Episode Description:

Is the mortgage industry built on solid data foundations or shiftingsands?

In this episode of MISMO Mic’d Up, MISMO President Brian Vieauxsits down with Mark Dangelo, Co-Founder of AXTent, Professor at CaseWestern Reserve University, and regular contributor to MBA Newslink and ThomsonReuters, for a deep dive into the evolving architecture of regulatory data inmortgage banking.

As artificial intelligence accelerates across financial services, theindustry is confronting a hard truth: regulatory reporting may be digital, butit is not necessarily consistent, interoperable, or machine-ready. What oncefelt like “bedrock” data infrastructure is rapidly liquefying under thepressure of AI, cross-agency reporting, and real-time analytics.

This conversation explores:

Mark explains how emerging architectures like data meshes and datafabrics allow institutions to integrate information across systems withoutduplicating or fragmenting data. Rather than lifting and shifting data into newsilos, modern architectures preserve system-of-record integrity while enablingreal-time governance, auditability, and cross-domain visibility.

For leaders of independent mortgage bankers (IMBs), this episode deliverspractical guidance:

The discussion also highlights how forward-thinking fintech founders areleveraging MISMO’s 26-year foundation of data standards to accelerate productinnovation — proving that standards do not limit innovation; they enable it.

If you are a mortgage executive, CIO, CTO, compliance leader, dataarchitect, or fintech innovator, this episode provides a roadmap for navigatingthe intersection of AI, regulatory modernization, and structured datagovernance.

Because in today’s mortgage market, competitive advantage will not comefrom faster processes alone — it will come from stronger data foundations.

Learn more about MISMO’s AI Community of Practice at mismo.org and jointhe conversation shaping the future of mortgage data standards.

In this episode of MISMO Mic’d Up, Brian Vieaux sits down with Paul Gigliotti, CEO of the California MBA, for a wide-ranging conversation on advocacy, innovation, and why being in the room early can fundamentally change how mortgage businesses compete and grow.

Brian and Paul begin by reflecting on their parallel journeys—both stepping into leadership roles at major industry organizations within days of each other—and how shared backgrounds in lending and technology shape their approach to leadership today. From there, the conversation dives into the mission and impact of California MBA, with Paul breaking down its three core pillars: advocacy, education, and networking, and why advocacy should be viewed not as politics—but as business strategy.

A major theme of the episode is California’s outsized influence on the national mortgage ecosystem. With California accounting for up to 40% of annual mortgage originations and serving as a legislative bellwether for other states and federal policy, Paul explains why lenders—especially multi-state operators—cannot afford to treat California policy in isolation. What happens in California rarely stays in California.

The discussion then turns to a powerful insight: membership isn’t just about support—it’s about foresight. Paul and Brian explore how lenders and technology providers that actively participate in associations gain early visibility into regulatory and legislative shifts, enabling them to adapt faster, innovate sooner, and sometimes even shape outcomes. Real-world examples highlight how being engaged—not just enrolled—can create lasting competitive advantage.

The episode also spotlights the newly announced partnership between MISMO and California MBA, including MISMO hosting two workshops at the upcoming Mortgage Innovators Conference (MIC) in Huntington Beach. Brian outlines what attendees can expect from the workshops, including deep dives into the Mortgage Compliance Dataset (MCD) and MISMO’s work on responsible AI frameworks for mortgage lending—two of MISMO’s top priorities heading into 2026.

Paul shares why MIC has become a must-attend, national-caliber event for mortgage innovation, emphasizing its focus on practical implementation, not just shiny new tools. The conversation also previews California MBA’s broader event lineup—from legislative advocacy days to capital markets and compliance conferences—and hints at future opportunities for deeper collaboration between the two organizations.

The episode closes with a candid look at how lobbying and standards work actually gets done: staying in your lane, leaning on subject-matter experts, and building trust with policymakers through education—not confrontation. It’s a reminder that sustainable progress in mortgage lending happens when advocacy, standards, and innovation move together.

Whether you’re a lender, fintech, compliance leader, or industry executive, this episode delivers a clear message: the future belongs to those who show up early, engage deeply, and help shape what’s next.

🎧 Tune in—and make sure you’re in the room.

The mortgage industry is racing toward an AI-powered future — but as every builder knows, innovation only scales when the foundation is solid.

In this episode of MISMO Mic’d Up, Brian Vieaux sits down with Ben Sherman, CEO of Viant Eye, and Chris Trujillo, Director of Product Strategy, to unpack the launch of MISMO Link — a major new capability designed to transform how the industry creates, explores, and implements MISMO standards.

This conversation goes beyond the announcement. Together, they explore:

Why centralizing MISMO standards is critical to faster innovation

How MISMO Link dramatically improves accessibility to the MISMO Reference Model

What this means for fintech builders, AI startups, and lenders entering the ecosystem

The role of SmartDocs and eNotes in driving real, measurable economic value

Why standards are the quiet force multiplier behind automation, AI, and loan quality

Chris shares the vision behind MISMO Link’s phased rollout — from Model Explorer to dataset management and future API and AI-driven integrations — while Ben connects the dots between standards, tooling, and interoperability across the housing finance ecosystem.

The episode also tackles a big idea:

As AI accelerates into mortgage, all roads lead back to MISMO — and MISMO Link is rapidly becoming the on-ramp.

If you care about scalability, data integrity, AI readiness, or simply making mortgage technology work better, this episode is required listening.