Skip to the main content.
TALK TO AN EXPERT
TALK TO AN EXPERT
AI Readiness Assessment

Your loan officers are already using AI.
We’ll show you where.

Find shadow AI in your loan officers’, processors’, and underwriters’ workflows. ABT’s AI Readiness Assessment is complimentary for active MWS clients (typically $2,000) and surfaces unsanctioned AI use, audit gaps, and Copilot-readiness blockers in 2 to 3 weeks before you face an FHFA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or state DFI exam.

Featured Short

Trusted by 750+ of the Nation's Leading Lenders, Banks & Credit Unions.

TIER 1 MICROSOFT CSP
SOC 2 TYPE II
ZERO TRUST
NIST CSF ALIGNED
FFIEC
GLBA / FTC SAFEGUARDS
NCUA / FDIC
CFPB / GSE AUDIT READY
750+ INSTITUTIONS
SINCE 1999
33%
of employees feed company data into unsanctioned AI tools
Cyberhaven Q1 2026 shadow AI report
60%
of enterprise AI copilots had data-exfil vulnerabilities in red-team testing
2026 prompt injection threat landscape
8%
Copilot adoption when employees can choose any AI tool (vs 68% captive)
2026 enterprise AI choice studies
750+
mortgage lenders, servicers, and FIs ABT manages Microsoft tenants for
25+ years CSP experience
The problem you can’t see

Your loan officers aren’t waiting for IT.

When the approved path is slower than the workaround, loan officers, processors, and underwriters take the workaround. They paste borrower files into ChatGPT on their phones to draft follow-up letters. They summarize closing call notes in free public chatbots. They use browser extensions your tenant has no record of. Most of it never shows up in your audit logs because it never touched your tenant, which is exactly what an FHFA examiner or a Fannie Mae QC reviewer will want to see.

Borrower data walking out the door

A loan officer pastes borrower SSN, income, and address into ChatGPT to draft a borrower letter. The data lands outside your tenant before MERS or Fannie Mae’s QC review knows it left. There’s no record of where it went, how it was retained, or whether the model trained on it.

Audit gaps you can’t close

GSE QC reviewers and FHFA examiners increasingly ask which AI tools your team uses and how you control them. If the answer relies on what employees self-report, you have a finding waiting to happen. A mortgage trust framework needs demonstrable audit trails, not honor-system disclosures.

No examiner trail

An audit-ready AI deployment produces complete logs of what was asked, what borrower data was accessed, and what actions were taken. Shadow AI produces none of that. When MERS data residency rules require tenant-bound processing and the next GSE review asks for evidence, there’s nothing to show.

The lesson regulated industries learned the hard way: unmanaged hidden AI usage is more dangerous than rapid managed deployment, particularly when Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHFA are issuing AI vendor advisories quarterly. The fastest path to control isn’t prohibiting the tools your people already use. It’s giving them a sanctioned alternative inside your Microsoft 365 tenant, with audit trails and data boundaries that GSE reviewers and state DFI examiners can actually review.

ABT Readiness Framework

Four pillars. One assessment. Complete picture.

AI readiness is a governance decision, not a licensing decision. ABT evaluates your Microsoft 365 tenant across four dimensions that determine whether Copilot deployment will succeed or create risk for your mortgage operation.

Security Posture

Your Microsoft Secure Score is the starting line. Most mortgage lenders begin around 32%. Guardian clients average above 85%. That gap matters because Copilot amplifies whatever security posture you already have. A low Secure Score with Copilot active means AI can surface board minutes, comp plans, and borrower PII faster than an attacker manually browsing SharePoint. ABT’s assessment reads your actual Secure Score and maps a priority fix list: MFA enforcement, Conditional Access policies, endpoint protection through Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Entra ID Protection for leaked credential detection.

Data Governance

Copilot respects your permissions. If a junior processor can access the CFO’s SharePoint folder, Copilot can summarize it. That is the problem. Most mortgage lenders, servicers, and GSE-aligned shops have years of accumulated SharePoint permissions that nobody has audited. Sensitivity labels in Microsoft Purview classify documents by risk level. DLP policies block borrower NPI, loan-file PII, and closing-disclosure data from leaving governed boundaries. Retention policies keep data from disappearing when it should not and from lingering when it should not. ABT checks all three before any AI deployment starts.

Identity and Access

Every Copilot query runs under the identity of the person who asked it. If your IT admin has standing Global Admin privileges 24/7, Copilot gives them AI-powered access to everything in the tenant. Microsoft Entra ID with Privileged Identity Management makes admin access time-boxed and auditable. Conditional Access policies enforce where and how loan officers, processors, and underwriters authenticate. Password hash sync with Microsoft Entra ID Protection catches leaked credentials before attackers use them. ABT evaluates all of this because identity is the perimeter for every AI interaction, and an FHFA reviewer will trace authentication evidence back to the loan officer who pulled the file.

Adoption and Training

Technology without adoption is waste. One 100-person mortgage shop deployed Copilot licenses to every employee and found only 9% using it properly after 90 days. The rest either ignored it or used it without understanding what borrower data it could access. Successful deployments start with a champion group of 10 to 15 people, usually a mix of senior loan officers, processors, and underwriters, who learn Copilot’s strengths, document real mortgage use cases, and train their peers. ABT measures adoption by department, tracks which features get used, and adjusts training based on actual behavior. The goal is not just licenses purchased. It is people producing better work.

Get your AI Readiness Assessment

Complimentary for active MWS clients. Includes a tenant scan for shadow AI in your loan officers’, processors’, and underwriters’ workflows, a prioritized 90-day fix list, and an executive readout your board and GSE QC reviewer can review. Senior-engineer engagement, 2 to 3 week delivery.

What We Check

Your assessment covers eight critical areas

ABT runs the assessment using Microsoft’s automated readiness tooling and Defender for Cloud Apps shadow AI discovery, then layers senior-engineer interpretation on top, tuned to mortgage exam regimes (FHFA, GSE seller-servicer reviews, MERS, state DFI, CFPB). You get a scored report, a prioritized fix list, and an executive readout in 2 to 3 weeks.

SHADOW AI

Shadow AI Discovery

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps identifies every AI service your tenant users have touched in the last 30 days. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and the long tail of free chatbots show up here, including which users and how often.

DATA

Data Loss Prevention

Are DLP policies protecting borrower NPI, loan-file PII, and closing-disclosure data? Are sensitivity labels applied to encrypted closing docs and 1003 loan applications? Copilot will surface whatever is accessible, so DLP must be tight before deployment.

DEVICE

Browser Extension Audit

Microsoft Intune and Defender for Endpoint identify which AI browser extensions are installed on managed loan officer and underwriter devices. This is where personal-account ChatGPT signs in alongside corporate Microsoft 365, often invisibly, while LOS data sits in the same browser session.

SECURITY

Secure Score Baseline

Your Microsoft Secure Score compared to mortgage-lender benchmarks. Most lenders start at 32%. Guardian clients average above 85%. We show you the gap and what to fix first.

IDENTITY

Tenant Readiness

Microsoft Entra ID configuration, Conditional Access policies, MFA enforcement, PIM for admin accounts, and Purview compliance posture. Identity is the perimeter for every Copilot interaction.

LICENSE

Copilot Utilization Review

Existing Copilot seats in your tenant, who’s using them, and where adoption has stalled. We also identify the most cost-effective licensing path forward, whether that’s Microsoft 365 Business Premium plus Copilot Business or an enterprise stack.

DEPLOYMENT

Phased Deployment Plan

A prioritized 30/60/90-day remediation roadmap with assigned ownership, estimated effort, and sequencing. Not a generic checklist. Specific to what your tenant scan revealed.

GOVERNANCE

AI Use Policy + Executive Readout

A draft AI use policy your board can adopt, plus a 30-minute executive readout covering findings, business risk, and recommended next steps. Designed to satisfy GSE QC, FHFA, and state DFI examiner questions before they’re asked.

Don’t have all the prerequisite Microsoft tooling? That’s common, and it doesn’t disqualify you. ABT delivers every component your tenant supports today and includes specific recommendations (with cost) for the components you’re missing. The assessment is the first step in closing the gap, not a gate to entry.
What it costs

Two paths in.

The AI Readiness Assessment is a senior-engineer engagement that typically retails at $2,000. ABT runs it complimentary for active MWS clients as part of the Microsoft 365 service relationship.

Active MWS clients

Complimentary

Typically valued at $2,000

You’re managing Microsoft 365 with MWS today. The AI Readiness Assessment is included as part of your CSP relationship, scheduled at your timing.

  • Two to three week engagement led by an ABT senior engineer
  • Eight-component tenant evaluation across security, identity, data governance, AI usage, and deployment readiness
  • Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps shadow AI discovery (every AI service your loan officers, processors, and underwriters touched in the last 30 days)
  • DLP and sensitivity-label audit across SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Exchange (covers borrower NPI, loan files, and closing disclosures)
  • Microsoft Secure Score baseline plus mortgage-lender peer benchmark
  • Custom 30/60/90-day remediation roadmap with assigned ownership and effort estimates
  • Draft AI use policy your board can adopt without rewriting
  • Executive readout deck plus 30-minute live walkthrough for IT, compliance, and risk leads
  • GSE / FHFA / CFPB / MERS / state DFI documentation package
Schedule my assessment

Microsoft 365 not yet with MWS?

Let’s talk

Move your Microsoft 365 to MWS during the engagement and the assessment is included. Or scope it as a standalone paid engagement first.

  • Move your Microsoft 365 to MWS (ABT Tier-1 CSP) and the assessment is complimentary
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot promotional pricing through June 30, 2026 ($10/user/month incremental over Business Premium) becomes available the day you transition
  • No-cost CSP transfer support for qualifying mortgage lenders and servicers
  • Or scope as a standalone paid engagement ($2,000) and decide afterward
  • Same eight-component scope as the active-client engagement
  • Senior-engineer-led discovery, interpretation, and executive readout
Talk to a specialist
Your Path Forward

From assessment to first AI agent in 90 days

ABT manages Microsoft tenants for 750+ financial institutions. This is the path we’ve proven across the mortgage lenders, servicers, and GSE-aligned shops deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI agents.

1
Week 1-2

Assess

Tenant scan plus shadow AI discovery across loan officers, processors, and underwriters. Scored report with prioritized fix list across all four pillars and eight components.

2
Week 3-6

Harden

Guardian deploys security foundations. Secure Score to 85%+, sensitivity labels for closing docs and 1003s, DLP policies for borrower NPI, Conditional Access configured.

3
Week 7-10

Deploy

Microsoft 365 Copilot Business licenses activated. Champion group of senior loan officers and processors trained first. Phased rollout with adoption metrics tracked from day one.

4
Week 11-13

Govern

Microsoft Agent 365 governance controls active. Custom agents deployed via Copilot Studio. Continuous monitoring via Guardian Security Insights, with audit trails ready for FHFA or GSE QC review.

Frequently asked questions

What does the AI Readiness Assessment actually include?
The assessment evaluates eight components for your mortgage operation: shadow AI discovery via Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (covers loan officers, processors, and underwriters), DLP and data exposure analysis (borrower NPI, loan files, closing disclosures), browser extension audit via Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Secure Score baseline, tenant readiness across Microsoft Entra ID and Purview, Copilot license utilization review, a phased 30/60/90-day deployment plan, and a draft AI use policy plus executive readout. Delivery is 2 to 3 weeks, with senior-engineer interpretation layered on top of automated Microsoft tooling and tuned to GSE QC, FHFA, MERS, state DFI, and CFPB review contexts.
Is the assessment really complimentary? What’s the catch?
For active MWS clients, yes, complimentary as part of the Microsoft 365 service relationship. The engagement typically retails at $2,000 elsewhere. There’s no obligation to deploy Copilot, no contractual commitment, and no upsell call masquerading as a results review. If the assessment surfaces work you decide not to do, you keep the report (useful for the next FHFA or GSE QC review on its own). If you decide to act on it, ABT can scope the remediation as a separate engagement.
What if we don’t have Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps deployed?
Common, and it’s not a blocker for a mortgage lender. ABT delivers every component your tenant supports today, then provides specific recommendations (with cost) for the pieces you’re missing. For shadow AI discovery specifically, Defender for Cloud Apps gives the deepest visibility into what loan officers, processors, and underwriters are touching, but we can also work with audit logs, Conditional Access sign-in data, and endpoint telemetry to surface most of the picture. The assessment report tells you what you have, what you’re missing, and what closing the gap would cost before your next GSE QC review or FHFA exam.
Doesn’t Microsoft 365 Copilot have its own security issues?
Yes. EchoLeak (CVE-2025-32711), disclosed in early 2026, was a zero-click data-exfiltration vulnerability in Microsoft 365 Copilot. Microsoft patched it within days, but the underlying lesson stands for any mortgage lender: any AI inside your tenant needs the audit trails, data boundaries, and DLP controls that detect and prevent these patterns, especially when the tenant holds borrower SSNs, income, and closing disclosures. Red-team testing in 2026 found that 60% of enterprise AI copilots had similar exfil vulnerabilities. The right response isn’t avoiding Copilot; it’s deploying it with the governance framework that makes attacks visible to GSE QC and FHFA reviewers. That’s what ABT’s readiness work delivers on day one, independent of which CVE is in the news.
What if our loan officers just want to use ChatGPT?
They probably already are, and that’s the problem. When employees can choose any AI tool, Copilot adoption drops to 8% (vs 68% when employees are captive). The fix isn’t prohibition; that strategy fails the moment a loan officer sits in a closing call with a borrower asking for a quick payment summary. It’s making the sanctioned alternative as fast and useful as the workaround. Microsoft 365 Copilot runs inside your tenant on your data, with audit trails an FHFA examiner can review, and integrates directly into Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint where origination, processing, and underwriting work already happens. Once it’s deployed correctly, the workaround stops being faster, and the sanctioned tool becomes the path of least resistance.
How do you assess AI readiness for a mortgage lender?
Mortgage lenders assess AI readiness across four pillars: tenant security posture (Microsoft Secure Score), data governance (DLP and sensitivity labels in Microsoft Purview applied to loan files, 1003s, and closing disclosures), identity and access maturity (Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, PIM, and NMLS-aligned authentication), and deployment readiness (licensing, training plans, adoption metrics). For mortgage lenders, servicers, and GSE-aligned shops, this also requires GSE QC, FHFA, MERS, and state DFI audit trail completeness and a documented AI use policy. ABT’s assessment automates the technical evaluation and delivers it with senior-engineer interpretation tuned to mortgage exam contexts.
What’s the practical AI readiness checklist for mortgage lenders and servicers?
The practical checklist: Microsoft Secure Score above 70%, MFA enforced for all loan officers, processors, underwriters, and admins, DLP policies active for borrower PII, NPI, and closing-disclosure data, sensitivity labels deployed across SharePoint and OneDrive (including loan-file libraries), Conditional Access policies configured for NMLS-aligned authentication, Microsoft Entra ID P2 with PIM enabled, SharePoint permissions audited for oversharing across origination and servicing teams, shadow AI discovery via Defender for Cloud Apps, browser extension audit via Intune, and a documented AI use policy approved by your board with mappings to GSE QC and FHFA expectations. ABT’s assessment covers all of these automatically and delivers the gap report.
How long does it take to become AI-ready?
Most mortgage lenders can move from assessment to first Copilot deployment in 90 days. The timeline breaks down as: 1-2 weeks for assessment, 3-4 weeks for security hardening and Guardian deployment, 3-4 weeks for Copilot licensing and champion group training (typically senior loan officers, processors, and underwriters), and 2-3 weeks for governance controls and phased user rollout. Lenders with existing Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 deployments and active Guardian monitoring can move faster, and shops already on MWS often complete the path in 60-75 days.

Find your shadow AI.

Tell us about your institution and we’ll show you exactly which AI tools your loan officers, processors, and underwriters are using today, how they map to FHFA, GSE, and state DFI examiner expectations, and what it takes to bring them inside your tenant.

SOC 2 Type II
Tier-1 Microsoft CSP
750+
Mortgage Lenders & FIs
25+
Years
8
Assessment Components
Complimentary for active MWS clients
Schedule your AI Readiness Assessment
Typically a $2,000 senior-engineer engagement. Included as part of your MWS / ABT CSP relationship. An ABT readiness specialist will reach out within one business day to scope timing.
I’m interested in... (optional)
First name is required
Last name is required
Valid email is required
Response within 1 business day. No obligation.
You’re in.
An ABT readiness specialist will review your request and reach out within one business day.
Encrypted. Private. Never shared.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business pricing Agent 365 governance framework AI and Copilot hub