How AI can make lending objective, according to a tech leader

In
grade
school,
Sara
Knochel
already
showed
signs
of
turning
into
a
future
computer
scientist
thanks
to
a
developing
interest
in
math
and
languages.

In
the
years
since,
Knochel
has
applied
those
skills
in
an
effort
to
help
deliver
solutions
to


some
of
the
thorniest
problems
the
mortgage
industry
is
confronting
today.

Her
computer
science
degree
led
to
an
initial
job
at
Loanperformance,
which
was
later
acquired
by
Corelogic,
and
eventually
to
her
current


leadership
role
at
Candor
Technology.
But
in
between,
Knochel
earned
an
MBA,
which
drove
her
to
other
opportunities
in
financial
services,
where
she
saw
how
data
analytics
could
be
used
in
tracking
loan
performance
across
various
segments. 

The
expertise
initially
brought
her
to
Alpharetta,
Georgia-based
Candor
as
a
consultant
in
2018,
and
today,
she
serves
as
both
chief
operating
officer
and
chief
of
staff.

Knochel
spoke
with
National
Mortgage
News
recently
to
discuss
how
the
wealth
of
data
the
industry
has
today
can
be
used
to
help
mortgage
lenders
make
accurate
and
bias-free
decisions,
while
also
addressing
concerns
the
industry
might
have
with
trust
in
technology.

The
interview
has
been
edited
for
clarity
and
length.