If you didn’t make it to ICE Experience 2026, it was two days of productive conversations, strong connections, and the kind of face-to-face time that actually moves things forward.
At our booth, we brought laser engravings on demand. People loved walking away with something personalized, and it kept the energy up. On the other end of things, we were deep in valuation conversations, answering questions and getting a real read on what lenders and AMCs are thinking about right now.
Here’s what we heard.
Scaling and Automation
We’re living in the age of AI and yet some of the conversations on the floor surprised us. While most teams were focused on scaling, there were still teams asking about automating their processes. Excel sheets, email chains, orders being pushed manually from one step to the next. In 2026, that was not what we expected to still be hearing.
For those teams, the answer is straightforward. Order management, automated assignments, report delivery, vendor tracking, compliance checks, all connected and running without someone manually moving things along. That’s what ValueLink does, and those conversations were a reminder that the gap between where some teams are and where they need to be is still wider than it should be
As a tech provider, automation is the world we live in. For 13 years ValueLink has been onboarding clients and building workflows for smooth processes.
Lenders and AMCs that already have automated workflows and are now looking to scale more strategically. That’s where Cogent fits in. It offers visibility into turn times, vendor fees, and operational performance so teams can spot bottlenecks, benchmark against the industry, and make more informed decisions as they grow.
Scaling is clearly the next thing the industry is chasing.
UAD 3.6: The Transition Is Coming
If there was one topic that came up more than anything else at ICE, it was UAD 3.6. Not surprising given that it’s the biggest compliance shift the appraisal industry has seen in over a decade. The mandate hits November 2, 2026, after which Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will only accept the new dynamic report format. UAD 2.6 forms will no longer be accepted for new assignments.
It’s the talk of the industry, so what surprised us was that some people we spoke to didn’t fully know about it yet. Others knew it was coming and were actively looking for help with the transition. Two very different places to be with less than a year until the mandate.
ValueLink is already UAD 3.6 ready and actively processing orders through it today. Read more If you are looking to transition, we offer consultations and training sessions to help your team get started with the new dynamic form.
Click here If you want a full breakdown of what UAD 3.6 actually changes, the key dates, and how to start preparing, we wrote a detailed guide on it.
AI in the Industry: Where Things Actually Stand
AI came up in conversations at ICE but not in the way you might expect. Nobody was talking about replacing workflows overnight. The conversations were more grounded than that, and honestly more interesting.
We researched and found that across the industry AI is finding its footing in very specific, contained problems. In servicing, multilingual chatbots are now handling a significant share of borrower inquiries, payment questions, document status, escrow, routine stuff that used to flood call centers. The smarter ones detect frustration in language patterns and reroute to a human before things escalate. It’s not flashy, but it’s working.
In underwriting, intelligent document management is quietly changing how teams process loan files. Instead of underwriters manually reconciling income documents, appraisals, and disclosures, AI classifies, extracts, and flags inconsistencies before a human ever opens the file. The underwriter still makes the call. They’re just spending that time on judgment rather than data entry.
The pattern across all of it is the same. AI is doing best where the task is repetitive, the data is structured, and a human stays in the loop. The industry isn’t relying on AI to run the systems, . It’s building assistive ones.
A Conversation Worth Having
On the sidelines of ICE, there was the Executive Women’s Networking Luncheon, and one of our team members was there for it.
The speaker was Carey Lohrenz, the first female F-14 Tomcat Fighter Pilot in the U.S. Navy. She spoke about performing under pressure in a historically male dominated space. She indicated the extra weight women carry, and how to move forward with clarity anyway. Honest, practical, and genuinely celebratory of what women in this industry have built. The kind of talk that acknowledges reality without dwelling in it.
It’s refreshing when an event this size makes space for this. ValueLink’s team was glad to be in the room. We believe the industry is stronger when everyone in it is supported, heard, and given room to thrive.
Until Next Year
ICE 2026 was a reminder of why showing up in person still matters. You can read the industry updates, follow the announcements, and stay on top of the trends from your desk. But there’s something about being on the floor, talking to lenders, AMCs, and technology partners face to face. That gives you a different kind of read on where things actually are.
We came back from Las Vegas with a clearer picture of what our clients and prospects are navigating, and more motivated to keep building solutions that meet them where they are.
If any of the conversations in this post resonated or if you want to dig into any of it further, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at sales@valuelinksoftware.com.
See you at the next one.
