The Architecture of Ambition: Kind Lending’s Radical Bet on a Unified Future

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – January 06, 2026 – In a move that signals a potential turning point for the American mortgage industry, national powerhouse Kind Lending today announced a strategic partnership with the technology firm CANDID to execute a complete overhaul of its operational infrastructure. The initiative represents a decisive break from the sector's long-standing reliance on fragmented, aging systems, a problem often referred to as "tech debt."

Founded by renowned industry entrepreneur Glenn Stearns, Kind Lending is embarking on a comprehensive "rip and replace" of its core technologies, adopting CANDID's unified ecosystem. The partnership aims to eliminate the operational drag and escalating costs associated with managing a patchwork of disconnected software—a phenomenon known as "vendor bloat"—that has long plagued lenders and frustrated both loan officers and borrowers.

Instead of applying another temporary fix, the company is rebuilding its technological foundation from the ground up. As the organization noted in its announcement, "You can't lead the next generation of lending on yesterday's systems." This partnership is a declaration that for Kind Lending, the future of mortgage banking requires not just an update, but a fundamental reinvention.

An Industry Weighed Down by 'Tech Debt'

The challenge Kind Lending aims to solve is not unique; it is a systemic issue woven into the fabric of the mortgage industry. For decades, lenders have bolted on new technologies to solve immediate problems, creating a complex and unwieldy stack of disparate systems. This has led to what many analysts call a state of "fragmentation upon fragmentation," where a lack of a single source of truth creates massive inefficiencies.

Research shows that despite billions invested in technology, the average cost to originate a loan has paradoxically continued to rise. This is often because new systems add layers of complexity rather than removing them. One industry report noted that over a decade, more than 11% of all mortgage loan file content was missing or erroneous, creating significant downstream costs and compliance risks. This digital friction is a direct consequence of systems that don't communicate, forcing manual workarounds and data re-entry.

This environment of "tech debt"—the implied cost of rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer—has become a major liability. It stifles innovation, inflates operational expenses, and ultimately hinders a lender's ability to scale. Kind Lending's decision to partner with CANDID represents a high-stakes wager that the only way forward is to confront this debt head-on.

A Strategic Bet on Radical Simplification

This initiative is deeply rooted in the strategic vision of Kind Lending's founder, Glenn Stearns. A celebrated figure known for his "Never Say Die" attitude, Stearns built his first company, Stearns Lending, into a national leader before selling a majority stake in 2015. His reputation was further cemented by his appearance on Discovery's "Undercover Billionaire," where he built a million-dollar company from nothing in 90 days. His career is a testament to ambition and a willingness to challenge convention.

Since its founding in 2019, Kind Lending has mirrored that ambition, achieving meteoric growth. The company became the 6th largest wholesale lender in the nation by 2023 and, in May 2025, funded over $1 billion in a single month. This rapid expansion, however, puts immense pressure on a company's operational backbone. The partnership with CANDID is a strategic move to build an infrastructure that can support not just current volume, but exponential future growth.

The collaboration is focused on three critical pillars: Modernity at Scale, which empowers teams to fully utilize technology; Strategic Consolidation, which moves from many vendors to one streamlined system; and Institutional Alignment, which integrates key growth functions like TPO sales and recruiting directly into the operational workflow. By simplifying its core processes, Kind Lending aims to unlock new levels of efficiency, reduce its cost-per-loan, and create a more agile organization capable of outmaneuvering competitors.

From Back Office to Borrower Experience

While the partnership focuses on internal operations, its most significant impact may be felt by the end-consumer: the homebuyer. The friction created by disjointed back-office systems invariably trickles down, resulting in slower processing times, redundant requests for documentation, and a generally opaque and stressful mortgage process. Today's borrowers, accustomed to the seamless digital experiences offered by tech giants in other sectors, have little patience for such antiquated processes.

By unifying its technology, Kind Lending is positioned to radically improve the customer journey. A single, streamlined system can enable faster loan approvals, reduce the likelihood of errors, and provide greater transparency for all parties involved. When a loan officer, processor, and underwriter all work from the same data set in a cohesive environment, the entire timeline from application to closing can be compressed.

This focus on customer experience is a powerful competitive differentiator. In a market where rates and products can be easily matched, the quality of the service experience becomes paramount. The move suggests a future where the best lenders compete not just on price, but on speed, simplicity, and transparency—all outcomes of a well-architected technological foundation.

Redefining the Tech-Enabled Lender

Kind Lending's partnership with CANDID is more than just a technology purchase; it's a statement about the future of the industry. In a market where expensive software is often acquired but poorly implemented, the press release emphasizes a commitment to driving "real adoption." This cultural shift, from viewing technology as a tool to integrating it as the central nervous system of the organization, could set a new benchmark for what it means to be a tech-enabled lender.

As the mortgage industry continues its slow but steady march toward digitization, this move will undoubtedly be watched closely by competitors. It raises the stakes, pressuring other lenders to assess the true cost of their own tech debt and consider whether incremental updates are sufficient to survive in an increasingly digital world. By choosing to rebuild rather than patch the past, Kind Lending is not just preparing for the future; it is actively building it.