variety of clients across various sectors, providing high-quality reviews and content.

As a content writer for Toksta, Ademilade works in collaboration with the research team to develop in depth SaaS breakdowns that help entrepreneurs choose the best option for their small business or startup.

Meet the author - Sam Cassman

Sam is the co-founder and growth marketer at Toksta. He specialises in a diverse skill set including email marketing/CRM, content creation, SEO, PR, programmatic/search advertising, and social media. His 360 skill set allows him to confidently manage the entire customer life-cycle from generation/acquisition, through to lead nurturing, customer conversion and brand loyalty.

An analytical and creative thinker that lives and breathes data but knows thinking outside the box and going against the grain is sometimes necessary to stand out in a saturated online environment.