It is no secret that Congress and regulators have trouble keeping up with technology. But is an AI “conversation” with a borrower any different than a questionnaire given to that same borrower? Will the line be drawn at RESPA items? Can regulators audit transcripts of AI “conversations” without court orders? (One way to have the “inside scoop” on issues like this and others is to register for MBA’s National Advocacy Conference (NAC) this April. The early bird special ends Monday, March 2. It’s the industry’s largest advocacy event and the most effective way to represent your state at the national level.) Mark Weber predicts, “We will see a ‘credential implosion’ in mortgage banking. A person shopping for a mortgage can ask Ai about the best loan scenarios and for loan structuring assistance. Why bother with the credential of Certified Mortgage Planner with all those hours studying and human licensing to originate mortgages? Why would the mortgage industry want to protect human capital through regulation? Every knowledge industry is set up for major disruption.” (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s ‘casts are sponsored by FirstClose, a leading home equity technology platform that combines digital application, automated workflows, integrated vendor management, and seamless LOS connectivity, to turn home equity into a scalable, predictable growth engine. Hear an interview with Optimal Blue’s Erin Wester on the extensive lineup of mortgage capital markets innovations unveiled at 2026 Optimal Blue Summit, including an industry-first AI/ML-powered forecasting tool.)