Case Study: First State Bank Mortgage achieves doubled loan volume and a 15x profitability increase with Blend

First State Bank Mortgage Powering personal connections, productivity, and profitability

First State Bank Mortgage, a 150‑year community lender, needed a more streamlined digital experience that preserved personal customer service and improved employee workflows. To replace a clunky borrower portal and modernize processes, they partnered with Blend, adopting Blend’s borrower portal and mortgage platform to deliver simpler, more personalized borrower and loan officer interactions.

Blend implemented features like asset refresh, automated follow‑up emails, and hybrid closing workflows, freeing loan officers from manual tasks and speeding closings. The results were dramatic: loan volume doubled to $2.2B in 2020 (from $1.1B in 2019) while staffing grew by just 17 FTEs, closers can complete four closings in an hour, and profitability increased 15x — outcomes First State Bank Mortgage credits to its ongoing partnership with Blend.

First State Bank Mortgage

Rita Rieke

Senior Vice President, Director of Mortgage Production