It’s One Thing to Make Money, Another to Keep It: Compliance, MCD, and Wilqo’s Edge

Guest: John Haring, Head of Compliance, WilqoIn this episode, Brian sits down with longtime “MISMITE” and compliance veteran John Haring, now Head of Compliance at Wilqo, a production optimization platform (“Charlie”) that unifies POS, LOS, AI, and BI in a single environment.John shares his unconventional path into mortgage, why he believes compliance is how you keep your money, and how MISMO collaboration has shaped everything from HMDA and URLA to the new Mortgage Compliance Dataset (MCD). The conversation digs into AI, exams, and why alignment between lenders, vendors, and regulators is quietly becoming a serious competitive advantage.John’s path into mortgageMoving from “true retail” compliance into mortgageGetting licensed as an LO and learning the business from the ground upGrowing from small broker shops to VP of Compliance at a large multi-state lenderFrom lender to tech: 13 years at the “800-pound gorilla”Why early GFE, LO Comp, and NMLS changes made tech essential for complianceHow John became a conduit between lenders, MISMO/NMLS working groups, and EncompassTurning dense regulations into practical software requirementsThe power of MISMO working groupsWhat it’s actually like to sit in MISMO/NMLS working sessions“Safety in numbers” vs going it alone on big regulatory changesThe birth of iLAD and harmonizing the new URLA with real-world data needsThe career upside: relationships, reputation, and personal brandWhy vendors need MISMO: table stakes for techWhy supporting MISMO is the “base language” for mortgage technologyThe risk of building compliance logic in isolationCompany benefit vs personal benefit from being at the tableInside Wilqo and the Production Optimization Platform (“Charlie”)What a POP is and how Charlie differs from a traditional LOSBringing POS, LOS, AI, BI, and the consumer into one platformParallel processing, multiple users in the same file, and consumer-friendly UIThe advantage of an emerging platform built by industry veteransAI through a compliance lensWhy using AI for credit underwriting is high-impact, high-riskFraming AI as “how do we get to yes safely?” instead of “no”Using AI to surface discrepancies, automate stare-and-compare, and empower underwritersThe balance between automation and the human relationship with the borrowerThe Mortgage Compliance Dataset (MCD)Lessons learned from the earlier LEF approachHow false positives and scattered data (LOS, PPE, doc engine) drove costs upWhy a MISMO-driven, multi-vendor standard is different this timeHow better, trusted electronic exams can reduce onsite visits and lender costsCompliance as competitive advantageJohn’s “hierarchy of pain”: regulators vs investors vs class-action attorneysWhy strong exams reduce repurchase and litigation riskHow more efficient compliance can keep more margin in the lender’s pocketUltimately, how this work benefits consumers through better, more stable executionJohn Haring on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-haring-6077641/Wilqo – Production Optimization Platform: https://wilqo.com/MISMO: (https://www.mismo.org/membership/become-a-mismo-member)