Oper converage in Handelsblatt - 4 hours vs. 4 weeks: How challenger banks are putting pressure on German mortgage lenders

Oper Features in Handelsblatt - Q3 2025

In a guest commentary for Handelsblatt Live, our CEO and Co-Founder Geert van Kerckhoven contrasts the typical “three to four weeks” mortgage approval timeline at many German banks with the “within hours” experience now offered by digital challengers. Using that gap as a starting point, he describes why the current system has reached its limits: around 70% of staff time in mortgage processing is tied up in manually checking and re-entering data from more than 30 documents, and over half of all applications arrive incomplete or incorrect. Combined with retiring experts, reduced capacities after years of lower volumes, and a 10% demand increase that can stretch processing times by 30–40%, traditional operating models are becoming a concrete business risk.

We highlight how digital players such as DKB, ING, Bunq and N26 are setting a new benchmark with fully digital processes, automated risk assessment, and intelligent document handling—delivering binding decisions in a day or less. At the same time, German banks face legitimate regulatory and compliance concerns and must serve complex, long-standing customer relationships, which makes change harder. The piece outlines three strategic options emerging from this tension: an “augmentation” path, where AI supports existing teams with document recognition and plausibility checks; an “agent” path, where AI systems take over expert-level analysis and recommendations; and a full “end-to-end platform” redesign of the mortgage journey, which some European banks report has driven efficiency gains of up to 60%. All three point toward the same end state: integrated, highly automated processes that combine speed, scalability, and robust risk management.

Our perspective is clear: the key question for banks is no longer whether to transform mortgage processes, but which route best fits their situation and how quickly they can move before challengers lock in new customer expectations. The transformation of mortgage financing is underway; institutions can either help shape it or be forced to catch up. Geert’s contribution shares our view of the strategic choices ahead and how technology like Oper’s can help turn regulatory constraints and legacy complexity into a competitive advantage.

Read the article in German