Making Sense of Data, How Technology Can Bring Clarity Back to Mortgage Advice

The mortgage market has always been fast-moving, but in recent years technology has changed it more quickly than anyone expected. New tools and platforms promise to transform the way advisers work, yet for many firms the challenge is deciding which innovations genuinely make a difference. 

Technology has huge potential to improve the advice process, but success depends on how it’s applied. This is a people business. The goal isn’t to replace advisers with software but to make their lives easier, their data clearer, and their clients better served. 

Keeping people at the centre 

Technology is already part of everyday advice. Many firms now use automation to take care of repetitive tasks like gathering documents, updating records, or prompting key actions. Done well, it saves time, reduces errors, and helps firms stay compliant. 

The best systems are the ones that support advisers rather than try to take over. Advice is built on empathy, understanding and trust, qualities that can’t be replicated by code. Technology should enhance those relationships, not create distance from clients. 

Advisers need transparency. They should always be able to see what their systems are doing and why, with the ability to step in whenever necessary. Across the market, more firms are finding the right balance between automation and control, using technology to remove friction without losing oversight. 

Turning data into understanding 

If automation has made advice more efficient, data is what will make it smarter. Every firm holds years of valuable information about clients, conversion rates and protection performance, yet too often it sits locked away in static reports that offer limited insight. 

The next stage of progress will be giving advisers a clearer, simpler view of what their own data is telling them. Instead of having to build complex reports or dig through spreadsheets, they should be able to get answers quickly and easily. 

That is the direction we are moving in. We are developing new tools that help firms query and explore their data naturally. The aim is to make insight accessible, allowing firms to make faster, better-informed decisions. 

We’re already seeing how data can tell a powerful story. In Q3 2025, 360 Lifecycle facilitated £10.6 billion in lending, up more than 20% year-on-year. This demonstrates the scale of trusted advice being delivered every day that puts people first. 

It isn’t about predicting behaviour or replacing analysis. It’s about giving advisers an easier way to understand their own business. Data should work for them, not the other way around. 

Using data responsibly 

Every adviser needs to know their data is handled properly and securely. The principle is straightforward: the data belongs to the firm, and technology providers act as custodians who protect it and support its responsible use. 

There is also potential for anonymised, aggregated data to be used to support the wider market. Over time, this could help lenders, networks and advisers gain better insight into emerging trends, which could lead to more informed decision-making across the industry. 

Handled correctly, that kind of collective intelligence could be transformative, but it must always be underpinned by transparency, privacy and consent. 

Innovation with integrity 

The pace of digital change can feel relentless, but the answer is not to resist it. The answer is to innovate responsibly. Firms that will succeed are those that embrace technology while keeping fairness, accountability and transparency at the centre of everything they do. Systems must be reliable, explainable and aligned with how advisers work. Technology can and should help firms meet regulatory expectations and deliver better outcomes for clients, but it only works when it complements the adviser’s role rather than replaces it. 

A human industry in a digital age 

The best technology operates quietly in the background. It removes complexity, makes processes smoother, and gives advisers more time to focus on their clients. 

Tools that make data easier to understand or processes simpler to manage will continue to shape the future of the industry. The essence of advice will remain the same, people helping people to make confident financial decisions.