The Collaboration Gap: Why Banks, Insurers, and Agents Still Don’t Work Together

Let’s Start with a Simple Truth

If you're buying or selling property in Switzerland, you're going to deal with a bank, maybe an insurance provider, and definitely a real estate agent. It’s one of the few life moments where all three actors naturally show up.

And yet — they rarely collaborate. Not really.

Sure, there are handovers, some lead-sharing, and branded partnerships. You might hear, “We work with this insurer…” or “Here’s a trusted agency you could contact…” But in day-to-day operations? In how they actually work around the client? They're still far apart.

The result? Duplication. Delays. Lost business. Frustrated clients.

What “Collaboration” Looks Like Today

Right now, the most common way these players interact is by passing along leads. That’s about it.

Banks sometimes send seller leads to agencies. Some insurers offer special packages that agents can mention. A few banks even have in-house teams for real estate services.

But when it comes to really working together on a shared case — helping a client sell, finance, insure, and plan — most of the connection stops at the handshake.

• You won’t see an agent and a bank agreeing early on what pricing makes sense.
• You won’t see an insurer proactively helping a seller prepare documents.
• You won’t even see a shared space for basic property facts, status, or timelines.

And That’s Where Things Go Sideways

When there’s no real collaboration, a few predictable problems show up:

Clients do get some support from their bank — but when it’s time to sell, they’re mostly left to navigate things alone. Banks, in turn, often lose out on mortgage assets when a property is sold, simply because they’re not part of the loop. That loss needs to be made up before growth can even be considered. And real estate agents? They still compete for every seller lead — even when they already have existing relationships to the banks involved.

Then there’s the operational chaos:

The same property is entered into multiple systems: the agent’s CRM, the insurer’s database, everyone’s own estimation tool. Leads fall through the cracks because financing and insurance are treated as separate tasks instead of integrated steps. And miscommunication slows everything down — from over-optimistic price promises to repeated status checks that offer no real progress.

The result is a process that feels inefficient to everyone involved — and fragmented to the client.

So What’s in the Way to Collaborate?

It’s not that people don’t want to work together. It’s just that they can’t — or won’t.

• Their tools are built for collaboration — most are internal, not cross-organizational.
• Regulation makes banks and insurers cautious — and rightly so. Privacy and compliance can’t be compromised.
• Cultural habits are hard to break — real estate agents and bank advisors aren't used to working hand-in-hand.
• Everyone worries that if they share data, they might lose control of the client.

So they don’t share.
They don’t align.
And they don’t build anything together.

What Clients Are Actually Missing

Clients don’t necessarily expect one person to handle everything for them. But they do expect the experience to be smoother — without having to explain their situation multiple times or figure out who to talk to next. They appreciate trusted introductions instead of cold starts. And they’d rather not have to repeat every step, re-enter their data, or keep checking who’s responsible for what.

Instead, what they often get is a checklist and a “good luck.” From that point on, they’re left to figure out their own way forward — one handoff at a time.

What Real Collaboration Could Look Like

Let’s imagine things worked differently:

A client wants to sell. Their bank sees the mortgage is expiring and recommends a trusted agency — not based on commission, but on quality and service.

When the property is onboarded, the bank shares the basic property data they already have — so the client doesn’t have to dig it all up again. If there’s a bank valuation, it helps frame the conversation with the agent early.

While the listing goes live, the bank can offer exposure to its network of qualified buyers. And they can add real value: not a factsheet, but a pre-screened financing path — helping buyers know what’s realistic and getting their financing conversation started faster.

As negotiations begin, the bank advisor is looped in to handle any financing questions. And once there’s a buyer, everything moves — promises to pay, document handling, admin — because the right people already know the case.

At the same time, the agency has already qualified leads, helping the bank spot the most promising financing opportunities.

This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s just connected thinking.

A Glimpse of What’s Possible

Some players are already testing this. Agencies working more closely with banks. Insurers embedding services into home sales. It’s still rare, and not yet systematic — but the appetite is growing.

And once these collaborations become structured, repeatable, and secure? The experience will change completely — for everyone.

Final Thought

The collaboration gap doesn’t just slow things down. It’s a strategic blind spot.

For clients, it’s a source of confusion. For banks and agents, it’s a source of loss.

And for anyone willing to step in and build the bridge — it’s a massive opportunity.

Because once the right people start working together, real estate stops feeling like a mess of handoffs. It becomes something else entirely: a journey that actually makes sense.

Written by Fabio Mosimann — yes, the same guy from the disclaimer, co-founder of Gridwork and Brixel. If the current system worked fine, I wouldn’t have had to write this.