Sept. 18, 2025

Loan Officer Life: Reducing Pre-Approval Fallout with KeySteps

Loan Officer Life: Reducing Pre-Approval Fallout with KeySteps
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Season 6

Episode Overview
In this solo episode, host Brian Vieaux, CMB—President & COO of FinLocker and 35+ year mortgage industry veteran—dives into a critical challenge loan officers face today: pipeline fallout from pre-qualified and pre-approved borrowers.

Far too often, LOs invest time, resources, and money into pre-approvals, only to lose borrowers later when they pause their search, get priced out, or switch lenders after a realtor referral. Traditional CRM drip campaigns aren’t enough to prevent that. The question is: How can loan officers provide real, ongoing value during this “waiting period” and reduce fallout?

Brian shares a powerful new use case for the KeySteps app, powered by FinLocker. By inviting every pre-qualified and pre-approved borrower into the app, loan officers can offer free weekly credit monitoring, credit report access, and credit simulators as a built-in value add. This not only gives borrowers peace of mind during the shopping phase, it also keeps them connected to the originating LO and builds trust that strengthens loyalty.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

  • Why fallout from pre-quals and pre-approvals is one of the biggest risks to your pipeline.

  • The real reasons borrowers “walk” after being pre-approved.

  • How credit monitoring inside KeySteps creates stickiness and differentiation.

  • Practical scripts and strategies for positioning the app as part of your pre-approval process.

  • How this approach cements you as a trusted advisor—not just another LO quoting rates.

Why It Matters Now:
The 2025 market is defined by longer buying cycles, affordability pressure, and intense competition. Consumers are shopping multiple lenders and leaning on realtor referrals more than ever. With mortgage rates hovering around 7% and affordability challenges pushing the average first-time buyer age to 38, creating real value beyond the pre-approval letter is essential.

About the Host:
Brian Vieaux is a Michigan-based mortgage leader, fintech executive, and Certified Mortgage Banker. After three decades of originating, managing, and leading production teams, he now helps loan officers nationwide future-proof their careers through education, technology adoption, and personal branding.

Who This Episode Is For:

  • Mortgage Loan Officers managing pre-qualified/pre-approved pipelines

  • Branch managers and team leaders looking to improve pull-through rates

  • Realtors and referral partners curious about new engagement tools

  • Anyone interested in consumer financial readiness and mortgage technology

Listen & Subscribe:
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Keywords: Loan Officer Life Podcast, Brian Vieaux, FinLocker, KeySteps app, pre-approval fallout, mortgage pipeline management, credit monitoring for homebuyers, mortgage readiness tools, loan officer technology, Michigan mortgage expert.

 

 

Brian Vieaux