Home equity remains at record levels with U.S. homeowners holding roughly $17.6 trillion in total home equity, with about $11.5 trillion considered “tappable” equity.1
But financial services providers are losing that opportunity to nonbank lenders, and digital-first competitors.
To win, providers must rethink their approach:
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Refinance market composition has shifted. Nonbank lenders now dominate mortgage origination channels: as of mid-2025, nonbanks accounted for roughly 85% of agency mortgage originations across purchase and refinance products, reflecting broad competitive pressure from digital and nonbank channels.2
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Homeowners still prefer online tools as a first stop for loan research and refinance decisions — driving digital acquisition trends across lenders
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Speed and UX now beat rate and relationship in the eyes of borrowers.
Current state
Siloed departments with incomplete data create a poor user experience. There’s limited collaboration, no data solution, and no shared technology.
Loans come from disconnected channels.
Digital isn't even on the list today.
Fragmented data and disconnected experiences are the silent killers of consumer relationships, and they stem from a problem hiding in plain sight: department silos.
Each of these departments isn’t necessarily failing on its own terms — they’re failing the consumer because no one owns the full journey. When data doesn’t flow between teams and experiences aren’t coordinated, consumers feel it. They get generic emails after a branch visit. They get a loan offer before their account is even funded. They sign up and never hear from you again.
Ready to start breaking down silos at your institution? Here are six moves you can make to drive real impact.
01
Become a Digital First-Stop for Homeowners
Tactic: Add a Home Equity or Refi “Call to Action” inside Online and Mobile Banking
If you want to win business, you need to intercept demand where it happens—and that’s inside your own digital banking experience.
How:
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Add a pre-qualified offer widget inside the banking app (integrated with your offer engine).
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Use property intelligence to show consumers their home value and equity in real time.
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Promote tools like My Home Value that allow homeowners to monitor their home's value, mortgage, and equity inside online banking.
PRO TIP
Over 77% of account holders log into digital banking each month.3
That’s prime real estate to cross-sell HELOCs or REFIs.
02
Use Property + Mortgage Data to Create Intent Signals
Tactic: Stop guessing. Start targeting.
Your consumers’ public property data is rich with intent signals — loan origination dates, estimated equity, rate environment. Use this to trigger marketing workflows.
How:
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Identify consumers with $100k+ in tappable equity and high mortgage rates (pre-2021 originations).
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Target these consumers with personalized messaging like: “You could save $327/month by refinancing your 6.5% mortgage—check your options now.”
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Layer on event-based triggers, like when a home increases in value or an auto loan is paid off.
PRO TIP
Use tools like Array’s Property Data to automate this analysis and trigger refi campaigns inside HubSpot or Salesforce.
03
Speed to Lead: Build a 5-Minute Follow-Up SLA
Tactic: Build a sales process designed for speed, not paperwork.
Contacting a lead within 5 minutes makes you 21x more likely to qualify them.4 But many financial institutions take 2+ days to respond.
How:
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Use a mortgage or HELOC lead form that feeds directly into your LOS or CRM.
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Set email, or SMS alerts to your loan officer when someone applies.
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Implement a follow-up SLA: Contact all loan leads within 5 minutes during business hours.
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Track response time as a KPI.
PRO TIP
We’ve seen providers go from stalled pipelines to record-breaking months—just by making a few key moves like these.
04
Build a Refi + HELOC Dashboard
Tactic: Make performance visible to your team.
A simple dashboard will make marketing, lending, and sales accountable—and aligned.
Dashboard metrics to track:
PRO TIP
Use UTM tracking on digital ads and in-app placements to attribute results.
05
Build a Realtor & Builder Referral Program
Tactic: Create a human flywheel.
Nonbanks win by building referral networks with real estate agents and homebuilders. Most financial services providers don’t have a structured program.
How:
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Offer incentives for closed loans sourced via partners.
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Create a co-branded lead form that realtors can share with clients.
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Provide weekly updates and fast approvals to become their go-to lender.
INSIGHT
Without structure, referral relationships fade. The lenders who win create repeatable programs partners can rely on.
06
Run Campaigns That Speak to This Market
Tactic: Use smart, segmented messaging.
In a high-rate environment, rate-based offers won’t cut it. Focus on payment savings, debt consolidation, and home improvements.
Example campaigns:
Debt Consolidation Push: “Pay off high-interest credit cards with a HELOC at 8% and save $300/month.”
Cash-Out Refi Teaser: “You could access $75,000 in home equity for that kitchen remodel.”
Refi Calculator Tool: Embed a calculator on your site and promote it with a CTA: “See if a refi makes sense for you in 30 seconds.” Here is an example of one of Array's 40+ embeddable financial calculators:
PRO TIP
Run these campaigns across email, SMS, in-app, and paid social. Use dynamic images tied to member ZIP code or home value where possible.
Key takeaways
Here are the six moves you need to make to drive results at your organization:
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Add equity/refi widgets inside digital banking
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Use property data to target high-opportunity members
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Set 5-minute lead response SLAs
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Launch a lending dashboard with 4 core KPIs
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Incentivize realtors & builders with structured referrals
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Build campaigns focused on equity access, not just rates
1Intercontinental Exchange, 2025; 2 Urban Institute, 2025; 3 Alkami, 2024; 4 Rework
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Editorial Note: This content is the author’s opinion, expression, and/or recommendation(s)
Chase Neinken is a fintech entrepreneur and digital banking leader focused on transforming how financial institutions engage homeowners.As co-founder and former CRO of Chimney — an award-winning fintech recently acquired by Array — Chase helped pioneer the integration of real-time home values directly into digital banking apps, helping institutions turn property data into deeper, more meaningful member relationships.