For the mortgage executives still referring to MISMO funding as a “donation,” STOP! That mindset is exactly backwards.
If your company is benefiting from standardized datasets, AI governance, appraisal modernization, eMortgages, the Mortgage Compliance Dataset (MCD), FRAME, or any of the countless standards developed through MISMO… you’re already consuming the output of an investment made by others.
The question isn’t whether your company can afford to invest in MISMO, but whether you’re comfortable letting your competitors invest to build the industry’s infrastructure while you continue to benefit from it for free.
I didn’t accept the role of President of MISMO to ask company executives for donations. I accepted it because I know what this industry is capable of when competitors collaborate on standards that reduce cost, increase interoperability, improve compliance, and accelerate innovation. If we are ever going to materially reduce the cost to manufacture a mortgage, it won’t happen because one company builds a better mousetrap. It will happen because our industry adopts common standards, common datasets, and common governance at scale.
Here’s my challenge to every lender preparing your 2027 budget. Build in $0.75 per closed loan based on your 2026 production for your MISMO Innovation Investment Fund (IIF).
That’s it. Plan for it now. Budget for it now. Pay it in February 2027.
For most lenders reading this, we’re talking about an annual investment of less than $7,500.
Less than the cost of one conference sponsorship.
Less than the cost of a single consulting engagement.
Less than what many organizations spend each year fixing problems that MISMO standards are designed to prevent.
And the return? I believe it’s measured in tens of thousands of dollars through greater efficiency, lower implementation costs, reduced duplication, faster adoption of innovation, and stronger governance.
An investment demands accountability. It demands measurable value. And it deserves an expectation of return.
Good. That’s exactly how I want every executive to think about MISMO.
Because the companies investing in MISMO aren’t funding an organization. They’re investing in the future operating system of the mortgage industry.
#VieauxPoint
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