A LinkedIn post from Friday Harbor highlights growing expectations that AI-enabled underwriting could be a major driver of change in the mortgage industry by 2026. Citing a National Mortgage News survey, the post notes that 57% of respondents predicted AI-backed underwriting would deliver the most significant transformation on that time frame.
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The post suggests that industry debate is shifting from whether AI will reshape underwriting to where in the origination workflow these capabilities should be embedded. Friday Harbor’s CEO, Theo Ellis, CFA, is quoted as arguing that empowering origination teams with AI tools could improve the quality and confidence of preapprovals.
According to the shared perspective, this front-end deployment may allow underwriters to concentrate more on higher-level risk management decisions rather than routine eligibility checks. For investors, this framing points to a potential market opportunity for technology providers that can integrate AI underwriting earlier in the loan process.
If Friday Harbor is positioned around AI-enhanced underwriting or origination support, the emphasis on origination-team tooling could signal a strategic focus on improving lender throughput and risk stratification. This approach may help lenders manage costs and credit risk in a volatile rate environment, potentially increasing demand for specialized AI solutions and strengthening the company’s standing within mortgage technology niches.