Brian Elrod

// Mortgage & title technology

Less transformation. More fixing the dumb stuff.

I've spent more than a decade inside mortgage and title operations, building the data, workflows, and software that take work out of the process instead of adding tools on top of it. Now I do that at Checkr, and I ship my own products on the side.

Start the story ↓ Get in touch
~$3.5B

Annual mortgage operation supported with data & workflow systems

3d → 1h

Company-wide commission processing

−50%

Defect rate after redesigning a release model

2

Products shipped as a solo founder

01The problem

We've spent billions on mortgage technology. It still costs about $11,000 to originate a loan. Everyone has AI now. Everyone's waiting for the next big thing. What if we just fixed the dumb stuff?

Keep scrolling: here's where I learned to look for it ↓

  1. 2014 — 2016

    Business / QA Analyst · 21st Mortgage

    Where I learned how software actually gets built: requirements, user stories, and UAT. I also coached teams on Scrum and Kanban, and reworked the release model.

    −50% defect rate~500 hrs/yr of waste removed
  2. 2016 — 2018

    Finance & Analytics · Mortgage Investors Group

    Where I learned what everything really costs. I built executive reporting and financial statements, managed payroll and intercompany outlays, and ran cost-benefit valuations on new technology before we bought it.

    $5M+ monthly outlays managed3 days → 1 hr commission processing
  3. 2018 — 2024

    Manager of Process Improvement, Data & Analytics · MIG

    The bridge between the business and the technology teams for a ~$3.5B-a-year lender, across operations, finance, secondary marketing, compensation, HR, and the executive team. I took projects from discovery through rollout and adoption.

    ~$3.5B annual originationsBI · workflow · compensation systems
  4. Aug 2024 — now

    Founder · Hubmission

    I took everything I'd seen break and started building the fixes myself: purpose-built software for operational, data, and workflow problems in mortgage, title, and financial services. I own the whole lifecycle, from the problem to the price.

    2 products shippeddesign · build · license · sell
  5. Jun 2026 — now

    Lead PM, Truv → Senior Solutions Engineer, Checkr

    Getting the data at the source. At Truv I led mortgage product for direct-to-source income, employment, and asset verification: lender workflows, GSE requirements, and Encompass integrations. Since Checkr acquired Truv, I design solutions on the same problem at a larger scale.

    VOIE · VOAEncompassGSE requirements

03What I built

So I started shipping the fixes myself.

Hubmission · 01Shipping · v1.0

EscrowIQ

Operational reporting for title & escrow agencies on SoftPro Select

Title agencies run on SoftPro, but answering basic operational questions still means exporting to Excel. EscrowIQ installs next to SoftPro Select and publishes a reporting layer on top of the data the agency already has.

  • 22 operational reports, unlimited users
  • On-premise: the data never leaves the agency's network
  • Licensing, installer, and self-serve purchase built end to end
See EscrowIQ on hubmission.tech →
EscrowIQ · Pipeline
Open orders by stageSample data
Open184
Closing this wk37
Avg days open21.4
Opened
48
Title search
39
Commitment
30
Clear to close
23
Scheduled
19
Funding
25
Hubmission · 02iPad · TestFlight

VerseCanvas

A Pencil-first, infinite-canvas Bible study notebook for iPad

Not a PDF Bible with a drawing layer. Scripture is the spine of an open canvas, and your handwriting, highlights, and notes know which verse and which word they're attached to.

  • Native iPadOS, built for Apple Pencil
  • Annotations anchored to Scripture down to the word
  • Searchable notes across months of study
APP STORE RELEASE COMING
VerseCanvas · Psalms 119
Psalm 119:105 · KJV

105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Enough light for the next step, not the whole road.Anchored · 119:105 · “lamp”

04What I believe

Buy productivity, not more technology.

01

“Stop automating processing. Start eliminating it.”

Get the data on day one, and hand a human only the part that couldn't process itself.
02

“What if we just… fixed the dumb stuff?”

Save two minutes here and five there. It doesn't sound exciting until you do it 10,000 times.
03

“Slow down before you speed up.”

Do a table read of the process with the people doing the work before you buy the technology.
04

“Have the plan, have the date, and stick to it.”

If a tool is supposed to remove three FTEs of work, decide when that happens. Otherwise you get the same headcount plus another invoice.
Read more on LinkedIn →

05What I reach for

The toolkit behind the fixes.

Domain knowledge first, then the systems, then the code. Hover or tap any tool to see where I've used it.

Domain06
Systems09
Building07
Used at Pick a toolto trace it back through the story

// What's the dumbest thing in your process?

Lender, title agency, or settlement company? Let's compare notes.

If you're trying to work out where technology, automation, or a better process would make a measurable difference, and not just add another vendor invoice, I'd like to hear about it.

Email me Message on LinkedIn
Emailbrianelrod@brianelrod.com
LinkedIn/in/iambrianelrod
Companyhubmission.tech
LocationKnoxville, Tennessee