Independent mortgage bankChurchill Mortgage

Catching the Builder Risks a Manual Review Misses

Pre-close builder review is where construction loan risk gets decided, and it has always been a manual, expert-driven process. Through its partnership with Land Gorilla, Churchill Mortgage brought X-RAY, an AI-analyzed and human-verified builder analysis, into that step. The result is a review that is more thorough than a manual pass, catches what an experienced reviewer can miss, and comes back in under two hours.

Churchill Mortgage on Land Gorilla

“I think it’s very difficult to give something that’s quality but also quicker, and Land Gorilla has essentially done that.”

Churchill Mortgage

The Challenge

Before X-RAY, Churchill’s pre-close builder reviews depended entirely on a reviewer reading each document and checking it against requirements by hand.

That manual approach left several gaps:

Human error, even for experts

Feasibility and builder reviews carry a risk that experience does not remove. A general liability aggregate below the required amount is easy to pass over on a first read.

Claims taken at face value

What a contractor states about its business, such as years in operation, was difficult to verify against public records within the review window.

Standardized, not analytical

Reviews followed a condition-by-condition checklist rather than an analysis of the builder as a whole.

Slow turnaround

Reading and checking each document by hand took time, which delayed answers to contractors and pulled the team away from more critical work.

The Solution

Churchill added X-RAY Builder Analysis to its pre-close process. X-RAY runs a methodical analysis of the builder, Land Gorilla’s team verifies the findings, and the lender’s reviewers make the decision.

Key components of the solution included:

AI-analyzed, human-verified review

X-RAY performs the exhaustive pass and Land Gorilla has its own team verify every finding, so the analysis is deep and accountability stays with people.

Insurance verification against lender requirements

Certificates of insurance are checked line by line, including the general aggregate limit, and shortfalls are flagged.

Public-record fact-checking

Contractor claims such as years in business are verified against Secretary of State filings.

Analytical reporting

The X-RAY report presents the analysis of the builder in a methodical, analytical format rather than a list of conditions.

Fast turnaround

Most X-RAY Builder Analyses are completed in under two hours.

“The in-depth amount of what it’s giving us has been very beneficial, and that honestly is how AI should probably be utilized. Utilizing it to mitigate construction loan risk is a great role for it to take on.”

Churchill Mortgage

The Results

With X-RAY in the pre-close process, builder review became both more thorough and faster, without adding review staff.

Errors caught that a reviewer passed

A few weeks into using X-RAY, a contractor’s general liability policy came through with an aggregate below the required amount. The reviewer had not caught it on the first pass. X-RAY flagged it, and the shortfall was corrected before closing.

Uncovered discrepancies in contractor claims

X-RAY identified a contractor who had overstated how many years it had been in business. The claim was fact-checked against the Secretary of State filing and flagged in the report.

Answers in under two hours

Churchill’s X-RAY Builder Analyses come back in an average of 1 hour and 20 minutes, giving reviewers verified findings to act on right away.

More capacity, stronger contractor relationships

Closing out reviews in under two hours lets more come in and frees the team to focus on the fires that come with construction lending. Contractors get an answer while the conversation is still warm, which builds the relationship instead of straining it.

“When you’re able to close out these contractor reviews so quickly, it allows for more to come in. And when you’re able to have more time in a day to solve more work, it’s priceless. I would highly recommend the X-RAY Builder Review.”

Churchill Mortgage