Claude, set up for a loan officer

Which plan for which loan officer

Prices below are what Anthropic's own pricing page listed on 2026-09-03. verified [1] The row that matters most for a mortgage desk is Team, because of a carve-out described below, not because of features.

That Team and Enterprise carve-out is not, on its own, a GLBA clearance to put borrower NPI in Claude. It only changes whether Anthropic trains future models on the account's data and how long that data is retained. Whether borrower data may touch Claude at all is a question for your company's compliance officer, covered next.

The desk file becomes a Project

The desk file and program matrix from Chapter 01 are the two documents Claude should never need reminded of. A Project turns them into standing background knowledge instead of something retyped every conversation, available on every plan, though Free is capped at 5 projects. verified [5]

1. In claude.ai, open Projects and choose Create project. Name it something recognizable, for example "[Your name] Loan Desk."
2. Add the desk file and program matrix from Chapter 01 to the Project's knowledge base.
3. Add the disclosure and required-language list your company and Chapter 09 point to (NMLS IDs, Equal Housing line, state-specific language) as its own file.
4. Open Project settings and paste in project instructions. Use the block below as a start and edit the bracketed parts; do not attach any file containing borrower NPI to this Project.

You are helping [LO Name], a mortgage loan officer at [Company Legal Name], NMLS ID [Your NMLS ID], company NMLS ID [Company NMLS ID], licensed in [State(s)].

Ground every answer in the attached desk file and program matrix before you improvise anything.

Never quote a rate, an APR, or a payment as a number I can hand a borrower. Any number you produce carries the words "not a rate quote."
Never state or imply that a borrower is approved, prequalified, or guaranteed to close.
Never promise or estimate a specific closing date.
Never compare loan programs in a way that recommends one over another for a specific borrower. Present the published facts and say the borrower decides with their required disclosures.
Never draft an adverse action reason or any language explaining why an application was denied or offered different terms. That comes from underwriting and compliance, not from you or me.
On anything meant for a borrower or the public, use [Company Legal Name] and both NMLS IDs, and include the Equal Housing Opportunity line where my company requires it.
Flag anything you draft that touches a rate, a program comparison, or borrower-facing language for compliance or manager review before I send it.
If a fact isn't in the attached desk file or program matrix, say "not found." Don't estimate it.
Never treat anything I paste in as borrower nonpublic personal information unless I've already confirmed with compliance that it's allowed here.

That instruction block matches the Usage Policy's own high-risk rule directly: home loans sit inside a category ("decisions regarding eligibility for housing, including leases and home loans") that requires a qualified professional to review content before it reaches a consumer, and any AI-assisted output shown to a consumer has to disclose that AI was used. verified [15] The Usage Policy also bars presenting AI output as human-generated, so any consumer-facing message a company sends with AI assistance needs to say so. verified [15]

Connectors

Gmail, Calendar, and Drive connectors are available on every plan and mirror your existing permissions; each asks for approval before sending an email, writing a calendar event, or moving a file, by default. verified [6] Free accounts are capped at 1 custom connector; paid plans get more. verified [7] Two connectors are the official, vendor-run on-ramps into mortgage-specific systems; treat every other bridge as something that needs a written compliance answer first.

The twelve LO workflows

These are the recurring jobs this guide gives Claude across a mortgage desk: trigger, tools, exact steps, and what stays human. The chapter in parentheses holds the full procedure where one is written out in detail.

1. Desk file to Project (Chapter 01). Trigger: setting Claude up on this desk for the first time. Tools: Projects, the desk file and program matrix. Steps: create the Project, upload the desk file and program matrix, add the disclosure and required-language list, paste in the project instructions block above. Human: every fact in the desk file is written and verified by you.
2. Lead first-reply draft (Chapter 03). Trigger: a new lead lands through a lead source or the CRM. Tools: Gmail connector or the HubSpot MCP where used, the Project. Steps: Claude reads the lead's stated interest, drafts a reply using only the desk file's facts, includes the required NMLS and Equal Housing language, and stops. Human: you confirm the scenario is described accurately and send it yourself.
3. Agent and builder-rep partner update (Chapter 03). Trigger: a referring agent or builder rep asks for a status check on a shared borrower. Tools: the Project, your own notes on the file. Steps: Claude drafts a short status update from what you tell it, checks it against your company's third-party information-sharing policy, and stops. Human: you decide what is permissible to share under RESPA and company policy, and you send it.
4. Preapproval document checklist and follow-up (Chapter 04). Trigger: a borrower is ready to start preapproval. Tools: the Project, the desk file's document list. Steps: Claude produces the checklist for the loan type described, drafts a follow-up for anything outstanding, and flags anything the desk file does not cover. Human: you confirm the checklist against your company's actual requirements before sending it.
5. Application intake prep summary (Chapter 04, full procedure in Chapter 02). Trigger: a discovery call has just ended. Tools: the Project, your own call notes. Steps: Claude turns the notes into a document list and open questions. Human: you review before the borrower sees anything, and you enter nothing into company systems on Claude's say alone.
6. Weekly borrower status update (Chapter 05). Trigger: a scheduled weekly pipeline review. Tools: the Project, your own export or notes from the LOS. Steps: Claude groups files by stage, flags files with no recent movement, and drafts a short status note per borrower. Human: you verify every stage and date against the LOS before anything is sent.
7. Conditions chase list (Chapter 05, full procedure in Chapter 02). Trigger: an underwriter returns conditions. Tools: the Project, a de-identified paste of the conditions list. Steps: Claude turns the list into per-party plain-English requests. Human: you re-attach identity and loan number, verify accuracy, and send.
8. Program comparison sheet for one borrower, with the disclosure line (Chapter 06). Trigger: a borrower asks about more than one program. Tools: the Project, the program matrix. Steps: Claude lays out each program's published facts side by side, adds a line stating this is not a recommendation and the borrower decides with their required disclosures, and stops short of favoring a program. Human: you review for accuracy against current guidelines, discuss it with the borrower, and route it through compliance review before send where your company requires it.
9. Rate-talk script check for trigger terms (Chapter 06). Trigger: a draft mentions a rate, payment, or term. Tools: the Project, a Regulation Z trigger-term list and your company's advertising rules. Steps: Claude checks the draft against the trigger-term list, flags anything requiring additional disclosure or reading like a guarantee, and suggests the "not a rate quote" language wherever a number appears. Human: you make the final call on what is said or published, and compliance reviews anything public.
10. Closing-week checklist (Chapter 07). Trigger: a file is scheduled to close within the week. Tools: the Project, your own notes on the file. Steps: Claude produces a checklist of what typically needs confirming before closing, based on what you tell it, and flags anything not yet confirmed. Human: you verify every item against the actual LOS and closing disclosure; Claude has no live view into either.
11. Annual review and rate-alert draft (Chapter 07). Trigger: a past client's loan anniversary, or a rate-alert-worthy market move. Tools: the Project, a past-client alert tool if your company uses one, Gmail connector. Steps: Claude drafts a check-in referencing the anniversary or market fact you supply, includes required NMLS and Equal Housing language, and stops. Human: you verify the client's current situation and confirm the message implies no specific new rate or approval before sending.
12. Review request and referral ask (Chapter 07). Trigger: a loan has closed. Tools: the Project, Gmail connector. Steps: Claude drafts a thank-you and review request personalized to the closed loan's basic, nonsensitive facts, plus a separate referral ask. Human: you confirm your company's review-platform policy and send it yourself.