Why the divorce process should be on every mortgage professional’s radar.

By Jody Bruns

We’ve trained an entire industry to obsess over interest rates.

But we’ve ignored one of the most disruptive forces in housing today:
Divorce. While mortgage professionals chase rate-sensitive buyers or wait for the refi market to return, a massive—and growing—segment of housing transitions is being missed entirely.

Over 70% of divorces in the U.S. involve real estate and mortgage debt. And nearly all of them involve legal and financial decisions that directly affect homeownership, credit, and long-term financing. Yet most mortgage professionals show up after the damage is already done—if they’re invited at all. By then, it's often too late.

Because the real work doesn't happen at the closing table. It happens inside the divorce process itself—and that’s where Certified Divorce Lending Professionals (CDLP®) do their most critical work.

The Hidden Risk

Divorce isn’t just a personal crisis. It’s a housing crisis, too. It contributes to forced sales, missed refinance windows, court-ordered credit damage, and emotionally driven equity loss. It destabilizes families and housing markets—often silently.

And yet... most originators are never trained to deal with it.

They don’t know:

  • How the family law process intersects with mortgage qualification
  • How equity division, title transfers, and support income impact timing and approvals
  • How to coordinate post-decree financing with legal milestones

So they’re left out of the process entirely. Because attorneys, mediators, and financial professionals know: the wrong guidance can derail an entire settlement.

A Common Scenario (That Happens Every Day)

Imagine this:

A divorcing couple agrees that one party will keep the home. Their attorney drafts the decree without consulting a trained mortgage professional. Six months later, the retaining spouse can’t qualify for the refinance. The other spouse remains legally tied to the mortgage and can’t buy another home. Equity is lost. Tempers flare. Everyone loses.

This scenario plays out every single day—not because loan officers don’t care, but because they weren’t trained to be part of the conversation when it mattered.

The CDLP® Solution

This isn’t about being divorce-friendly. 

It’s about being a trained professional working inside one of the most complex legal-financial events in a client’s life. That’s the foundation of Divorce Mortgage Planning and the CDLP® certification.

It’s not a niche.

We’ve built a new profession within the mortgage industry—one that operates at the intersection of family law, finance, and housing.

CDLP® professionals:

  • Work alongside attorneys during settlement negotiations
  • Deliver Divorce Mortgage Planning & Real Property Reports that go far beyond lending prequals—with title analysis, equity strategy, and real property insights attorneys use to protect their clients
  • Create solutions that align with both underwriting guidelines and legal timing
  • Act as neutral experts, not salespeople

This is litigation-informed housing strategy that protects equity, supports settlement goals, and ensures stable post-divorce housing outcomes.

What the Industry Should Be Asking

The next time the mortgage industry talks about risk, it shouldn’t stop at rates or inventory.

It should ask:

  • Who is guiding divorcing homeowners through one of the most complex housing transitions of their lives?
  • Who is advising attorneys on the implications of their proposed settlement terms?
  • Who is building financing strategies that prevent court conflicts and future defaults?

Mortgage professionals are being told to “do more with less.” But what they really need is a model that makes more from what’s already happening.

Divorce isn’t slowing down. Housing transitions aren’t going away. It’s time to step forward—not just as originators, but as advisors.

Publications like HousingWire and Scotsman Guide have done a tremendous job covering industry shifts in affordability, inventory, and lending innovation. But there’s still a major gap in the conversation—one where divorce mortgage strategy belongs front and center.

Ready to Build a Divorce Mortgage Planning Practice?

If you’re a mortgage professional who wants to:

  • Get referred into divorce cases before the loan is at risk
  • Collaborate with attorneys and mediators who value your expertise
  • Build a business that thrives regardless of interest rates

Then CDLP® certification is your next step.

Watch our free training or schedule a call today at GetCDLPCertified.com

Because the housing crisis doesn’t always start with interest rates.

Sometimes, it starts in the courtroom.

Jody Bruns
President, Divorce Lending Association
Creator of the CDLP® Certification
Bringing strategy, clarity, and professionalism to the intersection of divorce and mortgage planning.

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