Building Trust at Scale: Kristin Messerli on Financial Literacy, AI, and the Modern Mortgage Advisor
Building Trust at Scale: Kristin Messerli on Financial Literacy, AI, and the Modern Mortgage Advisor  
Podcast: The Way with Dino Katsiametis
Published On: Mon Feb 09 2026
Description: Trust in financial institutions is declining — and the mortgage industry is feeling it more than most.In this in-depth episode of The Way with Dino Katsiametis, Dino sits down with Kristin Messerli, CEO and Founder of First Home IQ, to unpack why consumer trust is eroding — and exactly what mortgage professionals can do to rebuild it.Kristin shares her journey from social work and community outreach to becoming one of the leading voices on financial literacy, trust-building, and next-generation homebuyers. Drawing from data, psychology, and real-world experience, she explains how education, empathy, and transparency outperform rates, ads, and automation alone.This episode goes deep on:Why institutional trust is declining across all industriesHow trust has shifted from institutions to individualsThe role AI should play in making advisors more human, not lessWhy listening matters more than pitchingHow loan officers can stop being transactional and become trusted guidesIf you’re a mortgage advisor, loan officer, or industry leader navigating today’s skeptical consumer landscape, this episode delivers practical frameworks you can apply immediately.Thanks for listening to "The Way With Dino Katsiametis" For full show notes, links, and extra episode resources, visit dinokatsiametis.com. Follow Dino for weekly clips and mortgage leadership insights on instagram.com/dinokatsiametis | linkedin.com/in/dinokatsiametis Learn more about Ethos Lending at ethoslending.com.