This article from National Mortgage News is yet another instance of a phenomenon called disintermediation.

In plain English, it means "getting rid of the middle man", like finding your home on Zillow instead of driving around with a Realtor, or booking your hotel, rental car and flight on a web site rather than calling a travel agent. No doubt some folks reading this have never used a travel agent or know what one is - that's disintermendiation at work.

This article describes the rise of direct to consumer mortgage lending. It is a real thing.  

 http://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/origination/no-longer-a-niche-consumer-direct-lenders-lead-mortgage-innovation-1064448-1.html?zkPrintable=1&nopagination=1 

These changes are already hitting the title industry along the edges with eRecording and dozens of NY counties already allow searching/examining land records via the web.

In 1999, I worked on the consumer launch of The First Internet Bank, referenced in the article. At the time, we had no idea what would come of it. 

We may like it or not, but change is inexorable.  

I guess its true - there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come.