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In an industry where efficiency and customer experience are paramount, Tidal Wave, an AI-first point-of-sale (POS) platform, is making waves with its innovative approach to mortgage origination. Launched in 2023, the company is redefining how lenders interact with borrowers—leveraging artificial intelligence to streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance the overall mortgage experience.

At a recent industry event in Las Vegas, Chris McLendon, newly appointed Chief Revenue Officer at Tidal Wave, and Chris Olen, a seasoned technologist with the company, sat down with HousingWire to discuss why their platform stands out in a crowded fintech landscape.

Why AI-First Matters in Mortgage Tech

While many mortgage tech providers are just beginning to experiment with AI, Tidal Wave has built its entire platform around it.

“We’re not just wrapping ChatGPT around a form,” Olen explained. “We’ve developed a proprietary contextual AI that eliminates hallucinations, ensures data security, and keeps borrower information private—meaning no customer data is fed into public large language models (LLMs).”

This approach allows Tidal Wave to dynamically guide borrowers through the application process, proactively identifying and resolving potential roadblocks—such as requesting a letter of explanation (LOE) at the right moment rather than days later.

“Instead of a processor manually reaching out, our AI interviews the borrower, generates the LOE, gets it signed, and submits it—all in minutes instead of days,” said Olen.

Reducing Costs Without Sacrificing Quality

With mortgage origination costs at historic highs, lenders are under pressure to do more with less. Tidal Wave’s AI-driven POS helps by:

• Eliminating redundant steps (e.g., reducing underwriting touchpoints)
• Improving file quality upfront, allowing underwriters to handle 4-6 loans per day vs. the industry average of 2-2.5
• Minimizing the need for seasonal hiring by increasing operational efficiency

“If we can help lenders scale without the boom-and-bust hiring cycles, we’re creating a more stable industry,” McLendon noted.

Expanding Access: The Multilingual Advantage

One of Tidal Wave’s latest innovations is its fully bilingual (English/Spanish) mortgage experience. Borrowers can:

• Apply in Spanish
• Receive emails, texts, and notifications in Spanish
• Communicate with Tidal Wave’s AI assistant (Solo) in Spanish for real-time loan updates

“Hispanic homebuyers are the fastest-growing segment, yet most POS systems aren’t built for them,” McLendon said. “This isn’t just translation—it’s a seamless, culturally tailored experience.”

What’s Next for Tidal Wave?

Looking ahead to 2025, the company plans to expand its “Point of Sale Plus” vision—integrating AI deeper into post-closing, document validation, and automated condition clearing.

“We’re not just another point solution,” Olen emphasized. “We’re reimagining the entire mortgage journey.”

For lenders seeking a faster, smarter, and more inclusive POS, Tidal Wave’s AI-first approach may be the answer.