FROM FEARS ABOUT artificial intelligence replacing jobs to growing doubts about whether younger generations will ever own a home, there is no shortage of worries about society and the economy these days.

But one Irish mortgage broker is challenging both. Whether or not you’ve embraced it, AI is helping to make home ownership possible for more people.

Finance Solutions, part of Howden and Ireland’s largest mortgage broker, has invested in an AI-powered platform designed to make the mortgage process faster, and simpler for their customers. The company spent months evaluating potential solutions before selecting Lendwell, an Irish-founded fintech platform, following a detailed review of the market and the technology available. At the same time, the company is expanding its workforce, hiring 50 additional people as demand for mortgage advice from people grows.

The move reflects an alternative idea for how AI can be used in business: not to replace people, but to help them do what they do best – guide and reassure other humans.

For many first-time buyers (or even second and third!), applying for a mortgage can feel overwhelming. Gathering documents, understanding lending criteria and comparing mortgage options takes a lot of head space, time and effort, all while navigating one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.

So Finance Solutions is using AI to automate and improve parts of the administrative process, including document analysis. Tedious tasks that previously required hours of work can now be completed more efficiently, helping speed up the paperwork of the application journey. But it cannot replace the care, insight and expertise that customers need when making important financial decisions.

This mortgage brokers sees technology as a tool to enhance human support rather than replace it. By reducing the administrative burden on advisers, AI allows them to spend more time speaking with customers, understanding their circumstances and guiding them through the mortgage process.

Last year alone, Finance Solutions helped more than 4,000 people secure mortgages, facilitating €1.26 billion in lending. Many of those customers were first-time buyers taking their first steps onto the property ladder.

With the right preparation, realistic expectations and access to expert advice, home ownership remains achievable for many people.

For customers, the benefit is a simpler, more transparent mortgage journey, with less paperwork and more time with their Mortgage Advisor.   

Start your home ownership journey today. Consultations are free, only take about 10-15 minutes and there’s no commitment. Speak with a broker today.

Kegra Limited, trading as Finance Solutions, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.